Lettuce

Drawing from hip-hop, jazz, New Orleans R&B, blues, and rock ingredients, the New York collective Lettuce refreshes the spirit of classic 1970s funk. Founding members comprise guitarists Eric Krasno and Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnof, keyboardist Neal Evans, drummer Adam Deitch, saxophonists Ryan Zoidis and Sam Kininger, plus bassist Erick "E.D." Coomes. Their first full-length release, Outta Here, finally surfaced in 2002 to mark the ensemble's tenth anniversary. By that point Krasno and Neal Evans already belonged to Soulive, while Deitch had spent time in John Scofield's touring unit. Yet studio work ranked low among the group's priorities; they kept circling the planet and pursuing side ventures for six more years until Rage! surfaced on Velour. Two decades after formation they cracked the jazz album charts with 2012's Fly, then reached the summit three years later with Crush. In 2017, marking a quarter-century together, they delivered the concert tribute to Miles Davis titled Witches Stew. Subsequent peaks encompass the Grammy-nominated Resonate from 2020 and Unify from 2022.

Lettuce assembled in 1992 while still teenagers. The members met during a summer session at Boston's Berklee College of Music, united by shared admiration for Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, and jazz-funk outfits such as Headhunters. After staying connected through casual sessions the following year, they regrouped in 1994 as full-time Berklee students. They assembled a live repertoire and canvassed jazz venues, pleading with proprietors to "let us play." That plea supplied the band's name. Eventually opportunities arrived, rewarded by strong original material and a high-energy stage presence that secured steady local bookings. Growing word-of-mouth expanded their profile first through New York, then onward to San Francisco and Tokyo, fueling eight years of near-constant road work. During that stretch Krasno, Evans, and Kininger launched the groove trio Soulive, Lettuce's sibling act.

Deitch also participates in Break Science and has collaborated with artists ranging from John Scofield and 50 Cent to Talib Kweli and Wyclef Jean. California-born Coomes works as a noted producer, serves as musical director for Anthony Hamilton's band, and has toured as bassist for Britney Spears and the Game. Veteran trumpeter Rashawn Ross, another Berklee graduate, entered as a part-time member while maintaining outside touring commitments. The ensemble released Live in Tokyo, captured at Japan's Blue Note. They continued performing whenever schedules permitted, rendering each appearance a genuine occasion. Rage! arrived in 2009; its broad critical acclaim further boosted the group's live reputation, particularly on double bills alongside Soulive. Kininger departed both projects in 2010. Ross committed full-time to Dave Matthews Band, yielding the trumpet chair to Eric "Benny" Bloom in 2011.

Fly appeared in 2012, spotlighting an elongated treatment of War's "Slipping Into Darkness" alongside the intricate tribute to New Orleans legend Zigaboo Modeliste titled "Ziggawatt." The track "Jack Flask" captured on record the post-psychedelic direction the band had already tested onstage. Lettuce joined the Soul Rebels Brass Band aboard Jam Cruise 2013, then returned to the studio under co-producer and engineer Joel Hamilton, adding Ross on second trumpet. Crush spotlighted Alecia Chakour of Tedeschi Trucks Band on a charged reinterpretation of Bobbie Gentry's "He Made a Woman Out of Me," marking the group's initial studio nod to EDM. The remaining material blended bass-heavy funk, groove jazz, hip-hop rhythms, and guitar- and keyboard-driven psychedelia. Issued in November 2015, Crush ascended to the peak of the U.S. jazz album charts. Twelve months afterward came the seven-track EP Mt. Crushmore, compiling fresh cuts and Crush-era B-sides, again featuring Chakour on "The Love You Left Behind." Captured live at the 2016 Catskill Chill in Lakewood, Pennsylvania, the concert album Witches Stew honored Miles Davis. In 2019 the group issued their sixth studio effort, Elevate, which included appearances by Marcus King and Nigel Hall and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. The Russ Elevado-produced Resonate followed in 2020, securing another nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year. Two years later Lettuce resurfaced with their eighth studio album, Unify.