It wasn’t long into Lettuce’s sold out appearance in Higher Ground’s ballroom on October 25th that the septet fully reaffirmed the impression they left on their last appearance at the Vermont venue in September of 2013. That is, precisely because they’re so versatile as a band and the arrangements of their material so open to spontaneity – they niftily avoid the simplistic cliches of the genre and most of its practitioners. In a word, Lettuce is a powerhouse.
Guitarist Eric Krasno, sans his usual spiffy headwear, was ripping it up when the septet hit their first plateau for the gyrating sold-out crowd, but his counterpart across the stage Adam Smirnoff aided in no small part in maintaining that level of intensity with his more rock-oriented solos later in the set. Multi-saxman Ryan Zoidis and trumpeter Eric Bloom make it sound like Lettuce has more than just two horn players when they interact as part of the ensemble. While in their respective solos, each injects earthy textures into the mix that offset the more cerebral sounds Neal Evans coaxed from his keyboards. This wasn’t the almost non-stop assault of sound of last autumn, but it wasn’t far off. The entry of vocalist Alicia Chakour gave both the band and the audience a moment to breathe, as the band didn’t quite drown her out during the short suite of tunes to which she contributed, but she didn’t add measurably to the overall performance either.
The atmosphere began to rise again with presentation of flowers and a cake to Chakour for her birthday, yet the band altered their approach at this juncture by alternating the exploration of grooves with movement through expansive ambient sounds, at which point it became quite obvious, (if it wasn’t already), how Adam Deitch is the master navigator of Lettuce (apart from his songwriting contributions and production savvy in the studio). Without a showy kit so speak of, the drummer nevertheless makes full use of it, pounding snares and tom toms in synchrony with cymbal splashes that create a fluidity within so much of the syncopation he generates. It’s a testament to his own feel, technical skill and focus that bassist Erick “E.D.” Coomes remains constantly locked with Deitch, but therein lies the foundation upon which the rest of the musicians can move so freely.
More than once various members of Lettuce expressed gratitude for and admiration of the uproarious atmosphere in the packed club and the audience certainly deserved the kudos, even given the fact this was a Saturday night. But the fact of the matter is Lettuce earned the acclamation they got, deserving it as much as the way their reputation now precedes them in anticipation of stellar appearances like this latest one in the Green Mountains.
