Boston, MA · funk · jazz-funk

Lettuce

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Berklee-forged funk played with horn-section precision and zero interest in restraint — a groove institution drifting ever deeper into psychedelia.

Lettuce formed in the summer of 1992, when its members met as teenagers at a Berklee College of Music summer program in Boston, jamming together after discovering a shared love of Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power. They reconvened as undergraduates at Berklee in 1994, walking into Boston jazz clubs and asking simply to be let in, which gave the band its name.

The band built its sound around a rhythm section, guitar and two-piece horn front line, drawing on 1970s funk and soul, jazz fusion and hip-hop production. Drummer Adam Deitch's beats and Ryan Zoidis' saxophone remain among its most recognisable elements, while later records lean further into psychedelic textures and effects-heavy playing without losing the groove.

Lettuce's discography runs from the 2002 debut Outta Here and a 2003 live album recorded at Tokyo's Blue Note, through Rage! in 2008, which covered Curtis Mayfield and Charles Wright, to Fly! in 2012. The 2015 album Crush reached number one on the U.S. Jazz Albums chart, and 2020's Elevate earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Several members work widely outside the band: guitarist Eric Krasno and keyboardist Neal Evans also played in the organ trio Soulive, Zoidis co-founded Rustic Overtones, and Deitch has produced and toured with artists including John Scofield and Wyclef Jean. Live, Lettuce is known for long instrumental stretches and deep pocket playing that draws crowds from both the jam and funk scenes.

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