Break Science took their signature hybrid sound of digital samples and sounds with live drums and keys in a far more organic direction with the addition of several members of Lettuce for a funky, sweaty show at the Blue Nile club in New Orleans on the second weekend of Jazz Fest. Trip hop auteur and programming wizard Borahm Lee and  rock steady beat keeper Adam Deitch have used their collaboration to explore a variety of music directions and dimensions, combining funk, EDM styled sound scapes that defy the listener to do anything but surrender and get lost in the grooves they lay down. Last night they were able to show once again how easily their sound could be expanded and enriched with additional live accompaniment by Deitch’s regular partners-in-crime from his main project, Lettuce.

Lee was contained behind an array of keyboards and electronic music making devices that he put through their paces.  Not one for flashy, splashy distractions often used in these types of musical collaborations, Lee managed to make dozens of different contributions to each song between his loops, beats, drops and keyboard fills without overpowering his partner Deitch or their guests. It’s a testament to Borham’s deft touch that he could manage to do so much to guide the songs without taking over the show.

Adam Deitch, as usual, put on a drum clinic, effortlessly cycling through the various styles and tempos the Break Science material requires with his permagrin showing just how much fun he was having as his musical worlds collided. As a producer as well as a drummer, Deitch is well of the importance of giving talented collaborators a comfortable place to do what they do best.  His familiarity with everyone sharing the stage with him was obviously a source of joy, and his eagerness to lay down a solid foundation for his friends to let loose upon was a testament to his skills and lack of ego.

Bassist Jesus Coomes blended his trademark thumping, infectious bass lines with the deep drops and loops programmed in by Lee.  The Blue Nile has a deceptively deep sound thanks to speakers hidden in the stage itself that pumped the fat bass lines directly into the crowds nether regions, inspiring a rather sensual response from the packed crowd. Lettuce’s brass section, The Shady Horns A.K.A. Ryan Zoidis on sax and Eric “Benny” Bloom on trumpet each brought a unique addition to the show.  Zoidis used a variety of effects to paint dark, psychedelic overtones on the songs, coloring outside the lines and beyond the more straight forward approach he normally takes.  Bloom on the other hand cut through the wall of sound effortlessly with his trumpet and used his natural exuberance to connect with the audience and elevate the energy with his antics.

Guitarist Adam “Schmeeans” Smirnoff worked himself into the mix with remarkable restraint that showed a sense of surety in his abilities that allowed him that has come with years of playing in a large ensemble like Lettuce. His smooth rhythm style the fleshed out each piece, with the occasional screaming solo line that reminded the crowd just how much he could do if he wasn’t fulfilling a more focused, supporting role. As each song flowed into the next, the musicians all found new ways to pass the baton between each other, no one player dominating for more than a moment or two.

Jazz Fest sees dozens of rare combinations and collaborations each year, but few that come off as seamlessly as the Break Science Live Band show did last night.  The instrumental selections driving combination of funky grooves and entrancing beats seemed to be exactly what the audience needed, s a packed house was locked in a unified dance energy that only stopped when the early show was forced to end so that the room could be cleared for the separate late night show.  It was a pity that the night had to end, as the band and the fans clearly could have kept the love vibe they were sharing going to the break of dawn.  But in the end, beauty is defined by limits. For one incredible set of music a group of musicians kept themselves in check, serving the sound instead of their egos, and the result was a whole far greater than the sum of the parts.

 

 

Setlist Break Science Live Band at the Blue Nile Mew Orleans, LA 4/30/16

Spins>Reno, Tonight>Good Together, Zion Station, New Durtay, Lonely Heart>Goin’ Down, In Full Effect>Funky Style>Handclap Song>Funky Style, Throwback>I Can See It In Your Face, Let’s Go, Tycho, Boogie Down, Reaction