The Fearless Flyers arrived at the Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles as more than passingly familiar with the City of Angels. Bassist Joe Dart has come through Southern California many times with Vulfpeck—often as the most popular member among the band’s rabid fans. Much the same goes for Cory Wong, who has performed as a solo artist in the city, in addition to his work with Vulf.
Mark Lettieri, The Fearless Flyers’ baritone guitarist, has left an impression on L.A. by way of the jazz-fusion supergroup Snarky Puppy. As for drummer Nate Smith, he’s made his mark in this town as a studio musician (including collaborations with the likes of Brittany Howard and Pat Matheny), Grammy-nominated composer, and headliner of his own “Jazz Is Dead” show in May 2024.
Collectively, The Fearless Flyers laid down some of their earliest recordings in Southern California. Yet, in its six-plus years together, this instrumental jazz/funk group had never performed live as a unit in Los Angeles. That is, until a parched Thursday night when a sellout crowd showed up to pack The Regent for The Fearless Flyers’ local debut. To their credit, this fearsome foursome more than made up for lost time. Their setlist spanned the band’s tenure and even offered a glimpse into a glowing future.
After a stellar opening set by The Psycodelics, The Fearless Flyers took the stage in a captivatingly coordinated fashion, with a cheekiness that would’ve been familiar to the Vulfpeck faithful in the house. Nate notwithstanding, the band came out in matching blue jumpsuits and stepped up to their guitars, each suspended on a stand.
Related: How The Fearless Flyers Found Creativity In Specificity [Interview]
Following a brief introductory riff, the boys bounded into some uptempo, rock-ified funk with “Vespa”, complete with a nod to Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”. That served as a strong setup for an instrumental rendition of Steely Dan’s groovy “Reelin’ in the Years.”
The tempo kicked up once again during “Flyers Direct”, courtesy of Joe’s jaw-dropping bass and Cory’s wristy guitar strums. The Fearless Flyers settled into a deeper funk on “Barbara”, before welcoming Vulfpeck band leader Jack Stratton (a.k.a. “Vulfmon”) onstage to lend his soaring sousaphone for the purpose of further funkifying “Daddy, He Got a Cessna”. Joey Dosik, another Vulfpeck alum, was also in the building, though only as a spectator. Like everyone else in attendance, the L.A. native enjoyed the Vulfy vibes of “Hero Town”.
The Fearless Flyers, Jack Stratton — “Barbara” — 1/23/25
[Video: Aurora Vibes Music Festival]
From there, The Fearless Flyers dove into a track-by-track recital of their latest EP, 2024’s The Fearless Flyers IV. Accompanying each tune was a graphic of the “fearless flyer” for which it was named—from the “Blue Angels” and “Thunderbirds” of the U.S. Air Force to England’s “Red Arrows”, Italy’s “Frecce Tricolori”, Canada’s “Snowbirds”, and the “Patrouille de France”. Despite this being the first performance of these compositions at a “hard-ticket event,” the band’s superb players pulled off every note and phrase with aplomb.
Before proceeding with the final stretch of the show, Joe took a moment to highlight The Fearless Flyers’ fondness for L.A. and their feelings for all of their friends in the music industry who lost their homes and studios during the recent wildfires. He also announced that all proceeds from the evening would go toward local first responders.
That spirit of support fed into another exciting surprise: not only the revelation of a forthcoming album, but the live debut of a handful of its tracks. The likes of “Coastal Postal” and “Flyers Crusade” hit the ear with pleasant precision. “SKOM” and “Patrol Acrobatique” brought ample pace to the funk, with “Warped State” providing a groovy reprieve in between. For an encore, The Fearless Flyers went back to their base with “Ace of Aces”, off their original 2018 EP.
Anyone hoping to catch The Fearless Flyers in the flesh will have to wait until August when this fantastic quartet reunites for a four-date tour of Italy. In the meantime, some new music—and, perhaps, some shows with the players’ other outfits—will have to suffice.
Check out some fan-shot videos from The Fearless Flyers in L.A. by Aurora Vibes Music Festival and a gallery of images by photographer Josh Martin.
The Fearless Flyers — “Blue Angels” — 1/23/25
