By: David Schultz

In the early seventies, Miles Davis caused controversy within the jazz world: deconstructing traditional jazz by deemphasizing solos in favor of ensemble group play. On albums like Bitches Brew and On The Corner, Davis adventurously took jazz into new territories experimenting with different sounds and techniques. Davis' spirit of adventure and ability to harness the spirit of a band into one unified purpose lives on in the music and spirit of Licorice. This past Saturday night, at New York City's legendary Blue Note jazz club, Licorice, comprised of David Lott (guitar), Matt Epstein (bass), Chad Dinzes (keyboards) and Josh Bloom (drums), expertly embodied Davis' philosophy. Throughout the evening, Licorice jammed in unison, with nary a member of the quartet taking the opportunity to sit back and let the others carry their weight. At all times, everyone on stage was doing something meriting attention. In lesser hands, the result could be auditory chaos. In Licorice's hands, an exciting concoction of jazz, avant-garde, funk and rock evolves.

The core trio of the band formed through friendships with bassist Matt Epstein. While students at the University of Michigan, Lott and Epstein played together in Meropoix, an instrumental funk jamband before forming a trio with Epstein's childhood friend Josh Bloom. In 2003, rehearsals with keyboardist Chad Dinzes bore fruit, or in this case, Licorice. The band, which skillfully fuses different but compatible music, derived their name from one of Jerry Garcia's explanations of the Grateful Dead's fans. When asked about the Dead's fan base, Garcia responded, "Deadheads are kinda like people who like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but people who like licorice, really like licorice." Relix Magazine's honoring the band as the "New Groove of the Month" last October shows that audiences are quickly developing a taste for Licorice.

Licorice's late night set marked a return to the Blue Note where they have participated in the jazz club's weekend Late Night Groove Series since its inception in 2004. The performance marked not only their first show of 2006 but also served as a joint birthday celebration for Epstein and Lott. Coming on stage just after 1:00 a.m., Licorice ran through a tight set which touched on staples like "Scarab" and "Swisher," a couple newer compositions and a seriously powerful instrumental version of the Police classic "Walking On The Moon."

Dinzes gives Licorice a tasty flavor, interjecting a traditional piano sound into the mix. On "What’s Your Status In London?," Dinzes deftly keeps up with the song's tight tempo changes, moving from the stark avant-garde intro into flowing jazzy piano rolls and funky jam-based grooves. A versatile drummer, Bloom pushes the band along through upbeat stretches while also proving capable of working the snare and cymbals for the jazzier excursions. Where Dinzes and Bloom bring the jazz, Epstein and Lott bring the funk. Lott slid comfortably into a couple different roles throughout the night. At times Lott fronted the band, laying down guitar licks as a traditional lead guitarist, during others he mellifluously complemented Dinzes' keys and Epstein’s energetic bass with a solid rhythm guitar.

Despite Licorice's jazz leanings, they have failed to adopt the dour, serious demeanor stereotypical of jazz musicians. Like most jambands, Licorice possesses a sense of humor. In adapting Blink 182's "All The Small Things" into their tongue-in-cheek "Say It (Your Mom's A Vegetarian)," Licorice invented the wonderfully surreal insult, "your mother, she eats tofu." Licorice is also fond of covering "La Isla Bonita," converting Madonna's Caribbean-tinged dance classic into a scorching keyboard odyssey. However, the weighty confines of the Blue Note do not inspire whimsy and Licorice played it relatively straight within its staid surroundings.

In accepting a lifetime Jammy award on behalf of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir spoke eloquently about the improvisational spirit of jazz and its influence, not only on his own music, but on that of the entire jamband ethos. In an acknowledgment to the jazz influence described by Weir, the Blue Note, through their Late Night Groove Series has opened their stage to allow prospering groove-based bands a cozy, intimate and historical venue to showcase a different style of improvisational music. Just in case the connection between the jazz world and the jamband world escaped the Blue Note audience that evening, Licorice dove into "Satin Retreat," the band's adaptation of Davis' On The Corner track "Black Satin." Incorporating Davis' rhythms into their music, just like Davis incorporated rock and funk beats into his music more than three decades ago, the quartet adeptly bridged the gap between genres, offering a generous sample of the wonderful taste of Licorice.

Labels: Licorice