The Funky Turducken, the latest full-length release from Middle Tennessee jazz combo The Lilliston Effect, is certainly funky, containing some rocking instrumental jazz with a swinging swagger.
The group introduces the instruments one by one on the opening, title track—a jazzy guitar vamp, funky drums, a little tropical flavor with the congas, the warm and soulful organ, the big, full thump and pleasing fretless slides of the upright bass and the syrupy-smooth sax.
The sound may be just as much rock as it is jazz. The Lilliston Effect jams aren’t wildly avant-garde, groundbreaking, complex or genre-shattering, but they are very pleasing and groovy, and should get your pulse going.
One could call this a blend of Vince Guaraldi and Jefferson Airplane perhaps; peppy, psychedelic, jazzy jams.
“Point Blank,” which begins on a straightforward, aggressively rockin’ beat, soon spirals into a more trippy, Indian-influenced groove interlude before slamming back into the driving pace.
The contrasting tones of the guitar and the sax, each soloing and noodling on each performers’ own journey, sound fantastic on “The Slouch” and other tracks.
Many of the numbers exhibit a fun, carefree vibe.
“All of my troubles just melt away,” one listener says.
Do a Charlie Brown dance and feel the flow. The regulars at Mayday, and other mid-state establishments, may have done just that at one of The Lilliston Effect’s frequent area performances.
Some jazz groups can get a little aimless and lose some casual listeners in their meandering improvisations, but the Lilliston Effect keeps its compositions brief, engaging (even without the presence of vocals) and danceable, with a strong backbeat and direction.
Being an enjoyer of jam bands, I wouldn’t mind at all taking in a live Lilliston Effect performance during which the group takes some lengthier explorations of some of their very groovy themes.
Find The Funky Turducken on ReverbNation; catch The Lilliston Effect at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Short Mountain Distillery.
