As bassist Sean McLay told me before the show began, Funknut is all at once a "blend of funk and soul with a pop groove." Although the band is only a three-piece, its music swells and produces a much larger sound. Lovin' Cup would have been a perfect venue to suit the small jazz set Thursday night had the soundcheck been tighter. McLay's bass was intermittently drowned out by drums and keys, spoiling the execution of a few pieces where the bass walk was the centerpiece. Nevertheless, the band jammed for an hour and a half, and the sound was mostly solid.

As the trio warmed up, the breadth of their arrangements grew, from pop/soul to funk to a hint of traditional reggae. In the true fashion of jazz improvisation, a melody would surface, and each instrument took off with it in different parts of the piece. As the set pressed on, the band seemed to adjust and find their groove, and by the tune "Every Little Thing" mid-set, the sound had climaxed. The tune introduced back-up vocals by McLay, and the mesh of the voice and the instruments was surprising and refreshing.

Funknut's most impressive moments were the bits of improv. The vocal by frontman Tony Gallicchio began simple and shy, at times undermining the strength of the instrumentation. His voice ebbed and flowed, making sense in a few arrangements but sounding out of character in others. As skillful and masterful as the instrumentation was, the vocal seemed out of its element when trying to compete with the powerhouse of drum hits and flawless bass runs.

The band has a reputation for consistently rearranging its tunes and packing sets with the odds and ends of a diverse group of musicians. The sound is ever-evolving, and the band is constantly reaching for different sounds and influences. It should be interesting to see which pack of musicians wind up on the band's newest LP, which is slated to be recorded in February.