Instrumental jam quintet expands the limits of jazz

In Burlington, the ambiguous term "jam band" is thrown around quite a lot, but it doesn't fully capture the style of Japhy Ryder.

That's why Japhy Ryder, which headlined a lunchtime set at Brennan's on April 7, prefers not to be limited by this label.

"It's just a really weak way to describe a band," percussionist Joshua Pfiel said.

Matt Deluca, also a percussionist, agreed. He emphasized that Japhy Ryder is not a jam band due to the structured form of their songs.

"The amount of focus we actually have on a song form serves as a mechanism for exploration," Deluca said.

The exploration has allowed them to dabble in many genres, making their sound difficult to describe. The members cite a wide variety of musical influences, including Afro beat, hip hop, electronica and jazz.

Yet the band lets their instruments speak for themselves — Japhy Ryder's music has no lyrics. The reason for this is due to practicality, as the band feels that vocals would not mix well with their sound, according to bassist Pat Ormison.

"There's never really been the right time to have a vocalist," he said.

That's not to say things have always been consistant. The band often experiments with different sounds, all of which have somehow contributed to their developed, original sound.

"It's a constant process to get your sound," Deluca said. "It's ever-evolving."

The band's name comes from a character in the Jack Kerouac novel, "The Dharma Bums," which all of the band members found inspirational.

Not only are the band members' musical and literary tastes diverse, but they come from a wide range of places around the country as well.

It wasn't until they were students at St. Michael's College that they all met, where they decided to start the band in fall of 2003.

Originally, their band started off as a class project in a music class. By the time they graduated, they decided to stay in Burlington to keep their band together because of the vibrant community, according to Ormiston.

In spite of this, the band is not their full-time job — they all have careers of their own. For this reason, the band generally stays in the Burlington area for their shows.

Japhy Ryder hopes that their success will motivate future bands on the rise. Guitarist Zack DuPont stressed the importance of finding people you know you can trust.

"Get a solid group of kids that are going to stay together," he said.