Analog Method will celebrate the release of their new CD, Night Rider, at Muddy River on Friday, July 30. They might as well be celebrating the whole groove scene, which, in an era of modest audience turnout, draws local crowds time and again for their specialized mix of funk, blues, jazz and soul. On any weekend, you'll find bands like Rhythm Method or the Amorphous Band filling The Press Room or The Muddy River in Portsmouth or The Barley Pub in Dover.

"There has been a groove-oriented part of the scene going back about 10 or 12 years, when bands such as Percy Hill and Vitamin C were playing around the area. Several bands have been working in this style for a while now, though there have been some newer bands coming onto the scene as well," points out Chris O'Neill of the Amorphous Band.

People are listening, and, of course, dancing. A recent gig at The Press Room by Rhythm Method had the crowd on its feet for the band's excellent originals and clever arrangements of cover tunes. Analog Method, which plays all instrumental music, had people listening intently to their incisive blend of funk, jazz and electronica grooves at The Barley Pub recently.

The music that inspires all of these bands grew out of the 1960s recordings issued by Blue Note records, by artists including guitarist Grant Green, organist Jimmy Smith and saxophonist Lou Donaldson. The music mixed jazz, blues, gospel and R&B into a danceable style that also left room for creative expression by the individual artists. In the early 1970s, Herbie Hancock recorded two landmark funk/jazz albums, "Headhunters" and "Thrust"(for Columbia). These two albums have a quality that is still appealing today, 30 years after their initial release. After fading into the background in the '80s and early '90s, funk/jazz began returning in the mid-1990s. New York-based bands like the Groove Collective and the Brooklyn Funk Essentials combined the funk/jazz style with the more contemporary hip-hop style. From this came bands such as the Greyboy Allstars with saxophonist Karl Denson. Denson's "Dance Lesson No. 2" on Blue Note is a state-of-the-art example of the newer funk/jazz style and features extensive contributions from DJ Logic.

Analog Method, along with the Amorphous Band, Rhythm Method, Larry Simon & Groove Bacteria and Out of Print are five of the several bands in the Seacoast area that play a blend of funk, blues, jazz and soul.

Analog Method started out as a home jam session three years ago between keyboard player Dan Shure and drummer Mike Walsh. "Dan and I would get together and explore different grooves, working on developing a connection with each other," Walsh said. Both were graduates of the University of New Hampshire music program and had played in various jazz ensembles in school. Shure said the band evolved as he and Walsh began jamming with (saxophonist) Sean Berry and bassist Andrew Dow. "We began to focus on writing and playing our own music and started playing around the area. We noticed that the crowds liked what we were doing, so we knew we were onto something," Shure said.

Dow's since left, and bassist Chris Beam of Keene and guitarist Jason Yost have joined the group. Shure describes Analog Method's music two parts. "The first is that our music utilizes jazz-inspired melodies and harmonies that are mixed in with funk, hip-hop and world beat rhythms, emphasizing the instrumental sound. The second is more recent, where we've been incorporating newer dance sounds from electronica such as drum 'n' bass and house music. We take a lot of inspiration from the sampling work of various DJs."

At the recent Barley Pub gig, I was impressed by the growth of the band. It had been about a year since I'd last heard them. The band sounded more confident, relaxed and assured. They have a fluid yet energetic sound that's propelled by drummer Walsh and bassist Beam. Shure's keyboards provide the textured harmonic cushion over which Berry and guitarist Yost create their imaginative flights of improvizational wizardry.

Berry brings a strong background in jazz to the band's sound. The saxophonist, a long-time member of the Seacoast Big Band, likes the opportunities Analog Method offers. "It was challenging at first because I hadn't played in this type of setting before," Berry said. "But it's been good for me. I try to keep my solo ideas more basic and rhythmically oriented. It's not like a straight-ahead jazz setting where you play the melody, solo and take the tune to the end. Here it's more arranged, but there's still room for individual expression."

Analog Method's CD release party begins around 9 p.m. on Friday at The Muddy River in Portsmouth. In a rare appearance, Downtown Sound will open the show.

Rhythm Method with Pete Peterson on lead vocals and guitar, Chuck Wentzell on guitar, Chad Owen on bass and Gene Guth on drums, came together seven years ago. "Chuck and I started the band," Owen said. "At first, we were just jamming together, without a clear idea of what we wanted. Then we heard Pete one night and totally dug what we heard. So, we hooked up with him and turned our focus in more of a funk/groove direction." The band plays primarily original material, with all four members contributing tunes and ideas. All four also contribute vocally. The 1999 winner of the Blues Bank Collective's Battle of the Blues Bands, the group went on to play at a national competition in Memphis. "We weren't sure what to expect, but the crowd loved the music and our sound. They were dancing all through our show." The national scene is where the band is aiming. Still, they play frequently around the area, most recently at an outdoor concert in Exeter. "It was a great crowd that really was into our music" Owen said. Rhythm Method will be playing at a cancer benefit concert at Red Hook Brewery on Aug. 27, a concert that is part of the Pan Mass Challenge.

The Amorphous Band is a five-piece band that includes Chris O'Neill on guitar, Keith Foley on bass, Mike Walsh on drums, Dan Shure on keyboards and Cindy Kaza on vocals. "Our music is pretty much in the funk/jazz vein," O'Neill says. "It's a mix of originals and cover tunes, with the ratio depending on the type of crowd we play for." O'Neill cites a variety of influences for the band, from John Scofield to '70s funk to Stevie Wonder, among several others. The band has been together in its present lineup for two years, playing gigs around the Northeast.

"We've played in Burlington, Vermont, Block Island and Portland," O'Neill says.

O'Neill also books the Inside/Out jazz series at The Barley Pub. "It started out with Kevin, Mike and I and grew into this session where a variety of local bands come into play." Future appearances for the band include a show at The Stone Church in the fall.

Larry Simon & Groove Bacteria features Simon on guitar, Skip Gallant on organ, Nate Edgar on bass and Mike Barron on drums. Simon, who comes from a background of free or avant-garde jazz, describes Groove Bacteria's music as a "blend of funk, jazz and afro-beat. It's music that is very earthy. Your body can feel it. Yet it also stimulates you as an improviser." The group has been together in its present form for six years. "We don't play that many clubs anymore. Instead we focus on concerts, so dancing doesn't factor into our shows that much," Simon says.

The group has a new CD out called Old School Jams and Drones, but for now, there are no plans for a CD release event. Simon cites a diverse array of influences for the band, including Tony Williams Lifetime, Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" recording, the British band Soft Machine, New Orleans band The Meters, and especially afro-beat master Fela Kuti. "Fela had a great thing where the groove just felt so organic and natural. All of the various grooves from funk to afro-beat are part of the same continuum," Simon explains.

Out Of Print is the newest band on the block, and also the largest. The seven members include Jim Dozet on guitar and vocals, Jim Chase on keyboards and vocals, Roland Nicol on bass, Chris Thurston on drums, Matt Lucas on alto sax, Chris Chase on tenor sax and Mark Viggorito on trumpet. "We started out as a five-piece band about a year and a half ago," Nicol explained. "We expanded by two pieces, adding keyboards and alto sax about a year ago. These additions gave the music more texture. Our music is in the soul/funk vein, with our influences being '70s funk bands like Tower of Power and the Blue Note soul/jazz recordings. We play a mix of originals and cover tunes at about a ratio of two-thirds originals to one-third cover tunes."

The band is in the process of planning a CD and has a gig at The Stone Church in September and an upcoming date at The Barley Pub.

Along with these bands, several other groups in this vein are operating in the area, including Shagbark with singer Mickey D, Sam Kininger, the Nate Wilson Trio, Color with saxophonist Matt Langley, Truffle, TOST (a new band featuring Jason Yost and Nate Edgar among others), ZumbaTres, and the Dave Tonkin Group from Concord. The Ken Clark Organ Trio and the Freelance Bishops are two Boston based funk/jazz groups that also play frequently in the area.