It is the mark of a great band to defy categorization. Sure, labels will get recklessly thrown around like girls in mosh pits, but a band who’s truly unique can only be described by their name, as words can only do so much.

Lazlo Hollyfeld is, without question, one of those bands. On the surface, by using the basic jazz formula of improvisation and syncopation, they’re a jazz band. But in taking the old “wind up the band and see where the jam goes” approach, they allow every other style that influences them to come out, allowing their sets to take on countless forms.

They basically employ only two rules while on stage - no singing, and no soloing. Believe it or not, it’s the absence of the latter that’s more prominent - with bassist Chris Gangarossa setting the tone, drummer Jeff Evans driving the tempo, and guitarist Jeff McLeod and keyboardist Scott Molloy providing addictive melodies, the quartet is a well-oiled, all-terrain vehicle that moves as one.

Their set last Monday at Frizzy’s, a weekly event, displayed their vision to a tee. In high gear without any sort of map, Evans, an absolute machine behind the drum set, constantly changed tempos and styles, daring his bandmates to keep up. Gangarossa was up to the task, and McLeod and Molloy were at once along for the ride and in their own worlds, the product being a brilliantly cohesive sound that is truly all their own.

“If I had to call our sound anything, it would be powerful, instrumental simplicity,” says Molloy. “Texture is so important to us. If you’re playing that one note that sounds just right, and makes you feel kinda funny, then keep playing it.”

That mentality can make for a trance-like sound, which is magnified by their unified playing style. “We scold each other for soloing,” laughs Evans. “It gets in the way of what we’re trying to do. We never write setlists, never plan anything. We literally wrote eight songs on the spot that night at Frizzy’s. ”

Regardless of that vision, as an electric, instrumental, improvisation-centered band, they inevitably are compared to Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and other bands that fall under the ridiculous copout title of a “jam band.”

“We’re not a jam band - I hate that term,” snaps Evans. “We don’t hit crescendos. People have criticized us for that, that we don’t sound like Phish, but we like that. We don’t want to sound like them, or anyone else.”

“It’s hard to pinpoint when there’s no structure - anything comes out,” adds McLeod. “There’s no real style, just a feeling we’re trying to attain.”

Molloy and Gangarossa attained a feeling for making original music while playing in a Grateful Dead cover band called the Brother Project. “Chris and I grew tired of being a drunken party band, and started writing our own instrumentals,” says Molloy. “We got Tim Gerland, who’d been playing guitar with us, to switch to drums, and shortly after invited Jeff [McLeod] to jam with us, and he’s been with us ever since.”

After about six months of writing and playing together, they played their first gig at the inaugural Happening, at the Lafayette Tap Room in the winter of 2001. Gerland gave up performing soon after, and the table was set for Evans.

“I was living in Charleston, South Carolina, and was ready to move on,” remembers Evans, an Amherst native (Gangarossa is from Rochester, and Molloy and McLeod are from South Buffalo). “I came across a post on WNYmusic.com, saying that Lazlo needed a drummer. I went to their website (Lazlohollyfeld.com), listened to a few songs, and loved it. I could totally see and feel what they were playing, and see myself adding my own style to it.”

He returned to Buffalo and tried out for the band, and though they told him they’d planned on bringing a bunch of people in to try out, their minds were made up. “Jeff was the first and only drummer we tried out,” says Gangarossa. Good move.

After nearly a year of gigging, they went into Chameleonwest Studios to record their debut album with producer Marc Hunt. “We set the record for longest running recording session, from noon to 8 a.m.,” laughs Gangarossa. “There was a lot of coffee, but no arguing or anything. We were on a mission.”

They sent twelve tracks to Turtle Tone Studio in New York, where they were mastered by Mike Fossenkemper, and were elated with his finishing touches. “Mike’s credits are unbelievable, from Medeski, Martin, and Wood to even people like Mandy Moore,” Molloy says. “He’s worked with them all, and he did an absolutely wonderful job for us. When we got it back, Marc couldn’t believe how great it sounded. Our bottom line was to make a professional album on our own that stands out, not just on a local level. We spent a ton of money, but it was so worth it.”

That finished product, “Our Universe is Feeding,” displays their cohesive knack for addictive grooves, but these guys are one of those bands who cannot be captured in the studio or on a CD player. Neither can do justice to the constant inventiveness that drives their dynamic live performances, a fact that growing crowds are backing up. “We were nervous about anyone coming to our CD release party (held February 6th at Nietzsche’s), but the place was packed, and we were pumped,” says Evans. “It means so much to us - you can tell that they’re gunnin’ for us.”

“We’ve gotten to know a lot of our fans by name, and that was so huge that they showed their support - they knew it was an important night for us,” adds Molloy.

“There’s a real music community here, and we have to stick together, because we’re all in it together,” says Evans. “We have friends from other bands that we only know from playing with them, and we support each other.” That’s the Lizzard Ball “City of Good Neighbors” spirit working for them, and it’s paying dividends.

Their sound isn’t for everyone, but if you can dig instrumental music without boundaries, their show is guaranteed to please.