Proving quite prolific since their 2011 formation, local jazz/funk/groove sextet Naughty Professor will release in April its third studio effort, Out on a Limb, an impressive showcase of the increasingly in-demand band’s expert jazz chops and penchant for mind-bending improvisational boogie that is the hallmark of their live performances.

While the six members—Bill Daniel (guitar), Noah Young (bass), Sam Shahin (drums), Nick Ellman (alto and baritone saxophones), Ian Bowman (tenor saxophone) and John Culbreth (trumpet)—hail from across the country, they all share roots in Loyola University’s jazz studies program.

Clearly, the boys in the band paid attention in class, as the album offers, in addition to the all-original tracks’ bountiful, buoyant grooves, an intrepid sense of formal jazz composition. Young’s frenetic bass work moves the mid-point of “Third Past” into a hard-bop beat as it ushers in the horn section’s blissful conclusion.

Similar synergy is found in “The Elephant Hunt” as Shahin’s primal drumbeat steadies a bluesy breakdown before propelling Daniel’s blistering riffs to swirling psychedelic heights. (Another example of Shahin’s fine work at drums surfaces as he punishes “Brain Storm” with a series of thunderous rolls adroitly accented by high-hat flourishes.)

Capable in the studio of playing with both a heavy-metal edge on “Prune Juice” as well as elegant smooth-jazz style on the title track, it’ll be interesting to see where Naughty Professor, a young band fast gaining fans among the neo-Nola jam scene, takes these tunes in a live-show format well-greased by improvised funky beats and soaring melodies.