Alan Evans, Eric Krasno, Neal Evans, Robert Randolph
Soulive, live in 2010, featuring guests like Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Rahzel, Questlove and more.
In March of 2010, the members of Soulive hauled their instruments through the doors of a newly-opened warehouse-turned-music venue in Brooklyn that they would call home for the next two weeks. Eric Krasno, Alan Evans and Neal Evans called on a multitude of their closest friends and musical conspirators to join them over the next fortnight - creating an incredibly broad guest lineup that included some of the pre-eminent guitar virtuosos of our generation (Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes), some of the biggest names in hip-hop (Questlove, Rahzel), and some of the most inventive improvisational players in modern rock n' roll (Robert Randolph, Marco Benevento, Oteil & Kofi Burbridge). The Brooklyn Bowl quickly became the mecca for these very distinct yet like-minded musicians, where they returned night after night, donning the dress code for good times (bowling shoes) and sharing famous Blue Ribbon fried chicken. The common thread that tied together all these disparate ingredients quickly became palpable -- from the transcendental heartfelt improvisations onstage to the homey & playful atmosphere provided by the bowling alley, the Soulive residency was like nothing that had come before it because all of those diverse elements fused to ultimately bring the Soul to Brooklyn Bowl.
This musical release from the funk-jazz trio Soulive captures a live performance by the ensemble, recorded at the Brooklyn Bowl in 2010. Some of the guest musicians featured in the largely improvisational concert include Robert Randolph, Nigel Hall, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Neal Evans, Ivan Neville, and many more.
---Cammila Albertson, Rovi
Soulive
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Acid Jazz, Jam Bands, Jazz-Funk, Soul Jazz
Brothers Alan & Neal Evans, on drums and Hammond B-3 organ, respectively, form two-thirds of the soulgroove trio Soulive. Rounding out the group is Eric Krasno on guitar. The band was formed in the late '90s when all three members were under 25 years old. However, each already had a substantial background in the "jam band" scene. Alan and Neal are former members of Moon Boot Lover, and Alan also played with the Greyboy Allstars. Krasno founded the super-funky Lettuce, a wildly popular Boston-based band.
Though originally from Vermont, Soulive is essentially Boston-based as well. The band toured with and opened for a number of notables (including John Scofield, Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Derek Trucks, and Robben Ford) before headlining their own shows and releasing their introductory EP, Get Down, in 1999. Their debut full-length release, Turn It Out, followed the next year. Doin' Something, featuring John Scofield, was issued in March 2001.
Soulive is all about danceable, organ-driven instrumental groove-jazz. Their success is a result of fusing the soul-jazz of the past with a modern hip-hop feel. Krasno's spidery yet very direct guitar lines recall Grant Green. The rhythmic concepts employed date back to those learned from artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone.
Their first release was a self-pressed EP entitled Get Down! The band's full-length debut, Turn It Out (featuring John Scofield), was released on the Velour label in 2000. That release generated such a buzz that they were promptly picked up by Blue Note, which released Doin' Something in early 2001. About a year later, Next was released, followed by Soulive in 2003. Breakout appeared from Concord in 2005, while a series of individual concerts were made available on Instant Live Records in 2004 and 2006, followed by No Place Like Soul on Stax in 2007.
---Ann Wickstrom, Rovi |
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