Metro Pulse/Music/Soulive

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What:
Soulive with Topaz

When:
Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 p.m.

Where:
Blue Cats

Cost:
$15/$17.50. Tickets Unlimited Outlets or 656-4444.

Quartet Soulive revives live jazz with breaths of hip-hop and funk

by Clint Casey

New York City quartet Soulive meanders stylistically among hip-hop, jazz and funk. With a sound compared to the organ trios of the late 1950s, Soulive is unique in its musical experimentation. The band of 20-somethings is comprised of drummer Alan Evans, his brother Neal Evans on Hammond B-3 organ and piano, guitarist Eric Krasno and newest member Sam Kininger on alto saxophone. Since its founding in 1999, the band quickly earned a following based on its combination of raucous live performances and stellar studio releases.

Soulive draws influence from a diverse mix, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Wonder and A Tribe Called Quest to Curtis Mayfield. "We grew up with so many different types of bands and listened to everything. It all gets soaked up in what we do," Alan Evans says.

After a pair of well-received debut releases, Soulive was signed by venerated jazz label Blue Note Records. In 2001 they released Doin' Something on Blue Note to critical acclaim. "Blue Note is really cool, because it's like being on an independent label," Evans says. "They're relatively small, and they let you have creative freedom. You don't have record execs looking over your shoulder, but they are a major label."

On March 12, Soulive will release its fourth album Next. While Doin' Something was a collection of songs pulled from performances, the songs on Next were written specifically for the studio. None of the songs was introduced into the live set until after they had been recorded. "When you play songs a lot on the road before recording them, there's always a particular show in mind that you're thinking of. You want to achieve that level of perfection. And the thing is that if you're trying to recreate something in a particular way you played the tune live, that's not gonna happen." Evans continues. "The way that we did the album this time, we didn't play the tunes live, so we didn't have a version in mind. The first time we recorded it was the first time we were really hearing it. It was a lot easier to settle, and then it just gives room to grow. We're already playing the tunes differently live with different arrangements."

Because the music is jazz-oriented, Soulive thrives on improvisation. And with improvisation, a band inevitably gets lumped into the jam-band category. "It's kind of funny that we're considered a jam band and a bluegrass band is also considered a jam band," Evans says. "It's cool. The jam-band scene has definitely helped us a lot in where we've gone."

In addition to playing stateside, the quartet has toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan. As a result of its relentless touring, Soulive developed a devoted fan base that essentially follows them to city to city. Evans says, "It helps to keep the band on its toes. You can't play the same old thing every night." Each setlist is written out prior to an evening's performance. And aside from the occasional cover, the band relies on its original tunes to draw crowds.

Soulive achieved notoriety in the opening slots for both DJ Project Logic and the Dave Matthews Band. After a performance in Charlottesville, Va., the quartet was approached by local hero Dave Matthews about the possibility of opening a few dates on a national tour. Evans says, "After the show, he just walked up to us backstage and said 'We're getting a tour together and we're looking for openers and I'm really interested. Have your people send us CDs and videotapes tomorrow.' It took about a month until we heard." Given the coveted opportunity, Soulive was introduced by Matthews as "the greatest band in the world" during his spring tour. And following a warm reception on their own European tour, Soulive was welcomed back to close the remaining Dave Matthews Band tour dates.

Next features an interpretation of Ani DiFranco's "Joyful Girl" with Matthews collaborating on vocals. "When we recorded the album in the studio, we were listening to the track and thought Dave would be perfect on this. So we sent it to him, but he recently just had twins," Evans says. "Then, after September 11, he was doing a lot of benefits. It took him a while to do the vocals, plus he wanted to listen to it and get it down. We mixed the album in November and got the track from him in December." The result is one of the new album's stand-out tracks.

The quartet is probably the sharpest knife to come out the jazz drawer since Medeski, Martin and Wood burst onto the scene in 1991. At once appealing to jazz enthusiasts and roots-rock disciples, Soulive is intent on spreading its jazz-funk amalgamation and bringing the truly American art form to new audiences.