Soulive
Encyclopedia
Soulive is a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

/jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 trio that originated in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...

, and is known for its solos
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...

 and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums), Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys, clavinet
Clavinet
A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...

). Although they originated as a trio, the band worked extensively with different horn sections, which consisted of Sam Kininger (saxophone) from 2000–2003, and Rashawn Ross
Rashawn Ross
Rashawn Ross is an American trumpeter and arranger from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Ross is arguably best known for his contributions in the Dave Matthews Band. After his graduation from the Berklee College of Music , Ross has worked with artists in many different genres of music ranging from...

 (trumpet) and Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) from 2003-2006. The band also worked with vocalist Toussaint Yeshua from 2006-2007. Soulive is currently touring in the original trio lineup of Eric Krasno, Alan Evans, and Neal Evans.

History

In the 90s, brothers Alan and Neal Evans had been the rhythm section for the Northeastern jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...

 Moon Boot Lover with front man Peter Prince. After a brief foray into rap with Edreys
Edreys
Edreys Wajed, better known by the stage name Billy Drease Williams is an American hip hop emcee and producer from Buffalo, New York; known for his uptempo production, clean lyrics, and motivational messages...

 aka Billy Drease Williams
Billy Drease Williams
Billy Drease Williams is an American hip hop emcee and producer from Buffalo, New York; known for his uptempo production, clean lyrics, and motivational messages...

 under the name The Elements, the brothers looked to form a traditional jazz organ trio.
On March 2, 1999, Alan and Neal invited guitarist Eric Krasno to record some tracks with them in their home studio in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...

. That jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...

 became their first EP, Get Down! and the band shortly thereafter hit the road to begin touring. It was during that first summer together that the band recorded their first LP, Turn It Out
Turn It Out
Turn It Out is an album by Soulive that was released on April 9, 2002 as a reissue. It was originally recorded in 2000. It was produced by Jeff Krasno....

, for Velour Recordings
Velour Recordings
Velour Recordings is an American record label founded in 1999 in New York by Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess.-Signed artists include:* The Cat Empire* Soulive* Kaki King* Melissa Errico* Maktub* Topaz* Lettuce* Kudu* Baba* Sonya Kitchell...

. Turn It Out featured various guest musicians, including John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...

, Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge, in Washington, D.C.), is a Grammy Award-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the current resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band...

, and Sam Kininger. The independently produced album went on to sell 65,000 copies, enabling Soulive to gain recognition in the jazz/funk scene.

In the next three years, Soulive embarked on five national tours. The band opened for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...

, The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...

, Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....

, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...

, and others. The band also continued to play at various festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...

 and Bonnaroo. Overseas, Soulive played shows in Japan and all over Europe.

In the fall of 2000, Soulive signed a record deal with Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

. The following spring, Soulive released its first Blue Note album, Doin' Something
Doin' Something
Doin' Something is an album by Soulive that was released on March 13, 2001. It was produced by Jeff Krasno, Bob Brockman and Yaron Fuchs. The album is the group's third release since their formation in 1999...

, which featured horn arrangements by Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...

, the trombonist from James Brown's band. The band's second Blue Note record, Next
Next (Soulive album)
Next is an album by Soulive that was released on March 12, 2002. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Next brought a new chapter into the history of Soulive, and it marked the first time that the band toured as a quartet . Next built upon the success of the previous year's release, Doin' Something, with...

, featured guest vocalists Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...

 and Amel Larrieux
Amel Larrieux
Amel Larrieux is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 1999, she released her debut solo album Infinite Possibilities the following year on...

, and rappers Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...

 and Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...

. During this time, the band also recorded with singer-songwriter Goapele Mohlabane
Goapele
-Early life:Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System. Goapele's New York-born Israeli Jewish mother Noa had been attending protests since the age of 12. Noa attended Friends World College and was studying in...

.

In 2003, Soulive released a self-titled live album, Soulive (Live), and a collection of remixes, Turn It Out Remixed
Turn It Out Remixed
Soulive's Turn It Out Remixed is a remix album of their classic 1999 release, Turn It Out. Each tune was reworked, remixed and replayed to create something wholly new, yet wholly Soulive....

, which featured guests Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...

, DJ Spinna
DJ Spinna
DJ Spinna is an American hip hop music artist and producer, who, according to Allmusic.com, has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent."-Biography:...

, DJ Krush
DJ Krush
, better known as DJ Krush, is a producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.-Biography:...

, J-Live
J-Live
J-Live is an MC, DJ, and producer from New York.-Early career and The Best Part:...

, Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....

, and the Beatnuts
The Beatnuts
The Beatnuts are a New York-based hip hop group and production duo from Queens, New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu is Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les is a Colombian American from Jackson Heights...

.

In the Summer of 2005, Soulive left Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

 and signed a new contract with the jazz label Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...

.

On September 13, 2005, Soulive released its first album with Concord Records, Break Out. On this release the band eschewed extended jams for beat-driven instrumentals and collaborations with Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...

 (featured on "Back Again"), Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....

 (featured on "Got Soul" and "Take It Easy"), Corey Glover
Corey Glover
Corey Glover is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of the hard rock band Living Colour.-Career:...

 (featured on "Freedom"), Robert Randolph (featured on the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

 cover "Crosstown Traffic
Crosstown Traffic (song)
"Crosstown Traffic" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. It was the second single released from the album Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience...

" and also on "Interlude II"), and Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts is a Seattle-based comedian and musician. His shows are mostly improvised and consist of stream of consciousness stand-up in various shifting personae, mixed with loop pedal-based a cappella compositions. He also performs regularly on television, radio, and in live theater...

 (featured on "She's Hooked" and "What Can You Do?"). Late in 2006 the group recorded No Place Like Soul
No Place Like Soul
No Place Like Soul is an album by Soulive that was released on July 31, 2007. It is produced by Jeff Krasno, with additional tracking and mixing done by Joel Hamilton....

 with producer Stewart Lerman
Stewart Lerman
Stewart Lerman is a Bronx born, New York-based music producer, recording engineer, who has worked with The Roches, Antony and the Johnsons, Jules Shear, Marshall Crenshaw, Crash Test Dummies, Nellie McKay, Loudon Wainwright, Black 47, David Johanson, David Byrne, Willie Nile, Soulive, Darden Smith,...

 at his studio in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...

, The Shinebox.

In the summer of 2007, Boston based reggae/soul artist Toussaint was invited by the band to permanently fill the position of lead vocalist. However, after the tour, the band decided to become a trio yet again. In a post to the Soulive messageboard, Alan Evans explained: "we just want to have fun. no more chasing the pop thing or whatever that is. We just want to go out and rage, no setlists, no huge venues, no tour buses. Just have fun. This is not to say we didn't have fun with tours, we did but we realized that in looking at our past... We have had the most success and most fun when it was just the trio." (http://soulive.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3138)

In 2008, Soulive performed at the Newport Jazz Festival.

On March 12, 2009, Soulive announced that they would be releasing a new album, "Up Here,"
Up Here
Up Here is the ninth studio album by Soulive. Produced by Alan Evans, Neal Evans, Eric Krasno, and Jeff Krasno, it was released on April 14, 2009 in both physical and download versions .-Track listing:#"Up Right" – 3:40#"The Swamp" – 4:36#"Too Much" – 4:16#"Backwards Jack" –...

 on April 14, 2009. The album marks somewhat of a return to form for the group, as many of the songs will solely be instrumentals. With their latest studio and live ventures, they are joined once again by Ryan Zoidis on Tenor Sax, Sam Kininger on Alto Sax - who are now under the alias "The Shady Horns" - as well as appearances by Rashawn Ross on Trumpet. Nigel Hall will also be guesting on the track "Too Much".

On July 28, 2009, played the pre-game festivities for the MLS All-Star 2009
MLS All-Star 2009
The 2009 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 14th consecutive MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars faced Everton of the Premier League on July 29, 2009. The match ended in a 1–1 draw at full time and went to an immediate penalty shootout, which Everton won 4–3. Everton's American goalkeeper...

 game at The Canyons
The Canyons
Canyons Resort is one of three alpine ski resorts located in Park City, Utah. With 19 chairlifts and over 4000 acres of skiable terrain, Canyons is the largest ski resort in Utah...

 in Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...

.

Studio albums

Title Year Label
Get Down!  1999 Velour Recordings
Velour Recordings
Velour Recordings is an American record label founded in 1999 in New York by Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess.-Signed artists include:* The Cat Empire* Soulive* Kaki King* Melissa Errico* Maktub* Topaz* Lettuce* Kudu* Baba* Sonya Kitchell...

Turn It Out
Turn It Out
Turn It Out is an album by Soulive that was released on April 9, 2002 as a reissue. It was originally recorded in 2000. It was produced by Jeff Krasno....

 
1999 Velour Recordings
Doin' Something
Doin' Something
Doin' Something is an album by Soulive that was released on March 13, 2001. It was produced by Jeff Krasno, Bob Brockman and Yaron Fuchs. The album is the group's third release since their formation in 1999...

 
2001 Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

Next
Next (Soulive album)
Next is an album by Soulive that was released on March 12, 2002. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Next brought a new chapter into the history of Soulive, and it marked the first time that the band toured as a quartet . Next built upon the success of the previous year's release, Doin' Something, with...

 
2002 Blue Note
Soulive
Soulive (album)
Soulive is an album by Soulive that was released on April 8, 2003. It was produced by Jeff Krasno. Following the release of the studio album Next, the band decided to record their 2002 winter tour, and this album is a compilation of live recordings recorded from October 12 to December 7, 2002...

 
2003 Blue Note
Turn It Out Remixed
Turn It Out Remixed
Soulive's Turn It Out Remixed is a remix album of their classic 1999 release, Turn It Out. Each tune was reworked, remixed and replayed to create something wholly new, yet wholly Soulive....

 
2003 Velour Recordings
Steady Groovin (compilation) 2005 Blue Note
Break Out  2005 Concord
Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...

No Place Like Soul
No Place Like Soul
No Place Like Soul is an album by Soulive that was released on July 31, 2007. It is produced by Jeff Krasno, with additional tracking and mixing done by Joel Hamilton....

 
2007 Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...

Up Here
Up Here
Up Here is the ninth studio album by Soulive. Produced by Alan Evans, Neal Evans, Eric Krasno, and Jeff Krasno, it was released on April 14, 2009 in both physical and download versions .-Track listing:#"Up Right" – 3:40#"The Swamp" – 4:36#"Too Much" – 4:16#"Backwards Jack" –...

 
2009 Royal Family Records
Live in San Francisco  2009 Royal Family Records
Live at the Blue Note Tokyo 2010 Royal Family Records
Rubber Soulive 2010 Royal Family Records

Instant live series

Stage Location Recording date
Beachland Ballroom and Tavern Cleveland, OH  28 September 2004
Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI  29 September 2004
Fine Line Café Minneapolis, MN  2 October 2004
Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

 
Ames, IA  3 October 2004
Garanda Lawrence, KS  4 October 2004
Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO  6 October 2004
32 Bleu Colorado Springs, CO  7 October 2004
Shaggy's Velvet Room Salt Lake City, UT  10 October 2004
Conga Room Los Angeles, CA  13 October 2004
Higher Ground South Burlington, VT  9 December 2004

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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