Soulive

From the close of the 1990s onward, the jazz-funk ensemble Soulive has fused elements of vintage soul-jazz with contemporary jazz-funk, refined pop textures, and hip-hop grooves. Core members comprise guitarist and producer Eric Krasno—who co-founded Lettuce—alongside drummer and studio engineer Alan Evans plus Neal Evans, who handles Hammond B-3 organ and keyboards while remaining a first-call sideman for numerous artists. Although the group records and performs strictly as an instrumental trio, they have frequently brought horn players and vocalists into the fold. Their 1999 debut Get Down! connected with college listeners and secured international touring opportunities alongside Karl Denson, Maceo Parker, and additional acts. From 2001 through 2003 the band delivered three Top Ten albums under a non-exclusive Blue Note arrangement, among them the number three entry Next. They then moved to Concord for the 2005 release Break Out. During 2006 and 2007 vocalist Toussaint Yeshua joined them, yielding the Stax album No Place Like Soul. For their 2009 Royal Family debut Up Here the trio added vocalist Nigel Hall together with a horn section. The following year Soulive issued an instrumental Beatles tribute titled Rubber Soulive plus Live at the Blue Note Tokyo, the latter featuring jazz trumpeter Christian Scott within the horn section. The 2012 project Spark arose from a collaboration with Denson. The group then entered an informal five-year hiatus while members explored separate endeavors. They reconvened for the 2018 studio EP Cinematics, Vol. 1 and, in 2021, released Gettin Down at Hampshire College while also reissuing an expanded edition of Get Down!.

The band originated in Woodstock, New York during 1996. Alan and Neal had previously performed in Moon Boot Lover—Alan also appeared with the Greyboy Allstars—before working in hip-hop alongside Edreys (Billy Drease Williams) as the Elements; they subsequently formed a jazz organ trio by recruiting former schoolmate and guitarist Eric Krasno to cut several tracks in their home studio. That session evolved into the Get Down! EP, which appeared on their own Velour Recordings imprint and sent them out on the road. Soulive toured and opened for numerous notables including John Scofield, Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Derek Trucks, and Robben Ford before beginning to headline their own concerts.

The full-length debut Turn It Out arrived on the Velour label in 2000 and featured Scofield as a guest. The album generated strong interest among younger audiences, prompting a Blue Note signing. Their label debut Doin' Something surfaced in 2001 and reached number 14 on the Jazz Albums chart. After worldwide touring they followed with Next a year later; it climbed to number seven, buoyed by college-radio support and vocal guests that included Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Amel Larrieux, and Dave Matthews. They next offered the concert recording Soulive in 2003, which peaked at number ten. Following extensive roadwork and a Blue Note label transition, Soulive shifted to Concord for the 2005 collaborative set Breakout. Nearly every track on that release incorporated guests: Chaka Khan contributed vocals to “Back Again,” Reggie Watts supplied lyrics and beatbox vocals on “She’s Hooked” and “What Can You Do?,” and Corey Glover appeared on “Freedom.” Instrumental guests encompassed Robert Randolph and Ivan Neville. The album reached number six on the jazz albums chart. Blue Note also issued the compilation Steady Groovin’, which entered the jazz Top 40. Between 2004 and 2006 Soulive additionally put out a series of concert recordings via Instant Live Records.

Issued by the Concord-distributed Stax imprint, 2007’s No Place Like Soul departed from the band’s prior jazz-funk orientation. Vocalist Toussaint Yeshua fronted the group across a program of neo-soul, progressive R&B, and reggae, and the album advanced to number five.

Soulive celebrated their tenth anniversary with the 2009 studio album Up Here—their debut for the Dutch roots label Royal Family Records. The lineup was augmented by the Shady Horns (alto saxophonist Sam Kininger and tenor sax player Ryan Zoidis). Lettuce’s Grammy-winning soul singer and keyboardist Nigel Hall contributed to two tracks. The set reached number 17. That year also saw the appearance of Live in San Francisco.

The trio continued to tour globally both as headliners at sold-out clubs and small theaters and as support acts drawing strong responses in larger venues. In 2010 they paid tribute to the Beatles with Rubber Soulive. Recorded without guests, it contained eleven songs—the same count as on Rubber Soul—drawn from across the band’s catalog; jazz listeners propelled the collection into the Top Ten. Live at the Blue Note Tokyo also appeared that year. In 2012 Soulive joined saxophonist Karl Denson to honor soul-jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks on the EP Spark! It featured studio cuts covering Freddie Hubbard’s “Povo,” Kenny Barron’s “Nubian Lady,” and Art Farmer’s “Soul Sides,” together with the original title track. The Japanese P-Vine edition added two live bonus tracks presenting the originals “Shaheed” and “Liquid.”

Following a tour Soulive entered an unofficial hiatus. Krasno concentrated on work with Lettuce while producing albums for Aaron Neville, London Souls, Marcus King, and Hall; after Lettuce’s 2015 release Crush he departed the group and issued the solo album Blood from a Stone in 2016. Alan Evans operated his Iron Wax studio in Western Massachusetts and toured with Matador! Soul Sounds, which he co-founded alongside New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts. Neal Evans established himself as a film and television composer and performed with numerous musicians, among them Jack White on Boarding House Reach.

Late in 2017 Soulive reassembled at Iron Wax. Each member contributed loose ideas rooted in a shared affection for film music. The trio quickly rediscovered its collective chemistry and tracked Cinematics, Vol. 1, an EP of original material. Released in March 2018, the set rose to number nine on the jazz albums chart and number four on the Contemporary Jazz Albums list. A U.S. and European tour followed, after which Krasno relocated to the West Coast in 2019. While contemplating a new studio album and U.S. tour in 2021, Cinematics, Vol. 1 gained fresh streaming attention and reentered the jazz charts. Its resurgence coincided with the limited-edition concert release Gettin Down at Hampshire College and a twentieth-anniversary edition of the debut album Get Down! that included a bonus track from the original sessions. Both projects appeared on Alan Evans’ Vintage League Music label.