LIVE AT BLUE NOTE TOKYO,
FEBRUARY 2 2010
131:31
DISC ONE
1. Outrage /8:29
2. Steppin' /13:52
3. One in Seven /18:23
4. Bubble /5:57
5. Lenny /10:45
6. Dig /10:35
DISC TWO
1. Cannonball /7:16
2. Liquid /6:07
3. El Ron /12:51
4. Tuesday Night Squad /11:20
5. Vapor /8:59
6. Flurries /6:03
7. Tighten Up /10:27
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Recording predominantly instrumental soul-jazz Beatles' covers isn't a unique concept; both George Benson and Booker T. & the MG's attempted a similar concept to varying degrees of success in the early '70s. But Soulive strips the sound down to a three-piece organ combo and swings its way through 11 Beatles tunes, including rockers such as "Help" and "Day Tripper," jazzing them up without losing the hummable melodies that makes this timeless music still resonate. Despite the album's title that wittily takes the Soulive moniker and combines it with the Beatles iconic recording, there are only two tunes from Rubber Soul. Regardless, this is a frisky reimagining of Fab Four's gems that stays true to its source yet adapts the music to Soulive's distinctive soul-jazz groove. At first glance, the set list seems somewhat unlikely for interpretations in this style. Surely "Revolution" and "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" don't look like obvious candidates for a Memphis-styled R&B makeover. But Soulive uses its basic organ-guitar-drum setup with few overdubs to effortlessly soar through these tunes without a hint of pretension. Guitarist Eric Krasno handles most of the "vocal" parts, walking a fine line between rock and jazz, especially on the riff-heavy "Day Tripper," without slipping into either. Organist Neal Evans provides muscular yet nimble support, often taking the place of what were the background vocals of the originals. The solos are generally kept short, sharp, and tight, unlike other jazz covers that use a song's melody as a jumping-off place for lengthy improvisation that often strays too far from the tunefulness of the source material. Rather, the trio keeps the Beatles' songwriting abilities foremost in the presentation, although when they do wander off the page on short jams -- as in "Taxman" -- but it's never for long. Like the Liverpool lads who intuitively meshed together, Soulive's members interlock to yield results greater than the sum of its parts on this successful tribute that combines the Beatles sense of excitement, imagination. and musical exploration with a funky, down-home R&B/jazz groove.
BIOGRAPHY
by Ann Wickstrom
Brothers Alan and Neal Evans, on drums and Hammond B-3 organ, respectively, form two-thirds of the soul/groove 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. 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. In 2009, the band marked its tenth anniversary with the release of the studio effort Up Here. A year later, they delivered a Beatles covers album, Rubber Soulive. In 2012, Soulive paid tribute to soul-jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks with the album Spark!