Just 2 months past their 12th anniversary, Soulive continues to evolve within the trio configuration. I’ve seen the band at least a dozen times over the past 10 years, and it seems that each couple years brings a new feel and invigorated sound.
From the straight-ahead jazz trio format, to which they’ve returned many times over the years, to horn-drenched funk, to dance-floor ready hip-hop and R&B, Krasno and the Evans brothers bring it every time. At the Pour House, the band moved across genres, maintaining the dance-party atmosphere while investigating the rewards to be found in loose, unabashed, rocking dissonance, even noise. For jazz-funk bands, dirtier is often better, and Soulive got dirty.
They kicked it off with three trio classics, “Rudy’s Way, “Turn It Out” and “Uncle Junior,” all of which found extra breathing room, elongating and stretching beyond the boundaries of their vintage Grant Green–inspired sound. From the beginning, Neal Evans, obviously frustrated, struggled with some technical difficulties on the keys. It was a battle he would fight on and off throughout the night, but he overcame with room to spare, often taking a more active leadership role than in previous shows.
After “Hat Trick” and “Bobby Byrd,” the band moved into a tighter, more composed section with a Beatles mini-set, showcasing their versatility with a quartet of tunes from their intriguing cover album, Rubber Soulive. The Fab Four certainly never conceived their music like this, but Soulive did them justice, blending the pop melodies into a danceable groove. A raucous version of “Get Back” led into the tamer territory of “In My Life” and “Eleanor Rigby,” which sped up toward the end and launched into a hefty, rapidly paced jam before sliding back into the melody. A slinky “I Want You” wrapped up the Beatles portion of the night, but there were more covers in store.
Back to back, Jeff Beck’s “Cause We Ended as Lovers” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free” were a treat for Krasno fans, as the guitarist opened up considerably, working the pedal board and weaving in some heavily psychedelic textures. “El Ron” was a fitting ending to a fiery night, the only disappointment of which was the lack of songs from the band’s excellent Stax Records album No Place Like Soul.
