Philadelphia’s own intimate venue, The Blockley, has been hosting a number of groovy, funk jazz-fusion shows lately, allowing the groovin’ inhabitants of Philly to get down with their funky selve’s all summer long. Lettuce of the Royal Family Records performed at the venue on Thursday May 16, 2013, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong took the stage first on March 16 along with Jimkata and Close to Good, and then once again on June 20th and June 21st together with Dopapod. But these previous performances at The Blockley may have simply been a build up to the epic appearance by the legendary jazz-funk trio, Soulive. Another member of the Royal Family, Soulive often collaborates with musicians and bands such as Lettuce, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Nigel Hall, and many other brass and horns. By placing emphasis on the organ and the instrumental-groove, rather than the song itself, Soulive brings back the soul of the 60’s and 70’s, drawing some of their inspiration from artists such as Groove Holmes, Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff.
Soulive broke into the music industry with their first hit album called “Get Down!” The album was produced in 1999 in the band’s Woodstock, NY studio. Since then brothers, Alan Evans and Neal Evans, and Eric Krasno have been wearing down shoe soles across the country as their live performances mesmerize the crowd into grooving harder than ever before. The Soul trio has now released 11 albums, their newest release being “Spark!” (2012), which is a four track EP on which the band collaborated with saxophonist/flautist Karl Denson. On the note of 60’s influences, if you are a Beatles fan then you should be sure to check out Soulive‘s rendition of some of the Beatle’s timeless classics on their album “Rubber Soulive”, released in 2010.
Soulive often performs at many of the jam festivals held throughout the year, such as Jam Cruise, Jazzfest, Bear Creek Movement and Summer Camp Festival, among others. They also host an annual two-week celebration, this year’s, Soulive’s14-year anniversary, is called Bowlive IV and is being held at the Brooklyn Bowl. Not many bands can boast to having recorded with names such as Chaka Khan, Dave Matthews, Talib Kweli and John Scofield, or having opened for The Rolling Stones. Soulive has collaborated with artists such as Ivan Neville, Derek Trucks, Maceo Parker, Susan Tedeschi, Karl Denson, Robert Randolph, The Roots, Joshua Redman, Fred Wesley and Kenny Garrett. Collaborations with these artists and others, such as soul singer, Nigel Hall, have showcased this trio’s music marksmanship as well as their multifaceted sound.
Be sure to catch Soulive on their Liberty Ball Part 2 Tour, as this will be one of the trios few live performances of the summer, as Krasno will be featured on bass, touring with the Tedeschi-Trucks Band. July 18th should be an unforgettable night at 38th and Chestnut, as the hallowed walls of The Blockley will reverberate with the Soulive’s groovy sound. And I can assure you that there won’t be a more soulful performance in the city this summer, as Philadelphia’s own funky phenomenon, Swift Technique, warms up the stage for Soulive!
For more information on the band check out the Press Release.
Preview by Rebecca Wolfe @beckster763
Twitter: @TheMusicVibes
www.Facebook.com/TheMusicVibes
©2013 The Music Vibes All Rights Reserved
Recent Comments