Soulive is proof that jazz music is alive and ever-changing. This jazz/funk group, comprised of Alan Evans on drums, Neal Evans on organ and Eric Krasno on guitar pays tribute to jazz, funk and R&B of all decades, all of which can be found in their trademark sound. Although they aren't raking in millions yet, the group is making a name for themselves among many different crowds. They've opened for The Rolling Stones, The Roots and Dave Matthews Band. They've recorded with Talib Kweli, Dave Matthews, Blackthought (of The Roots), Jurassic 5, Me'shell Ndegeocello and Amel Larrieux. They've played diverse concert festivals such as Bonnaroo, Sasquatch and The Gathering of the Vibes. Critics hailed 2002's Next and their 2003 live album. For these keepers of the funk, the support just keeps rolling in. Maybe that's why Dave Matthews called Soulive "the greatest band in the world."\nAlan, who released his solo album Let it Ride this week, spoke with Weekend about jazz music, recording sessions and sibling rivalries.
What it's like to play/work with your brother:\n"I've been playing with (Neal) since I was 11 years old, and it's just natural. I've spent some time playing without him, but it's never the same. I kind of miss it when I'm not working with him. We can sort of read each other's minds when we're playing. I mean, we fight sometimes, but all brothers do."
On recent collaborations between jazz and hip-hop:\n"They've always been intertwined, there are just more collaborations nowadays. I mean they've had it for a while. The Roots are a perfect example. They've been mixing those genres for decades. The Beastie Boys. MCs and DJs have been sampling jazz and funk things since hip-hop has been around. What has been happening is that their music has been influencing my music. We check out Pete Rock and Slum Village and add some hip-hop to our jazz, and, in turn, more hip-hop groups starting adding a jazzier feel. It's all kind of like a cycle."
What the new album sounds like:\n"We have a new horn section which consists of tenor and trumpet, and we've been rocking with these guys for quite a while sometime. Everything we've tried to do, everything we've attempted, we've finally got right. It's not just trying to be old-school or trying to be something. It's just pure. The music, it just speaks for itself. The tunes are just really good. It's gonna be a lot of what cats will see at the show coming up on our tour."
Biggest surprise on the album:\n"We had some cats come into the studio that blew us away. We were just in the studio tracking our new album, and Robert Randolph came in, and that was just like an awesome experience, and we ended up cutting this tune, that on the album was four minutes long, but it was like 20-something minutes. We just kept jamming. Hopefully, you'll be able to find that (the full-length version) somewhere."
Dream artist to work with:\n"Prince would probably be on the top of my list. I don't know many people that would turn Prince down if you got to go to the studio with him"
