Soulive Lands in Brooklyn Once Again for Bowlive IV

by Aristea Mellos

Last Thursday marked the sixth night of Bowlive IV—an eight-day music festival devoted to the jiving spirit of soul-jazz that takes place
annually at the Brooklyn Bowl. It’s an event that has established somewhat of a
cult following over the last few years, attracting a devoted legion of hardcore
fans, many of which come armed with full eight-day passes.

The Brooklyn Bowl, described by one patron as a “bowling
alley concert hall,” lies in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Part
functional bowling alley, part bar, part concert venue, it resembles a
hipster’s paradise. Entering the venue, you can’t help but notice the large
wall of voodoo heads illuminated with oversized, multicolored light
globes. Last Thursday, loud pre-show music pumped through the hall while screens projected footage of Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. As it grew
closer to the show’s start time, a mass of 20- and 30-something New Yorkers
began filing into the venue to see Soulive with special guests, including George Porter, Jr. & The Shady Horns, Bill Evans, and John Medeski.

Soulive—the resident band of the festival—is a jazz-funk
trio comprising brothers Alan and Neal Evans (drums and keyboards, respectively), as well as guitarist Eric Krasno. The slick trio kicked off the musical proceedings
with an original number "Aladdin," a
bass-heavy tune that featured impressive left-hand passage work by Neal Evans
on Hammond organ. As the crowd began to warm up, the band rolled into their
second number, Jimi Hendrix’s "Manic
Depression," and a sea of plaid shirts began to sway to Krasno’s virtuosic
and psychedelic improvisations, creating the illusion of a moving patchwork
quilt.

After a few trio-only numbers, The Shady Horns (Eric Bloom, trumpet; James Casey, saxophone; and Ryan Zoidis, baritone saxophone) joined
Soulive, bringing spunk to the stage. When not tooting their horns in a crisp
chorus, they often picked up surrounding pieces of percussion to jam along with
the winding solos that filled the air.

Guitarist Tracy O’Neal was introduced for
a smoky rendition of the Beatles classic "Get
Back," a raw performance despite some shaky harmonizations. The surprise treat of the night arrived at the end of the first half,
when George Porter, Jr. was announced as a guest. Porter, the New Orleans
bassist best known from his days as a member of The Meters, rounded out the
first half with a sizzling medley of Meters classics.

After a brief intermission, the Bowl seemed to be at capacity, with close to one-thousand tightly packed fans
bobbing and grooving away. Legendary saxophone star Bill Evans took to the
center of the stage, flanked by the keyboard guru John Medeski.  Songs
from Soulive’s album Spark! opened
the second half, providing Bill Evans with the opportunity to dexterously
swap between saxophones.

Watching the musicians, it was apparent that they were
feeding off each other’s energy. A cascade of melody passing and call and
response solos flew across the stage, with phenomenal precision and ingenuity.
It was particularly inspiring to listen to the musical games at play within the
mini-trio that emerged between Medeski, Bill, and Neal Evans, and as the
second set developed, it felt as though the incredible displays of musicianship
were growing with each passing number.

The finals guests of the evening, trombonist Natalie Cressman and drummer ?uestlove (also serving as the Bowl’s DJ) rounded
out a star-studded evening. As the tireless rhythm master Alan Evans returned
to the kit for the final number, "Tuesday
Night Squad," the concert was brought to close in a rhapsodic manner.

The
clock struck midnight, and a final swirl of tunes lingered in the air, whilst
the Bowl erupted with the sounds of a musically satiated audience. The sounds of the Mother Starship may have left
the building for now, but that’s the beauty of Bowlive: It’s just a 51-week
wait until the ship re-docks in Williamsburg for more musical insanity.