Soulive formed in 1999 as a laid-back funk-jazz trio, but the band has since moved toward soul and hip hop, incorporating prominent horns and vocalists on its albums and in its concerts.
But this Thursday night, Tufts will hear the original, bare-bones trio: guitarist Eric Krasno, organist Neal Evans and his brother Alan Evans on drums.
The nine-year-old group has reverted recently to its old, improvisation-driven style, and students at this year's Jumbo Jam in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall can expect funky grooves and jazzy, stretched-out solos like the ones that characterized Soulive's early years.
"We chose Soulive because we thought that there would be a large turnout from the student population," said Concert Board Co-Chair Alan Munkacsy, a sophomore.
Before deciding to sign Soulive, students in Concert Board "checked through Facebook, and people seemed to have them listed quite frequently as one of their interests," Munkacsy said.
Concert Board organized the concert and is co-sponsoring it with WMFO, Tufts' radio station. Junior and WMFO General Manager Drew Frankel said Soulive's performance would satisfy people with a variety of musical preferences.
"They definitely bridge gaps" between genres, he said. "If you look back at a lot of their CDs, there's a lot of hip hop ... they've collaborated with Talib Kweli and J-Live ... Then they've collaborated with Dave Matthews and Robert Randolph, and then the most recent album that they came out with, 'No Place like Soul,' had a singer and it was definitely more pop-rock," he continued. "They are recognized as a jazz band, too."
Frankel heard that Soulive was coming to campus after Concert Board booked the group. "It just so happens that I was surfing Soulive's Web site because they're pretty much my favorite band in the entire world, and I saw that they were coming to Tufts," he said.
He decided to get WMFO involved with promoting the event. "I feel like the Concert Board events aren't publicized as much as they should be and, you know, one of the things that WMFO is really good at is publicizing our events, because we're a media organization," Frankel said. "We have sounds going over the radio and we have a lot of money for publicity."
Soulive released its debut EP, "So Live!" in 1999, and followed with its first full-length album, "Turn It Out," that same year. The group caught the ear of representatives from the famed jazz record label Blue Note, landing a deal with the outfit in 2000.
The group was soon taking its funky fusion sound on the road across the United States and overseas.
As the band's popularity grew, its members began to bring saxophonists, trumpeters and eventually singers into their jams. Soulive moved gradually toward a more hip hop- and soul-influenced sound, which culminated last year with the release of the album "No Place Like Soul." The LP showcases soul vocalist Toussant Yeshua on 13 of its 15 tracks, and features more structured, pop-oriented song structures than the original improvisation-based tunes that Soulive began with.
Thursday's show promises to be a bit of a return to the band's old form. Old fan Frankel is glad about this. "I'm happy, 'cause they're back touring as a trio, and I think they're best like that," he said.
Soulive will be joined at Jumbo Jam by the Press Project, an alternative-hip hop band that will open the concert.
