If you were to pull aside any casual music fan and ask them to cite quintessential Seattle music, you’d get a lot of grunge, the indie-rock explosion and folk revival of the ‘00s and ‘10s, and maybe some of the hip-hop that came bursting from the underground in the last 15 years. Your average person on the street may not immediately associate Seattle with funk and soul, but, as Wheedle’s Groove (both the 2008 compilation album and the 2009 documentary) can attest, the genres thrived in our city through the ‘60s and ‘70s, bolstered by a thriving nightclub scene.

If Seattle’s music scene isn’t as funk-forward as it used to be, it still boasts an impressive array of acts that would’ve been perfect fits in the ‘70s soul heyday, chief among them being True Loves, who will be taking over Jazz Alley for a five-night stand, April 8-12. The first time I listened to True Loves—an earwormy early release called “The Dapper Derp”—I immediately felt like I had put on a long-lost single from Fred Wesley and the JB’s, Sly and the Family Stone, or some other deep funk practitioners. This is an outfit that sits so firmly in the pocket that its grooves effortlessly work their way into your nervous system. 

“Me and Jimmy James first bonded about Jimi Hendrix,” says True Loves bassist Bryant Moore. “Dave [McGraw], the drummer, and I had looked for a guitar player for about a year before we jammed with Jimmy. The first jam session, Jimmy was real quiet, and I kind of thought, ‘I don’t know about this dude.’ But, we went outside to smoke, and I just asked him if he liked Jimi Hendrix, and it opened him up, night and day, from how he’d been in the session before that. I would say that Hendrix is both his and my favorite guitar player.”

(After I pointed out that I had seen Jimmy James play guitar with his teeth—further driving home his Hendrix bona fides—Moore pointed out that he is also able to play with his teeth, although bassists are rarely asked to.)

So, in 2014, the trio of James, Moore, and McGraw formed True Loves; soon, the threesome would balloon to a seven-piece with the additions of Iván Galvez on percussion, Greg Kramer on trombone, and Gordon Brown and Skerik on saxophone. Their debut LP, Famous Last Words, was released to acclaim in 2017, and True Loves quickly made a name for themselves as a formidable presence, both on record and on stage.

“Our music was simpler when we first started,” says Moore. “The record that we did was kind of ‘60s-sounding funk and soul music, and then our first instrumental record is in that same vein, but a little more expanded song form, and more cinematic, I guess. Now, we have more influences from other members of the band.

“Oftentimes, Jimmy and I, and maybe Dave, will get together and jam,” Moore continues. “If we come up with something, we know we’ve come up with something. Then, we’ll show it to the horn players to see what they can do with it, and it kind of develops from there.”

When True Loves have their residency at Jazz Alley, they’ll be joined by Nigel Hall on keyboards and maybe even vocals; Hall is best known as one of the core members of Lettuce, another towering band in the world of modern funk. Later, in the fall, True Loves are going to be touring Europe for the fourth time. When asked about how European audiences fare, compared to American ones, Moore has a simple diagnosis: across the pond, crowds are less likely to talk, but also less likely to dance.

You know what to do, Seattle. Head out to Jazz Alley and make sure True Loves miss us while they’re away.

True Loves, ft. Nigel Hall, perform Wednesday, April 8, through Sunday, April 12 at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. Showtimes are Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with additional shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Find tickets here.