When James Casey passed away on August 28th, 2023 following a courageous battle with colorectal cancer, he left behind a lifetime of music, a dazzling list of friends and musical collaborators, and legions of fans. To celebrate the life of the late Trey Anastasio Band saxophonist, his bandmates and associates from across multiple projects gathered at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl on November 6th for a celebration of life. As Casey’s memory continues to live on over a year after his passing, Live For Live Music is proud to premiere a video of Trey Anastasio Band and vocalist Alecia Chakour covering “Express Yourself” in James’ honor from that concert.
“It’s incomprehensible how much we love James and how grateful we are for every single second we got to be with him,” Anastasio said between songs during TAB’s four-song set. Introducing the next number, the TAB debut of Charles Wright classic “Express Yourself”, Anastasio added, “James used to really like singing this song. … I wish he was here to sing it for you, so you have to use your imagination, but we’ll all try to fill in the blanks a little bit.”
The heartfelt cover fit right into the wheelhouse of the expanded Trey Anastasio Band, augmented with additional horns from Ryan Zoidis (Lettuce) and Mike Maher. Casey’s presence was undeniable as Chakour and Jennifer Hartswick went on to express themselves with head-spinning vocal runs. Tedeschi Trucks Band vocalist Chakour found her match in Hartswick as they pushed the song to a soulful crescendo with their vocal back-and-forth.
“On this night, I was beginning down the road of some of my own health challenges, so the invitation to enter James’ world with his TAB family was a gift beyond measure,” Chakour told Live For Live Music. “The whole room was electric that night with beautiful music, communal grief, joy, and love – a testament to James’ earthside spirit and a true reflection of how brightly his light continues to shine. I know ‘Express Yourself’ was one of James’ favorites, and stepping into that song I felt him nudging me and speaking that sweet message to me. I still do.”
“I got to live many lives with my friend James,” she added. “We saw and supported each other’s evolution through many different phases in life and in music. How lucky am I that I (that we!) get to grow closer to him still in moments like this.”
In addition to Trey Anastasio Band and Chakour, the celebration of life concert included performances from his experimental fusion supergroup Animus Rexx, The Late Show bandleader (and Casey’s brother-in-law) Louis Cato, and Khris Royal, all of whom also appeared on his posthumous solo debut EP The Kauai Project. Recorded after a 16-month stay on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Casey released three singles before stepping away from performing and promotion due to his health. The first single to drop, “New Bloom”, earned critical praise including a place on NPR‘s Best Songs of 2023 list and was followed by “E.J.B.M.” and “Outside”. The Kauai Project ultimately arrived on August 28th, 2024, the first anniversary of Casey’s passing, and is up for Grammy consideration.
Watch Trey Anastasio Band and Alecia Chakour cover “Express Yourself” in memory of James Casey and stream The Kauai Project below or on your preferred platform. Revisit Live For Live Music‘s full coverage of the emotional memorial concert here.
Trey Anastasio Band, Alecia Chakour — “Express Yourself” (Charles Wright) — 11/6/23
James Casey — The Kauai Project