They do come off as a little "slick", hence I do have to be in the right mood when I play them. But as noted above, to be able to play this music and make a living at it is very impressive.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I do know what you mean about having more "edge" - maybe a bit more dissonance in the writing, a bit more extended tonality, a bit more sense of setting out on an uncharted course.
I have nothing but praise for their playing, though, except one odd quibble: I wish the horn section consisted of more than trumpets and tenor saxes. Sure, they're both great instruments, but just three trumpets and two tenor saxes? No alto, no baritone, no trombone? One album had a trombonist instead of the second tenor, and there was more color and warmth in the brass.
While I agree about there being a degree of slickness to their sound, it's not something that bothers me personally. When I want to hear something more dissonant or edgy, there are plenty of other groups who fit that bill.
One thing I'd add:
From what I understand about Michael League's working methods, the slickness is partially a consequence of the way he does things. He works unbelievably fast, and most tunes are never written down except for maybe a chord chart - he sings the horn lines, plays the guitar parts on bass, plays the keyboard parts on piano, shapes the arrangements verbally, and the players pick everything up by ear. The band can usually throw a tune together within an hour or so. But that also means they wind up going on gut reactions and using a lot of typical session-man hip licks, and accounts for the "Steely Dan with no vocals" feel of a lot of their stuff. So much of what you hear is what they learned in the North Texas State Jazz Program, and further honed over hundreds of recording sessions.
Actually, an equally (if not more) important part of what you get with SP is a result of the hundreds of gigs that Michael League (and several of the other guys) did in the hard-core gospel music scene in and around DFW. There's some serious church in the music, and I'm not talking about religion or just the presence of the Hammond. Groove, baby, groove!
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
There is an FM broadcast on Dime from November 2015
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Another FM broadcast (the Juan les Pins concert from 2015) here (starts at 30'):
http://www.rtl.fr/culture/arts-spect...azz-7779137831
Last edited by unclemeat; 02-29-2016 at 05:26 AM.
Just got a ticket to see them in Boston on 5/4, nice![]()
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
This thread of a non prog band needs to be moved OT immediately!
(Or I'll start a thread here of a real live prog band -- Def Leppard ..)
New album up for preorder
http://store.snarkypuppy.com/pages/music
Culcha Vulcha (2016)
Fresh off of the heels of its tenth album, Family Dinner - Volume Two, the band is returning to its roots as an instrumental ensemble with a brand new collection of nine original songs. With no cameras, no audience, and the opportunity to overdub, they have crafted an album much darker and moodier than any before it. The typical flash and bombastic moments that Snarky Puppy is known for have been replaced by a more patient, restrained, and sonically creative approach to both composition and performance. The melodies are intricate, the counterpoint is fluid, and groove reigns supreme in mixes that are bass and percussion-heavy. Released April 2016.
excellent news!
has every album they put out been recorded Live?
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
Correct but the new one is all studio again.
It's officially up for streaming here:
http://www.npr.org/2016/04/21/474878...ntent=20160421
After a couple of listens, I find it slicker and more subdued than We Like It Here and Sylva that I both really enjoy. There seems to be some kind of energy and sense of fun that came with the live studio recordings and that seem to be missing here. It's a first impression and I definitely need to spend more time on this new one though.
Not just a Genesis fanboy.
Sounds interesting. They're great, but I thought they were getting in a bit of a rut. Micheal League can write so fast, and the band can put a tune together and kill on it so fast, that the idea of having first-rate material seemed to be getting short shrift. What's the point of writing and rewriting and polishing and working up something that takes a step ahead, when Cory Henry and Larnell Lewis can play just as ferociously when you throw your first draft in front of them? They were still good on their last couple of albums, but seemed to be treading water compositionally. But I'm looking forward to giving this one a listen.
I stumbled upon a copy of their Metropole Orkest CD in a local store, and I bought it. I'm a bit underwhelmed after a few listens. The material isn't that interesting, and the band seems less than inspired in this performance.
They are playing in a beautiful old theater downtown here on May 5th, but I'm going to miss it due to the fact that I'm having surgery 3 days prior to the show. I hope they come back!
This might have already been mentioned in this thread (I didn't read every post) but Universal Audio has a cool video of PUPPY using this AUDIO gear to record and it was quite entertaining. Which I stumbled upon after first seeing Puppy demoing the SUPRA amps (Jimmy Page) with a guitar gam. Which amazed me.
search the SUPROUSA.COM site for:
Lenburu - Bob Lanzetti, Chris McQueen, Michael League, Jonathan Maron, & Louis Cato
Search YOUTUBE for:
Apollo Artist Sessions Vol. VI: Fab Dupont & Jay Stolar feat. Snarky Puppy
It is worth watching. It was for me, I never heard of Snarky Puppy until I stumbled upon this video a few days ago and now this thread.
Thought I would share. I have no other knowledge of these guys but watching these videos and listening to their stuff in these links has made me a fan.
Jim
Last edited by jkleban; 04-27-2016 at 12:47 AM.
i keep trying. i find their particular brand of fusion to be really obvious for lack of a better word. it's hip bro-jazz to my ears. there's none of that mystique or atonal space most of the modern jazz ensembles i like here with SP.
Cool to watch the live vids now and then, but a whole album? Nah.
Stoked to be seeing them live, for the first time, at a lovely outdoor venue on Sunday, after passing on numerous opportunities at local clubs. Hope Mother Nature doesn't mess things up...
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