Snarky Puppy

“…they set us dancing but made us feel clever at the same time.” - The Telegraph

“Snarky Puppy…brought a crowd pleasing set indicative of the Grammy Award-winning group’s freeform, experimental style that incorporates jazz, funk, R&B, soul, fusion, jam-band and pop.” - Billboard

The New York based quasi-collective has gone from the best kept secret to one of the most respected names in instrumental music. Snarky Puppy seamlessly fuses a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition with sonic and conceptual innovation in a way that can reach the most critical or most carefree audience. This convergence of musicians from white and black America have performed regularly with artists like Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin, Justin Timberlake and Marcus Miller among many others.

Formed in Texas 12 years ago by exceptional young musicians, the band is a collective that is orchestrated by bassist Michael League, whose creative grass roots approach to a tougher than ever industry has developed a new model for independent artists.

The last four years have brought dramatic changes for Snarky Puppy. After a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred/New York-based quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all three of the band’s Grammy® awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance in 2014, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016 and 2017), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to "take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not."

Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 25 members in regular rotation. They each maintain busy schedules as session musicians (with such artists as Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and D’Angelo), producers (for Kirk Franklin, David Crosby, and Salif Keïta), and solo artists (many of whom are on the band’s indie label, GroundUP Music). At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico all have representation in the group’s membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.