THAT'S ONE SNARKY PUPPY

A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL LEAGUE

- SASHA MATSON

WHAT HAPPENS IN COLLEGE STAYS IN COLLEGE” MIGHT BE THE BEST POLICY FOR MOST UNDERGRAD-FORMED BANDS, BUT SNARKY PUPPY IS AN EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE (AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS).

BASSIST/COMPOSER MICHAEL LEAGUE FOUND FERTILE MUSICAL GROUND IN THE JAZZ STUDIES PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS WHEN HE FORMED SNARKY PUPPY IN 2003. THE BAND THOUGHT BIG FROM ITS INCEPTION AS A 10-PIECE GROUP AND HAS CONTINUED TO MORPH AND SHAPESHIFT TO THE PRESENT, LIVING OUT OF VANS, PAYING DUES, RELENTLESSLY GIGGING, AND GARNERING THREE GRAMMYS ALONG THE WAY. IN 2017, THE GROUP WAS TAGGED JAZZ GROUP OF THE YEAR BY THE DOWNBEAT READERS’ POLL.

It has been quite a musical journey—from Denton, Texas, to playing London’s Royal Albert Hall in a 14- piece incarnation this past November. A recording of that concert (Snarky Puppy Live at the Royal Albert Hall, GroundUP Music LHN 070 LP 2020) was recently released on the GroundUP label, an umbrella for management and recording the band has built over time. Currently, the group is based in the New York City area, with a studio there as well.

Like the big bands of yesteryear, the band’s lineup is bound to change. Michael League highlighted for me several players who have been with Snarky Puppy for a long time: keyboardist Justin Stanton, trumpeter Mike Maher, guitarist Bob Lanzetti, guitarist Chris McQueen, and drummer Nate Werth. That consistency surely contributes to the power and tightness one hears in their live performances and recordings.