Grammy Award-winning Jazz and Funk Powerhouse, SNARKY PUPPY Comes to Brattleboro, Vermont
The Vermont Jazz Center will present the Grammy Award winning band, Snarky Puppy at the Latchis Theater on March 15th at 8:00 PM. Snarky Puppy is a collective of about 30 interchangeable musicians supplementing a core group under the direction of electric bassist, Michael League. Nine of the members will be performing at the Latchis. They represent a new wave of young, smart musicians who have successfully united the trifurcated worlds of jazz, R & B and funk.
Well-educated and street savvy, this band is a joyful example of how sophisticated musical language can be set amidst accessible forms that move both the soul and the feet. They are unafraid of complex polyrhythms and labyrinth-like, epic arrangements, yet the elements that unite their music are solid grooves, exquisite taste and excellent musicianship. Although they are primarily an instrumental group, Snarky Puppy’s chameleon-like ability to welcome and enhance the performances of numerous guest artists is what has garnered them this year’s Grammy for Best R & B performance with singer Lala Hathaway. Their newest recording, Family Dinner, also includes other A-list singers like Chantae Cann, Magda Giannikou, Tony Scherr and others.
Snarky Puppy seamlessly fuses a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition with innovation in a way that encourages a positive reception amongst disparate audiences. The musicians who form Snarky Puppy also perform with artists like Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Roy Hargrove, and Marcus Miller among others. Performing for the VJC at the Latchis theater will be: Michael League, electric bass; Robert “Sput” Searight, drums; Nate Werth, percussion; Bob Lanzetti , guitar; Justin Stanton, keyboards and trumpet; Chris Bullock, reeds; Mark Lettieri, guitar, Mike “Maz” Maher, trumpet and Shawn Martin on keyboards.
The core of the band formed while attending the University of North Texas. They remained “underground” in many respects until earning a Grammy this February. Along the way, the band has earned high praise from critical stalwarts like the BBC, Village Voice, Guardian, and Boston Herald, and has performed at some of the best venues and festivals in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. They are just finishing a tour of Jakarta and their schedule through mid-July includes concerts in the US and Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Finland. Over the course of 2013, Snarky Puppy offered about 200 performances and workshops on four continents, including North Sea Jazz, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz á Vienne, Blue Note Tokyo, and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
The group is led by award-winning bassist/guitarist/composer/arranger Michael League, whose creative grass-roots approach has created a new model for independent artists. Snarky Puppy has three major objectives/identities: an original music ensemble; a production team and session band; and probably most importantly, they work with numerous nonprofits like ROAM (Roots Of American Music) in inner city Cleveland and the Music Lab at Jefferson Center in Roanoke to give opportunities to disenfranchised youth. They also offer clinics at hundreds of colleges, high schools, and middle schools world-wide, the band has made a strong commitment to spreading their love of music and general positivity to a young generation looking for inspiration.
Snarky Puppy is a new phenomenon that is sweeping through our culture. Their new methods of spreading their message through social networking and creative marking is serving as a model for the new generation. The primary reason for their success however is that they are simply a great band.
Come listen to Snarky Puppy! Produced by the Vermont Jazz Center at the Latchis Theater on March 15th, 2014 at 8:00 PM. This concert is co-sponsored by Clear Solutions, with grateful assistance from Hampton Inn, Vermont Public Radio and the Vermont Arts Council. Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for youth and $35 for premium seating.
Next up at the Vermont Jazz Center will be the Carolina Calvache Quartet as part of the Vermont Jazz Center’s Emerging Artist Series: April 5th, 2014
Who: Snarky Puppy
What: Jazz, Funk and R & B
When: Saturday, March 15th, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Where: Produced by The Vermont Jazz Center at the Latchis Theater, 48 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT
Tickets available: online at www.vtjazz.org, by phone 802 254 9088, in person at In The Moment, Main St., Brattleboro, VT.
