Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy blur the borders of jazz, rock, funk, and more, with a mostly instrumental approach that gives equal time to sophisticated arrangements and sharp soloing. The band’s founding dates to 2004, when bassist Michael League, who was attending college in Denton, Texas, gathered several of his schoolmates together. They developed a groove-conscious jazz-fusion sound and built up a grassroots following over time. Their first big breakthrough came with their 2013 album Family Dinner, Vol. 1, which featured a cast of guest singers and earned a Best R&B Performance Grammy for the sinuous, soulful “Something” featuring Lalah Hathaway. This would be the first of multiple Grammys and other honours for the band, who maintained a fluid lineup, often employing multiple saxophonists, keyboardists, and percussionists. A broad range of guests have worked with Snarky Puppy, including Jacob Collier and David Crosby. In 2017, the band expanded their community by inaugurating the annual GroundUP Music Festival, featuring a pan-genre lineup of the artists in their orbit, with Snarky Puppy at the centre of the action.