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After listening to several recordings of international Snarky Puppy concerts, I’ve noticed that European fans give Snarky Puppy an equal mix of focus and enthusiasm.  They’re not rowdy, nor are they tuned out.  They give the entire band their undivided attention and applaud at the right times, which helps feed the band’s performance.  The Danish crowd at Train is a prime example.  If you want to hear a solid set with mostly new material from Immigrance, check this show out! Here, the dynamic duo of Mark Lettieri and Chris McQueen takes center stage with several blistering guitar solos.   MichaelContinue Reading

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Hey hey! I’m back with some more reviews of the Snarky Puppy Immigrance concerts.  On October 22, 2019 the Pups commenced the FINAL European leg of the tour in Oslo, Norway! The lineup at the Sentrum Scene featured a full horn section with Mike “Maz” Maher, Chris Bullock, Bob Reynolds, and Justin Stanton doubling on trumpet and keyboards.  Mark Lettieri was on guitar, Shaun Martin played keyboards, Marcelo Woloski handled percussion, Jason “JT” Thomas sat behind the drum kit, and the expert bassist and bandleader Michael League rounded it out.  Forq opened for Snarky Puppy.  Several other members joined throughoutContinue Reading

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Sixteen years ago – at the time of the Immigrance tour in 2019 – Michael League and his friends founded Snarky Puppy at the University of North Texas.  On October 5, 2019, the Pups ended the final North American leg of the Immigrance tour at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, so it all came full circle.  For this show, longtime SP stalwarts Mark Lettieri and Shaun Martin sat in with the band.  And if that wasn’t enough, Jason “JT” Thomas and Robert “Sput” Searight hopped onstage to play with Jamison Ross & Keita Ogawa on “Tio Macaco.”  JT isContinue Reading

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Snarky Puppy always gets a positive reception in Florida, and this audience at the Plaza in Orlando is truly dynamite! Maybe it’s the scores of musicians and music lovers based in Florida…or maybe it’s the fact that Bob Reynolds and Jamison Ross are both from Jacksonville.  Who knows? This show also has TWO special guest musicians that are polar opposites, but amazingly gifted in their own ways.  Every single band member kills it in this show, but one of my favorite solos of the night belongs to one of the guest musicians.  Read on to find out more! House ofContinue Reading

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While this Snarky Puppy concert clocks in at under 90 minutes, the quality of the band’s performance is exceptional.  This was the band’s first time in Charleston, and they were ready to deliver a killer show at the Music Farm.  This was also Jamison Ross’s first night as the touring drummer since May…with the exception of the Tokyo Jazz Festival in early September! Having Bob Reynolds on tenor saxophone really boosts the horn section, and the percussive duo of Keita Ogawa & Jamison Ross is second to none.  As usual, Michael League does a stellar job of holding everything together. Continue Reading

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Earth to Bobby Sparks…earth to Bill Laurance…earth to Shaun Martin! Where are these dudes? Well, this is going to be a very different Snarky Puppy show.  I watched the video of the full concert (thanks again to Jake!) and was amazed by how well the eight-man ensemble handled the absence of their keyboardists.  The horns take on more responsibilities in this show, and so does Justin Stanton, who is the lone keyboardist tonight.  And if anybody needs proof of Justin’s badassery, watch him switch between five different keyboards for ninety minutes without breaking a sweat.  You’ll thank me later.  TheContinue Reading

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If you’re a fan of the Immigrance album, this is the show for you! In this setlist, seven of the nine tunes are from that album…only two are from earlier records.  Even with all of the new music, the audience is loud and the atmosphere is electric.  Interestingly, half of the band members onstage at the Tabernacle had just arrived in Atlanta, GA for the final U.S. leg of the Immigrance tour.  Jay Jennings, Chris McQueen, Zach Brock, Nate Werth, and Shaun Martin had all departed; and Bob Lanzetti, Bob Reynolds, Keita Ogawa, and Mike “Maz” Maher came on board. Continue Reading

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Back in late 2019, I discovered a few Snarky Puppy concert videos on YouTube from our very own Jake Funkmayor.  This was one of the first 2019 shows that I heard, and it is a very unique and entertaining show! As far as I know, “Big Ugly” was only performed once during the Immigrance tour…and it happened at the NODA Brewing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina! Chris Bullock’s “Bling Bling” also makes its second-ever live appearance.  Longtime trumpeter Mike “Maz” Maher was unavailable, so Jay Jennings played trumpet and flugelhorn with the Pups for about two weeks.  Three keyboardists wereContinue Reading

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This is the early show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada – aka Larnell Lewis’s hometown! The first thing that caught my attention was that three Snarky Puppy stalwarts are not in the lineup for this show.  In addition to the absence of Mike “Maz” Maher (who would join the tour two weeks later), Bobby Sparks and Justin Stanton are absent even though they had performed in Montreal the night before.  The void is filled with violinist Zach Brock, trumpeter Jay Jennings, and Bob “The Savior of Toronto” Lanzetti on guitar.  But more on that later…  Track-By-TrackContinue Reading

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In this bonus review, Snarky Puppy played to a festival crowd at the renowned Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium.  It’s a fairly short set with only eight songs in under ninety minutes, but they still cover a lot of ground in that time.  The solos are significantly shorter due to the time limits of the festival but that doesn’t decrease the funk, swag, or grooviness of this performance.  This is not an officially recorded release so unfortunately, my recording has some quick cuts omitting some of the music.  But it’s still another fine show.     Track-By-Track Tarova – Justin Stanton kicksContinue Reading