Anyone who delves into the vast expanse of modern jazz artists needs to know Snarky Puppy.

This super group formed in 2004 in Denton, Texas, and has grown to a core group of 13 awarded professional studio musicians and producers in addition to around 30 other musicians with whom they record their albums and live concert videos.

At the helm of the Snarky Puppy ship is their grammy winning bassist, composer, guitarist, arranger, producer, and record label owner,  Michael League, who in addition to being an extremely active touring musician, is a staunch advocate for music education and outreach, giving hundreds of clinics at schools across North America, Asia, and Europe. 

Other members of this super group of jazz masters have worked, performed, written, and produced with some of the biggest talents in the music industry such as Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, P Diddy, Chaka Khan, Snoop Dogg, Erika Badhu and many more!

Unlike most bands who record their albums over several weeks or even months alone in a studio, SP’s albums capture the spontaneous energy of a concert by recording with live video sessions, where a studio audience is present and listening along as the band plays and records their songs all in one take.

I was lucky to be present at one of these recording sessions called “Snarky Puppy’s Family Dinner” where they invited 8 of their favorite vocalists (they are primarily an instrumental group) to perform their own original songs with new arrangements done by League and the rest of the band. One of the songs from this concert, "Something" by R & B and gospel legend Lalah Hathaway, went on to win the 2014 Grammy for Best R & B Performance, propelling SP to the mainstream spotlight.

They since have appeared multiple times atop the iTunes jazz charts continue to sell out concerts and festivals all over Europe, Asia, The United States, and most recently recorded an entire live album with the 52 piece Metropole Orkest orchestra in the Netherlands!  If they’re ever in your area, do not miss a chance to see these Pups live and be sure to follow them on social media on Facebook.com/snarkypuppy and @snarkypuppy on Instagram.