Masterclass Presentation by Snarky Puppy's Michael League

Get "Up Close and Personal" with 2014 Grammy Winners (and 2015 Playboy Jazz Festival artists) Michael League (bass), Chris McQueen (guitar) and Larnell Lewis (drums) of SNARKY PUPPY! Meet the new gurus of groove – practitioners of an ultra-modern fusion of jazz and funk, or what bandleader Michael calls “pocket.” Expect a lively demonstration when this super-kinetic trio conducts a special masterclass/presentation for the Jazz Bakery.

“Jazz rock fans who haven’t checked this outsized Brooklyn-based group out yet need to,” JazzTimes urged last summer, following the release of the collective’s 8th live CD We Like It Here. “There are plenty of signs of the ‘70s in Snarky Puppy: backgrounds in jazz training at the University of North Texas; out-and-out, unabashed virtuosity; an appreciation for the synthesizer as a lead instrument; an understanding that groove and polymeters aren’t mutually exclusive; highly cultivated composing and arranging skills (no aimless, vampy jam band noodling here).”

Original band members Michael League and Chris McQueen have toured and recorded together for ten years; their improvisational licks and irresistible hooks are already legend on college campuses. Toronto drummer Larnell Lewis proved himself an invaluable pinch-hitter when, mere days before recording We Like It Here live in Europe, the band’s usual drummer encountered passport issues. What you see (and hear!) in the embedded clip is Larnell’s astonishing performance after a trans-Atlantic redeye flight – and having just learned the brand-new composition upon arrival.

That kind of “effortless” spontaneity doesn’t come easily, and neither does “overnight” success. After a decade of relentless touring, prolific recording and ecstatic word-of-mouth, Snarky Puppy is on the verge of breaking out big. Any aspiring musician planning to navigate the current music-business landscape stands to learn valuable insight from this clinic. We’re incredibly lucky to snag these fellas for a fun night in Hollywood … before their legend catches up with them!