Snarky Puppy @ City Winery Chicago

Tuesday 6/23/15

“Difficulty” was my first thought when eight members of the New York-based jazz fusion band filed onto the stage. Calmly, but all smiles.

Difficulty in believing such a band could get any better than their albums, each one already a meticulous-crafted tornado of sound and exuberance and candid effort.

Difficulty in believing this show could somehow top their bombastic performance at The Metro up in the Northside over a year ago in January ’14.

And difficulty in believing the line for this place didn’t stretch around the block. But that’s an unfair notion. I had gotten there early, and the room packed before I could check outside and not risk losing my spot.

The Players

Michael League (b)

Mike Maher (t, fgh)

Chris Bullock (ts)

Bob Lanzetti (g)

Chris McQueen (g)

Cory Henry (kbd, org, synth)

Nate Werth (perc)

Larnell Lewis (d)

There’s hardly any original remark I can add to the incredible commitment to craft readily on display on Snarky Puppy’s albums. Except maybe that they’re ready to blow up into the mainstream. Not the jazz mainstream where they’ve already stolen hearts and minds of the new generation. The real mainstream (an oxymoron), with talk show appearances and Hot Topic t-shirts.

Am I calling those things the epitome popularity? Of course not. In this new golden of screens and content, overexposure is annoyingly bigger than ever. I’m simply talking about the extent of how far Snarky Puppy can go. The inevitable spread of their appeal.

Their venues already draw musicians and music-lovers from all genres and styles. At City Winery, I met EDM enthusiasts, club DJs, and even death metal players who got curious and are paying the awesome price. And of course, you can always rely on the jazz folks who head bang right in the pocket.

Indeed, there’s a reason they have become the crossover vanguards of the jazz fusion scene. Snarky Puppy’s version of having fun is the same way the underground has always had its fun: jumping around, head banging to sick music. All that, even when they’re no longer undergound. There is no haughty atmosphere you can sometimes get when an especially older group plays at the Jazz Showcase – although they’ve probably earned it. Underpinning the point is that while you’re two bodies away from the juxtaposed scene of Bob Lanzetti’s hands with Bob Lanzetti’s face, no craftsmanship is sacrificed for the sake of having a good time.

In terms of the music itself, believe everything you’ve heard. The “Pups” are musicians first and everything else second when they’re on the stage. Their communication is top-of-the-line. Their uniformity – more pinpoint than a big band’s. Their ability to work a crowd – absolutely sublime.

Front man Michael League’s (b) work with the Moog Sub Phatty Synthesizer always adds the subtle kick I now find profoundly missing from every electric bass. I couldn’t tell if he was leading the way or just enjoying the ride and occasionally raising his fist so they didn’t spend the next hour shredding on a one-note vamp – which would have been fantastic. The truth is, his various facial expressions somehow managed to be the most bombastic thing on stage that weren’t Cory Henry’s hands or Larnell Lewis’ arms. Some call it distracting, I call it quirky charisma.

Horn section Chris Bullock (ts) and Mike Maher (t, fgh) always have a habit of making their presence known. While they don’t have the same physical freedom of movement the guitars have or as much room as the keys and percussion need, the Pups never leave their horn section out of the action. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to too many blues bars lately where they treat their horns as an afterthought while the bandanna-wearing guitarist playing tacky blues licks over and behind his back has all the fun, but I’ve been keeping my eye on band cohesion and seeing if they communicate with everyone.

Thankfully, the band has made this issue a marked point. As Snarky Puppy told the AU review’s Charly Lindsay in an email interview, “The guys really serve the music, never themselves. We each find a lane and we stay in it. If someone steps out, the rest of us compensate and give them space. I think of it as an ecosystem, and ecosystems require balance.” There was a lot to take in at face value there. Upon closer inspection though, the natural ebb and flow of each player’s contributions has genuine interconnection.

Surprise of the night Chris McQueen (g) jumped on board the Pups’ tour that very night and was an exciting addition. Again, larger groups hold an inherent danger of imbalance which I’m always conscious of. Perhaps it’s why I’m not too keen on big bands (for shame!), or maybe I’m too keen on smaller hard bop groups (impossible)? But again, two guitarists is a problem they’ve proven solved on their albums and didn’t appear that night. When Bob Lanzetti (g) went to a line, McQueen went to a chord or complimentary line. Their interplay on the ever-ethereal “Flood” exemplified this. Of course, it could all be meticulously rehearsed – which is perfectly fine – but I could’ve sworn I saw a slit-second hesitation of good listening from them. A split-second hesitation of good musicianship.

Fan favorite Cory Henry (kbd, org, synth) once again had multiple show-stealing solos on songs like “Lingus” and “Thing of Gold” – the last of which I always love hearing live because of the crowd singing along to the refrain. You can bet the amount of toys he had to play with – a Hammond, a Rhodes, and three other synthesizers – were squeezed out by his first spotlight solo. My words can only bring you so close. Listen to the albums again. Hell, just re-read this article with “Lingus” in the background and you’ll hear it.

Funny thing too, this was the Pups’ self-proclaimed “old stuff” night. If they already consider some of the concert’s numbers like “Shofukan” and “Lingus” from 2014’s We Like it Here “old”, then it’s a good sign the their musical engine isn’t slowing down for an oil change.

Who knows? Maybe there are other Snarky Puppys out there who’ve already surpassed the Pups in musical complexity and quality live performance, but I have yet to hear of one; let alone one who gives their audience this good of a time.

Here come the Pups – out of the dog house and out of their beautiful minds.

Article and all pictures by Dominic Guanzon.

Check out some of Snarky Puppy’s songs on Bandcamp.