If you're a music buff who longs for the good old days – perhaps as far back as the last century, when musicians played their instruments with such virtuosity and poured every ounce of their being into their playing – you need not look too far back in the past to find extraordinary music presently being made with such passion and fire.
In the last two decades, the global jazz community has ushered in a new era of exciting and diverse sounding bands who are finding new ways to reinvent the jazz idiom that artists such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock did so brilliantly in their time.One of the most creatively innovative contemporary powerhouse groups in jazz today is without a doubt Snarky Puppy. Hailing from Denton, Texas, the ten-piece outfit are truly a remarkable band of musicians from various cultural heritages, bringing their different musical influences to their fusion table.
Their influences reach out wide over several continents from Latin America, Africa, The Middle East and Europe, and include genres from rock, funk, soul and gospel all organically seeping into their sonic jazz canon.
Last year Snarky Puppy toured Australia in support of their 2022 album 'Empire Central' and to the delight of their most loyal devotees, they announced late last year they would be coming back for a second tour in 2025 – just over a year after their previous visit down under.
This tour however had an extra special gift – a celebration of the ten-year anniversary of their revered album 'We Like It Here'.
Last time Snarky Puppy were in Sydney they played the Enmore Theatre; on this occasion (16 May), a booking at one of the most spectacular and oldest venues in Sydney, State Theatre, was on the itinerary.
Coined as The Empire's Greatest Theatre, the ambience in the space gave the show a special feeling of enchantment in a setting for all art to be cherished and enjoyed.
Supporting Snarky Puppy for consecutive tours was the talented and comedic Sydney jazz trio Brekky Boy. Wittily, they open their set with the YouTube service music.
Yet Brekky Boy's edgy and soothing compositions gave the early audience a taste of what jazz would sound like in a 'Bladerunner', replicant societal world, executing silky electronic synths alongside classy melodies and earthly poly rhythms.
A short, but gratifying opening performance by a modern jazz trio who are letting the world know, Australian jazz acts have a part to play in the future of the genre and adding a bit Aussie humour into it, their bass player is called Pizza Boy.
After the break, the multiple instruments onstage were certainly an indication of the grand scale of a Snarky Puppy show, and knowing the ambition and grandiosity of their music, that's exactly why Sydneysiders came in droves to a sold-out State Theatre on a rainy Friday night.
Dual drummers, two keyboardists and a four strong wind section, not to mention an electric guitar sorcerer, all led by bassist, founder and primary composer Michael League, collectively delivered on their epic jamming and mesmerising improvising to the incredible compositions of 'We Like It Here'.
Surprisingly, the first three songs by the dectet collective were selected from other albums in their 20-year catalogue that League explained was the band just getting warmed up. Each musician got their chance to do their solos, be it flute, saxophone, trumpet or keyboard.
Ultimately the most jaw-dropping solo came from percussionist Marcelo Woloski, who soaked his highly impressive drum solo consisting of hypnotic Latin grooves and shaman like drum patterns in all the senses of his Argentinian roots.
The funk within each tune of the main set was palpable as the band's legendary groove laid the foundations for some of the heavier and danceable songs played on the night.
Even though the audience stayed in their seats for most of the concert, the intersection of jazz, hard rock, electronica and progressive funk grooves were omnipresent showcasing the depth of music training, imagination and craftsmanship this outfit possesses.
It is not inconceivable, if they were an active band in the '70s, they would have likely rivalled some of the extraordinary jazz fusion instrumental groups of the era such as Headhunters, Return To Forever or The Mahavishnu Orchestra.
League even acknowledged the struggle to get notoriety for an instrumental jazz band at this juncture of music history, and was feeling incredibly grateful to have achieved the recognition they've received, which goes against the odds in the modern music climate.
One of the standout compositions from 'We Like It Here' and included in the set list was 'What About Me?'. Live, it felt like a magic carpet ride with its Santana-esque guitar soloing and each band member in soulful, sonic lock-step with each other's playing, rattling the speakers of the State Theatre and ending with a thunderous ovation.
The closing composition of the night, 'Shofuken', was the most spellbinding, with its highly emotive and dreamlike guitar melody and earth-shattering bassline, manifesting esoteric qualities for the listener.
It's songs like this that make music a transcendental experience where mind, body and spirit are all connected. The opportunity for the audience to sing-along to the melody was an added icing to this delicious cake, lifting the hair on everyone's neck and arms as people from the stalls, mezzanine and dress circle all sang in unison.
Even on their recordings, Snarky Puppy perform as a live act with an audience in the studio and that's why their music is best presented in a live setting, and is a guaranteed show pleaser whether you're a jazz fan or just someone who is hoping to scratch an itch for riveting live music.
Snarky Puppy is the ensemble you can trust to deliver on all of these fronts.
