Snarky Puppy LIVE @ LEAF Spring 2018

Produced by Independent Arts and Music Asheville Find LEAF festival videos and more at www.iamavl.com After a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred/New York-based quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for two Grammy awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance 2014 and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016 and 2017), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.” Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 25 members in regular rotation. They each maintain busy schedules as sidemen (with such artists as Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and D’Angelo), producers (for Kirk Franklin, David Crosby, and Salif Keïta), and solo artists (many of whom are on the band’s indy label, GroundUP Music). At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico all have representation in the group’s membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively. Filmed at: 46th LEAF Festival LEAF Community Arts May 12, 2018 www.theLEAF.org IamAVL Crew: Josh Blake Scott Reese Shane Peters Guy Newton Ben Mulkey Adam MacMillian Edited By Guy Newton and Ben Mulkey Learn more about Snarky Puppy at http://www.snarkypuppy.com