Born as a typical college band (the original nucleus is made up of students from the University of North Texas), Snarky Puppy has quickly become one of the most popular names in the world of jazz and fusion, terms which, however, in their case are reductive. In reality, the music of Snarky Puppy escapes any attempt at classification precisely because of its ability to focus effortlessly on the sounds of today. Merit for this belongs to their clever but also natural and spontaneous mix of multiple genres and trends. New York Times stated, “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.” What is certain is that, in the last few years, the band has gained four Grammys and awards from major specialized magazines such as Jazz Times and DownBeat. Above all, it has gathered fans all over the world for its strong live impact. Their latest work, Empire Central, is a live-in-studio album recorded in Dallas and released a couple of months ago. This return home is also a return to their soul roots.
