Jazz breaking news: Snarky Puppy burn in the Hoxton heat

Appearing at the 250-capacity Macbeth pub in an unassuming part of Hoxton, this was a relatively low-key locale for a band that have just taken the North Sea Jazz Festival by storm, with the likes of Terence Blanchard and Kendrick Scott sitting in, and are now set for the London Jazz Festival in November. Tonight felt like this was a big beast in a much smaller cage than they’ve become accustomed to.

That said bassist/bandleader Michael League’s Snarky Puppy have come from, like their most recent aptly titled album says, the ground up and he also highlighted that it was a personal connection to a fan who happened to teach at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music who booked their first London gig at Cargo 18-months ago, which effectively became their first ever European date. And League’s faded Superman T-shirt perhaps nods to the superhuman efforts he’s made to establish this band, which after nine years of struggling for recognition are well and truly taking off.

But enough history. It was the hot and sweaty here and now that made this very intimate encounter so memorable, not least because they previewed three new tunes which will soon be recorded for their next album, scheduled for release in March next year. The first of these, entitled ‘What About Me’ made for a spectacular opener, a muscular power funk tune with jagged guitar riffs and a blistering solo from their six-stringer Bob Lanzetti, the band all stopping to listen to him duel with drummer Robert ‘Sput’ Searight, the tune then charging through some super-tight horn lines and stopping on a dime; the groove juggernaught screeching to a halt with elegant ease. Revamped anthems from groundUp then followed, the Afro-funk lope of ‘Binky’ given a looser feel, its wild electro funk coda stretched to epic proportions. ‘Thing Of Gold’ likewise was given an elasticised work-over, this being the kind of loose-limbed session one would never encounter on a pressurized festival bill, the band clearly relishing the opportunity to play with even more abandon – keyboardist Cory Henry turning to conduct the massed ranks in an a capella version of the tune’s massive melodic hook.

Another new tune, ‘Lingus’ (named after the airline) was described by League as being his interpretation of dubstep (“the only music we listen to” he quipped ironically), which built from some hefty slabs of bass into a frenetic fight between rhythm section and horns, jabbing and bobbing alternately with barely a Rizla’s width between them, in a synapse snapping finale.

After a much needed break to cool off – the temperatures reaching tropical proportions inside the room – they picked up where they left off with another new piece that once again delved into primal sub-bass and eastern melodies. What separates Snarky Puppy from so many other bands is their willingness to meet the general public head on, away from generic musical ghettos, and all by word of mouth buzz. They’ve still to receive much mainstream media coverage, and so it’s not simply a case of them emphatically bringing jazz to the masses; more restoring one’s faith in the power of music to unite, excite and inspire.

– Mike Flynn

Snarky Puppy play Band On The Wall as part of the Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday 28 July, and Village Underground, as part of the London Jazz Festival on Sunday 17 November.