BWW Reviews: SNARKY PUPPY Barks at The Vogue

If the first casualty of war is truth, the first casualty of capitalism is music. Snarky Puppy is a reminder to the American (and thus, global) consciousness that in a culture homogenizing music faster than milk, there are still authentic explosions of human ingenuity in the midst of the seemingly endless mires of tasteless musical capitalism.

They do it all. Like a surfer paddling beyond the invigorating break of post-rock in the first decade of the 21st century, the musical culture of this decade can now be said to be clear. Snarky Puppy is the pure sound revelation of the 2010s.

And, as speechlessly indefinable, yet uncategorized, and simply beyond words as Snarky Puppy is, their immeasurable success is incontestable, and continues to swell.

What neo-genre concepts are fitting? One wonders at listening, their jaw aching, unable to shut. Post-jazz? No. Perhaps, it's just honest.

They groove as a symphonic poem, building over rock suspension bridges, falling with the blues, diving through ska airs, and flying through big band panoramas. They become visionary with improvisatory jazz reflections, and crash into a funk gorge with Latin and electronica-inspired percussion.

Finally, they'll come up for a breath, the life essence of a party that is the apex of Western civilization, inhaling the deeply diverse traditions of American music, and exhaling fresh, raw, original compositions. Snarky Puppy has mastered the art of that musical breathing, all of the timeless dynamics of volume, rhythm and harmony to sustain innumerable listeners.

The Vogue is Vancouver's most beloved venue. As the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival turns thirty, Snarky Puppy graced the heart of West Coast Canadian culture with a most powerful oeuvre of novel authenticity.

Thirty is also about the number of band members in Snarky Puppy. While only seven showed up to provoke Vancouver to sing (and even end one of their songs in a clever role-reversal of spectators and artists), their sonic unity is as multifariously splendid and enormously embracing as the wide avenues and dense thoroughfares of the Brooklyn streets, where Snarky Puppy calls home.

Bandleader and bassist Michael League shared the stage with select "pups" Chris Bullock on tenor saxophone, Nate Werth on percussion, Bob Lanzetti on guitar, Mike Maher on trumpet and flugelhorn, Cory Henry on keyboards, and new "pup" drummer Larnell Lewis.

They are all virtuosos, both mega vibrant soloists and impeccable team players. In the tradition of all noteworthy artistic creation, every last individual shone through the collective and instrumental soundscape with inimitable personality.

Truly, jazz is the triumph of American music. It has stood the test of time, especially in metropolitan and festival cultures, where much of rock and roll has aged to the radio fuzz of oldie-but-goodie hits.

From its inception, jazz has implied fusion. In this respect, Snarky Puppy remains true to the roots of jazz, embracing and transcending the entire gamut of sounds along the contemporary musical spectrum. Their songs are danceable, and, at the same time, will leave an audience paralyzed with astonishment.

There is a mysterious, ecstatic quality to the tone of the jazz greats who ascended with the greater cultural expression of the day and led social openness to new heights by the sound of an instrument.

It is in those moments of listenable genius that cause a brain to trigger the emotion of bliss, the spark of genuine laughter. That vibe is the key to sound power in the age of jazz. Snarky Puppy has proven one of the most trusted locksmiths of the modern heart, that byzantine fortress of conundrums and passions, wherefrom people are begging to be let out, to sing and dance for freedom's sake.

Photo: Paul Bourdrel