Snarky Puppy - Empire Central

Empire Central Review by Matt Collar

An homage to their Dallas-area musical roots, 2022's Empire Central is one of Snarky Puppy's most enjoyable and accessible albums to date. Recorded live in-studio at Dallas' Deep Ellum Art Company with an audience in attendance, the album finds them digging into their jazz, funk, and R&B influences. The Grammy-winning, multi-member ensemble led by bassist Michael League initially emerged from the University of North Texas and quickly established themselves as a leading crossover jazz band on the Dallas and international music scene. Empire Central showcases the group's longstanding knack for crafting groove-based instrumental tracks rife with hooky melodies, sophisticated arrangements, and exploratory improvisations. Much of the album evokes the infectious '70s fusion of band's like Weather Report and the Brecker Brothers, but it's also incredibly funky. Particularly compelling here is "Take It!," a juicy, late-'70s-style jam in the Parliament/Funkadelic and Crusaders-tradition featuring iconic Dallas keyboardist Bernard Wright. Sadly, Wright died in a car accident soon after the recording and his wiry synth lines are pure magic here, pushing the song to ever-more cosmic heights. The track also features a fat-toned solo from trumpeter Jay Jennings that brings to mind CTI-era Freddie Hubbard. Similarly, "Bet" contrasts a wicked duo bass and guitar riff with jazzy flutes and tenor saxophonist Bob Reynold's knotty post-bop improvisational lines. There's a travelog quality to Empire Central with songs like "East Bay," "Broken Arrow," and "Belmont," that seem to conjure the vibe of the Texas locations they are named after. There's even "Mean Green," a wicked soul-funk number with crunchy electric guitars off-set by burnished horns and spacy keyboard accents that are clearly inspired by the North Texas University football team of the band's alma mater. With Empire Central, Snarky Puppy transform the Dallas music and culture that inspired them into a tangible listening experience. 

Release Date

September 30, 2022

Snarky Puppy

Texas-based, multiple-Grammy-winning jam collective centered around bassist Michael League that fuses jazz, funk, and rock.

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Snarky Puppy   -   Empire Central

00:00:00 Intro 00:00:02 Keep It On Your Mind 00:05:17 East Bay 00:10:20 Bet 00:15:44 Cliroy 00:20:27 Take It! (feat. Bernard Wright) 00:27:00 Portal 00:32:15 Broken Arrow 00:39:25 RL's 00:48:25 Mean Green 00:53:18 Fuel City 00:57:58 Free Fall 01:01:50 Belmont 01:08:23 Pineapple 01:13:11 Honiara 01:19:48 Coney Bear 01:24:55 Trinity Michael League – electric bass, Minimoog Model D bass Bob Lanzetti – electric guitar Mark Lettieri – electric guitar Chris McQueen – electric guitar Justin Stanton – Wurlitzer, Prophet 10, Minimoog Model D, trumpet Bobby Sparks – Hammond B3 organ, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog Model D, Hohner D6 Clavinet Bill Laurance – Fender Rhodes Mark 8, Yamaha CP70, Minimoog Model D Shaun Martin – talkbox, vocoder, Moog Little Phatty, Korg Kronos, Mellotron Zach Brock – violin Mike "Maz" Maher – trumpet, flugelhorn Jay Jennings – trumpet, flugelhorn Chris Bullock – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute Bob Reynolds – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone Nate Werth – percussion Keita Ogawa – percussion Marcelo Woloski – percussion Jason "JT" Thomas – drum set Larnell Lewis – drum set Jamison Ross – drum set