JACKSON HOLE, WYO – You know when a show is high on the radar for most local musicians that it’s often a heady act, and there’s been a lot of chatter. A loosely-knit collective rotating many as twenty-five funk, jazz and rock players, Snarky Puppy is a prolific, three-time Grammy-winning instrumental group.
Formed in Denton, Texas and now based out of Brooklyn, the creative force is mastermind bassist Michael League, who described the band as “a pop band that improvises a lot, without vocals.” An initial live album, Live at Uncommon Ground, was released in 2005 before unleashing a dozen studio albums including this year’s Immigrance. The latter is groove-heavy, extremely structured and thick with global elements. In a word, it’s inimitable, and will be a powerful live experience.
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.”
Roosevelt Collier will open the show with his quartet. He’ll wash away your visions of pedal steel a la Grand Ole Opry, instead coming from more of a Robert Randolph perspective with a soulful Sly and the Family Stone vibe.
Snarky Puppy with special guest Roosevelt Collier, 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Center Theater. $78-$98. JHCenterForTheArts.org.
