JazzTimes is honored to share “Xavi,” the first song to be released from the new Snarky Puppy album Immigrance, which will be released Mar. 15 on GroundUP Music.
Snarky Puppy’s founding bassist, composer, and bandleader Michael League says of the new album: “The idea here is that everything is fluid, that everything is always moving and that we’re all in a constant state of immigration. Obviously the album’s title is not without political undertones.”
The subtly shifting grooves laid down by Jamison Ross, Jason “JT” Thomas, and Larnell Lewis are an obvious focal point of “Javi.” They were created in an unusual way; here, as on every Immigrance track, the three drummers share sections of the composition—without overlapping. “Whenever you feel a big change in the section of a song,” League explains, “just know that it’s another drummer playing: verse to chorus, different drummer; chorus to solo section, different drummer; solo section to bridge, different drummer. But they do it so seamlessly and beautifully that you just notice, ‘Oh, that snare feels a little different,’ or ‘That rhythm has a different energy.’ It really brings new life into each section.”
From Feb. 8-10, Snarky Puppy will host the 3rd annual GroundUP Music Festival in Miami Beach, Fla. They will play all three nights, and the lineup will also include David Crosby, Andrew Bird, Tank and the Bangas, Lalah Hathaway, Richard Bona, and more; go here for further details. After that, the group heads to Los Angeles for a Feb. 23 show at Walt Disney Hall Concert Hall with the L.A. Philharmonic. A full world tour will follow, beginning in April. Visit snarkypuppy.com for dates and other information.
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