During the 2015 Newport Jazz Festival, JazzTimes set up a make-shift video production studio backstage inside the old barracks of Fort Adams. During three afternoons, a succession of artists-including Mike Stern, James Carter, Arturo O’Farrill, Fred Hersch, Chris Dingman, Kate McGarry, Billy Childs and many others-came in to talk about the festival, jazz education, their creative process and their own projects. You can also see more of these video interviews at the JazzTimes YouTube channel.
In this interview from Newport, bassist Michael League talked about his musical evolution, including going to North Texas State. He discussed his lifelong love of African music. He also talked about the creation and the unique concept of Snarky Puppy, the Grammy-award-winning band he leads. The group draws on a collective of about 40 musicians who rotate in and out for different tours and shows. The group’s latest album is Culcha Vulcha.
Interview by Irene Lee. Video production by Paul Park. Editing by Lee Mergner.
Michael League on his musical evolution:
Michael League on Snarky Puppy: