Sylva [Remixed & Remastered]

by Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest

Overview

Brooklyn's Snarky Puppy jazz-funk collective have become one of modern music's bright lights. Sylva, their debut for Impulse, is their fifth live album and eighth overall. It is unlike anything else in their catalog thus far, yet it embodies all the things they do so well: R&B, fusion, NOLA second line, soul-jazz, and more. It is a concert collaboration with Utrecht's Metropole Orkest; a single work comprised of two suites. The first four tracks make up the first, while the last two comprise the second. Sylva realizes composer/bassist Michael League's dream for Snarky Puppy: to work on a cinematic, orchestral scale without resorting to a watered-down "with strings" exercise. Their trademark edges -- in arrangement, improvisation, and groove quotient -- all remain intact. Fans may experience initial hesitation during the opening strains of the set's overture "Sintra." It contains repetitive, moody strings and winds before the band's horns enter on a Latin tinge and rhythms follow suit. The Metropole's horns join and it all starts to swirl, ending on the fat crescendo that introduces the slinky jazz-funk of "Flight." It features more familiar traits, with spidery synth and Rhodes, vamping guitars, and layers of staggered percussion and B-3 as its engine. "Atchafalaya" sounds exactly like its title: swampy, sweaty NOLA horn funk with stinging electric guitars and popping stacks of percussion as its hallmarks. "The Curtain" is over 15 minutes long. It employs intimate post-bop, symphonic rock, big-band funk, dancefloor stomp, cosmic fusion, and classical elegance. Sylva's closer is the nearly 20-minute "The Clearing." Debussy-ian impressionism may introduce it, but lithe, shimmering R&B, swinging, fat-horned progressive big band (think Clarke-Boland), greasy, blackbone-slipping alley funk, trancey Miles-esque fusion, and Wardell Quezergue-styled NOLA horn grooves wind out of it. This sprawler ratchets down before rebuilding toward a swaggering climax with brass, guitars, bass, drums, and B-3 all on stun. Sylva may not be the dance party face of Snarky Puppy, but there is one within it. League writes not only tor the strengths in his band, but also those of the Metropole Orkest -- they are not only able to "hang" with Snarky Puppy, they push them -- hard. Many acts have attempted collaborative exercises like this, but few -- if any -- have pulled them off. Musical sophistication meets the gritty danger of live performance; execution matches ambition with crackling energy and soulful expression. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2024
Label:	Ground Up
UPC:	0198391393839
Rank:	121556

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Snarky Puppy   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Metropole Orkest   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Bill Laurance   Soloist,Wurlitzer,Moog Synthesizer,Piano
Bob Lanzetti   Guitar (Electric)
Michael League   Bass,Soloist,Director,Key Bass,Bass (Electric)
Rob Van De Laar   Horn
Charles Watt   Cello
Christina Knoll   Violin
Ewa Zbyszynska   Violin
Frank Warndenier   Percussion
Lex Luijnenburg   Viola
Mark Lettier   Guitar,Soloist
Ries Schellekens   Tuba
Eric Winkelmann   Double Bass
Tinka Regter   Violin
Iris Schut   Viola
Norman Jansen   Viola
Max Boeree   Clarinet,Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass),Clarinet (Contrabass)
Leo Janssen   Clarinet,Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass),Clarinet (Contrabass)
Leo Van Oostrom   Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass),Clarinet (Contrabass),Clarinet
Martin van den Berg   Trombone (Bass)
Nola Exel   Flute
Ruben Margarita   Violin
Vera Laporeva   Violin
Maarten Jansen   Cello
Jan Oosting   Trombone
Arlia de Ruiter   Violin
Mariel Van Den Bos   Flute
Cory Henry   Organ,Soloist,Clavinet,Keyboards,Moog Synthesizer
Chris McQueen   Guitar,Soloist,Guitar (Electric)
Justin Stanton   Piano,Soloist,Trumpet,Clavinet,Fender Rhodes,Moog Synthesizer
Mark Lettieri   Guitar (Electric)
Mike Maher   Soloist,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Pauline Terlouw   Violin
Nate Werth   Percussion
Casper Donker   Violin
Andy Laviolette   Director
Pieter Hunfeld   Horn
Pauline Koning   Violin
Vincent Veneman   Soloist,Trombone
Feyona van Iersel   Violin
Merel Jonker   Violin
Fons Verspaandonk   Horn
Elizabeth Hunfeld   Horn
Werner Janssen   Clarinet,Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass),Clarinet (Contrabass)
Herman Van Haaren   Violin
Tjerk DeVos   Double Bass
Seija Teeuwen   Violin
Robert "Sput" Searight   Drums
Murk Jiskoot   Percussion
Jascha Albracht   Cello
Annie Tangberg   Cello
Jules Buckley   Conductor
Jay Jennings   Soloist,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Chris Bullock   Soloist,Clarinet,Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Clarinet (Bass)
Isabella Petersen   Viola
Polina Cekov   Violin
Marijn Rombout   Violin
Wim Kok   Violin
Julia Jowett   Viola
Arend Liefkes   Double Bass
David Peijnenborgh   Violin
Paul van der Feen   Clarinet,Saxophone,Clarinet (Bass),Clarinet (Contrabass)
Dennis Koenders   Violin
Jan Bastiani   Trombone
Emile Visser   Cello
Mieke Honingh   Viola
Janine Abbas   Flute

Technical Credits

Michael League   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Christi Laviolette   Camera Operator
Coen Davelaar   Camera Assistant
Emily Schwarting   Camera Operator
Michel Langenberg   Camera Operator
Walter Juijn   Camera Operator
Dirk Overeem   Engineer
Jan Visser   Assistant
Snarky Puppy   Arranger
Eric Hartman   Mixing,Engineer
Scott Hull   Mastering
Cory Henry   Arranger
Chris McQueen   Arranger
Ben Cottrell   Arranger
Sophie Koopmans   Production Manager
Andy Laviolette   Photography Director
Hein Bouwman   Assistant
Grady Sandlin   Engineer
Jules Buckley   Arranger
Henk Heijink   Producer