On Friday, progressive jazz ensemble Snarky Puppy debuted “Bet”, the second preview of the band’s forthcoming album, Empire Central, due out September 30th via the band’s own GroundUP Music imprint.
Like previously released single “Trinity”, “Bet” arrived with a live in-studio performance video filmed at Dallas’ Deep Ellum Art Company. The video shows the large group of musicians, which includes three guitarists, four keyboardists, two brass, two reeds, a violinist, three percussionists, and three drummers, performing for an intimate live-in-studio audience led by bassist, composer, and Snarky Puppy founder/bandleader Michael League.
“[Dedicated] to Dallas icon RC Williams (musical director for Erykah Badu and bandleader of RC & Tha Gritz), ‘Bet’ moves through a mixture of styles: church, soul and even Brazilian Funk,” League said of the track.
Recorded over the course of eight nights, Empire Central will feature of 16 all-new tracks influenced by and paying homage to the band’s hometown of Dallas, TX. The album will also feature the last recorded performance of ’80s funk pioneer and Snarky Puppy’s musical Godfather Bernard Wright, who passed away tragically at the age of 58 shortly after the recording sessions that produced the album.
“Bet” is now available on all streaming platforms. Watch the video for the track and check out the album artwork, band lineup, and tracklist below. Preorder Empire Centralhere.
Snarky Puppy recently announced a slate of 2023 spring tour dates. Click below to view a list of the band’s future performances, and to find more information and purchase tickets, visit the band’s website.
Snarky Puppy – “Bet”
EMPIRE CENTRAL TRACKLIST:
1. Keep It On Your Mind
2. East Bay
3. Bet
4. Cliroy
5. Take It!
6. Portal
7. Broken Arrow
8. RL’s
9. Mean Green
10. Fuel City
11. Free Fall
12. Belmont
13. Pineapple
14. Honiara
15. Coney Bear
16. Trinity
View Tracklist
Snarky Puppy Empire Central Band Lineup
Bob Lanzetti – Electric guitar
Mark Lettieri – Electric guitar
Chris McQueen – Electric guitar
Justin Stanton – Wurlitzer, Prophet 10, and trumpet
Bobby Sparks – Hammond B3 organ, ARP String Ensemble, and Minimoog Model D
Bill Laurance – Fender Rhodes Mark 8, Yamaha CP70 electric piano, and Minimoog Model D (solo)
Shaun Martin – Talkbox, Vocoder, Moog Little Phatty, and Korg Kronos
Zach Brock – Violin
Mike “Maz” Maher – Trumpet
Jay Jennings – Trumpet and flugelhorn
Chris Bullock – Bass clarinet and tenor sax (solo)
Bob Reynolds – Tenor and soprano saxes
Michael League – Electric bass
Nate Werth – Percussion
Keita Ogawa – Percussion
Marcelo Woloski – Percussion
Jason “JT” Thomas – Drum set
Larnell Lewis – Drum set
Jamison Ross – Drum set
View Band Lineup
SNARKY PUPPY SPRING 2023 TOUR:
March 29—Palace Theatre—St. Paul, MN
March 30—Pabst Theater—Milwaukee, WI
March 31—The Riviera Theatre—Chicago, IL
April 1—Hard Rock Northern Indiana—Gary, IN
April 2—State Theatre—Kalamazoo, MI
April 5—TempleLive Cleveland Masonic—Cleveland, OH
April 6—Town Ballroom—Buffalo, NY
April 8—Roadrunner—Boston, MA
April 10—Tillis Hall at the Fine Arts Center, UMASS—Amherst, MA
April 12—Chubb Theatre, Capitol Center for the Arts—Concord, NH
April 13—Beacon Theatre—New York, NY
April 14—Union Transfer—Philadelphia, PA
April 16—Cornell University Concert Series at Bailey Hall—Ithaca, NY
April 19—Warner Theatre—Washington, DC
April 20—Stage AE—Pittsburgh, PA
April 24—Ritter Amphitheater—Huntington, WV
April 26—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
April 28—The Eastern—Atlanta, GA
