An homage to their Dallas-area musical roots, 2022's
Empire Central
is one of
Snarky Puppy
's most enjoyable and accessible albums to date. Recorded live in-studio at Dallas' Deep Ellum Art Company with an audience in attendance, the album finds them digging into their jazz, funk, and R&B influences. The Grammy-winning, multi-member ensemble led by bassist
Michael League
initially emerged from the University of North Texas and quickly established themselves as a leading crossover jazz band on the Dallas and international music scene.
showcases the group's longstanding knack for crafting groove-based instrumental tracks rife with hooky melodies, sophisticated arrangements, and exploratory improvisations. Much of the album evokes the infectious '70s fusion of band's like
Weather Report
and the
Brecker Brothers
, but it's also incredibly funky. Particularly compelling here is "Take It!," a juicy, late-'70s-style jam in the
Parliament
/
Funkadelic
and
Crusaders
-tradition featuring iconic Dallas keyboardist
Bernard Wright
. Sadly,
Wright
died in a car accident soon after the recording and his wiry synth lines are pure magic here, pushing the song to ever-more cosmic heights. The track also features a fat-toned solo from trumpeter
Jay Jennings
that brings to mind
CTI
-era
Freddie Hubbard
. Similarly, "Bet" contrasts a wicked duo bass and guitar riff with jazzy flutes and tenor saxophonist
Bob Reynold
's knotty post-bop improvisational lines. There's a travelog quality to
with songs like "East Bay," "Broken Arrow," and "Belmont," that seem to conjure the vibe of the Texas locations they are named after. There's even "Mean Green," a wicked soul-funk number with crunchy electric guitars off-set by burnished horns and spacy keyboard accents that are clearly inspired by the North Texas University football team of the band's alma mater. With
,
transform the Dallas music and culture that inspired them into a tangible listening experience. ~ Matt Collar