Arts & Lectures opens its 65th season with the genre-defying popular collective
Courtesy photo.
SUMMARY
- UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Snarky Puppy
- Tue, October 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlington Theatre
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- A&L 65th Season Opening Event
- Jazz, Funk and More from North Texas
- Powerhouse ensemble will show what has made them a festival favorite with a rabid fanbase
- Arrive early for A&L’s “Jazz & Gelato” Season Kickoff Party! Ticket holders can enjoy a live set by KCRW’s Nassir Nassirzadeh, prizes, complimentary sweet treats, light installations, open art galleries and more!
- $52 – $132 / $16 UCSB students (Current student ID required)
- Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu / (805) 893-3535 or through the Arlington Theatre at www.axs.com
“A quintessential live band.” The New York Times
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Snarky Puppy on Tuesday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre. Rousing solos set amidst a deep rolling groove will give the audience plenty to shout about as this powerhouse ensemble shows what has made them a festival favorite worldwide. Known for forging a new path through the thickets of the music industry, Snarky Puppy has earned a reputation as one of the hardest working and most sophisticated proponents of jazz and funk. Dueling drummers and a rotating roster of elite soloists keep the rhythmic fires burning whenever these imaginative musicians come to town.
Snarky Puppy “Pineapple”
Jazz & Gelato Season Kickoff Party
Arrive early at 6 PM and celebrate with a live set by KCRW’s Nassir Nassirzadeh, prizes, complimentary sweet treats from local creameries, light installations, open art galleries and more! Featuring math-based light installations by UCSB Alumni Tai Rodrig (‘14) and Udo Gyene (‘15). Presented in collaboration with the historic ARTS District of Santa Barbara.
ABOUT SNARKY PUPPY
After over a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all five of the band’s Grammy awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance in 2014, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2023), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.”
Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 20 members in regular rotation. At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. The defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.
Always evolving in its musical output, each new record brings a new vision and progressive direction, “Snarky Puppy has always been a band that prioritizes the sound of music, our rule is that it can’t sound like it sounded before” comments bandleader Michael League, “the music has to feel like it’s moving somewhere”
And moving somewhere it most definitely has. It’s incredible, although not at all surprising, how far Snarky Puppy have come since ten friends got together at the University of North Texas in 2004. It also raises the question – where will Snarky Puppy go next? For Snarky Puppy fans, the answer to this question is a very exciting prospect.
ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Snarky Puppy is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures.
Jazz Series Lead Sponsor: Manitou Fund
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu. Tickets also available through the Arlington Theatre at www.axs.com
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2024-2025 season.