Inside the Making of Snarky Puppy's Grammy-Winning Album: Empire Central

Рет қаралды 173,441

Жыл бұрын

This is how 19 instrumentalists learned, rehearsed, and arranged 16 brand new songs in 5 days, then recorded them live in front of a studio audience.
Snarky Puppy's Empire Central won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Download my 7T Practice Pyramid jazzpracticepyramid.com - a focused yet flexible practice framework for jazz musicians.
Snarky Puppy is:
Bob Lanzetti - Electric guitar
Mark Lettieri - Electric guitar
Chris McQueen - Electric guitar
Justin Stanton - Fender Rhodes Mark 8 and Yamaha CP70 electric piano (solo)
Bobby Sparks - Hammond B3 organ and ARP String Ensemble
Bill Laurance - Hohner D6 Clavinet
Shaun Martin - Korg Kronos
Zach Brock - Violin
Mike “Maz” Maher - Trumpet
Jay Jennings - Trumpet
Chris Bullock - Tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet, soprano sax
Bob Reynolds - Tenor sax, soprano sax
Michael League - Electric bass, key bass
Nate Werth - Percussion
Keita Ogawa - Percussion
Marcelo Woloski - Percussion
Jason “JT” Thomas - Drum set
Larnell Lewis - Drum set
Jamison Ross - Drum set
--------------------------------------------------------------
Signed Albums ► bit.ly/signed_cds
60 bpm T-shirt ► bit.ly/Bobs60bpmTshirt
Practice Book ► bit.ly/saxpowerhour
--------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Reynolds is a 3x GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist with Snarky Puppy. He's toured with John Mayer, Larry Carlton, and many others and released 12 solo albums-4 of which reached the Top 10 in Billboard's Jazz Charts. A pioneering educator, Bob has coached thousands of musicians since 2010 through his innovative Virtual Studio at bobsvirtualstudio.com. He is a D'Addario Woodwinds artist, KZfaqr, and surfer. He lives with his wife and kids in Los Angeles, CA.
“Bob is one hell of a saxophonist! His sound is rich and his execution is effortless.”
Michael Brecker
“…Reynolds flexes an assured hand with melding hip-swiveling jazz and funk as a bandleader.”
LA TIMES
“Some of the freshest, most compelling, and most soulful music I have heard recently. Bob Reynolds is an amazing musician, with something very exciting and original to say.”
Joshua Redman
#snarkypuppy #empirecentral

Пікірлер: 369

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Looking for an efficient framework for practicing jazz? Download my 7T Practice Pyramid (FREE) jazzpracticepyramid.com

@benderbi Жыл бұрын

All of that and he manages to get to his son's game. Bravo 👏🏼

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Priorities. 👍

@natestein5988 Жыл бұрын

@@bobreynoldsThat's awesome that you were able to support your son in that way.

@uubuuh Жыл бұрын

the least he could do, kid saved his life 1:58 😉

@oscargill423 3 ай бұрын

The way the video goes from like 23 minutes of rehearsal chaos and exciting stress to son's baseball game is probably one of the most beautiful and subtly cathartic endings to a music vlog (or vlog in general) I've ever seen.

@jas_bataille Жыл бұрын

So basically Snarky Puppy took the idea of a firs take being fresh to the maximum of human abilities : by making the musicians learn the music as fast as possible it remains as fresh and spontaneous as possible. Yet, there is no sight-reading. That's beyond brilliant.

@devinebass Жыл бұрын

LOVED this, Bob!

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Scott

@FoolishFrankie Жыл бұрын

The crazy part is in all of this chaos you're filming everything too!! Incredible video, thanks so much for sharing with us!

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

One of the top questions we get is "How do you guys learn all that music?" Here's how... :)

@Joe-zk7ps Жыл бұрын

You all are really amazing at finding that chemistry when the lights turn on. You and the rest of the band played some amazing and memorable stuff on this album. Thank you. I know you all have lives outside of this we never see, and the fact you all bring so much to these performances is just incredible.

@JosueMartinez-wd3yu Жыл бұрын

WOW, I have seen videos like these before and I am amazed by how talented people HAVE to memorize materials. Don't get me wrong, its good to memorize your parts, BUT, I wonder if there is something much efficient way. Like recording each part (like a studio booth ) and exporting those parts in music sheet. I am assuming that parts are recorded individually and probably given to each member as part of their learning process🤔. Would be great if in the IT field, music notation companies had the ability to record audio into notation. I think Sibelius and/or Finale has something like that but not sure how reliable it is. Either way, its crazy to see how much one can put in their head in such amount of time. 🤯. I am sure you guys already knew about this but wonder why when trying to learn parts that are recorded via Logic Pro, yall don't use the notation part since Logic converts the midi information into notation. Just curious.

@upabovemusic Жыл бұрын

Great video Bob. Thanks for the great work and effort you put into this. Greetings from Denmark.

@BenGreen1980 Жыл бұрын

This answered that question while also not answering it at all. :D

@scottstanley4378 Жыл бұрын

This is what I've been the most interested in lately, especially when watching guest musicians come up and play with Cory Wong's band. Thank you for the insight, Bob. You guys work hard out there. Is your work life always this hectic?!

@TheSevenEighths Жыл бұрын

Dang. This is so inspiring. It's not just about how virtuous you guys are but the miracle you do with (only) 24 hours a day. It's more about the dedication, professionalism and passion behind the scenes than anything else. Thank you!

@ScottPaddock Жыл бұрын

That’s an absolutely insane schedule especially with no written parts and such complex music. Crazy!!! Congrats on the Grammy. Well deserved for you and Snarky crew.

@Crobcar Жыл бұрын

I mean if that doesn't get you one, what the hell does??

@tylerheintzen722 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for stopping by UNF broski! We loved having you

@drewb5775 Жыл бұрын

I would watch an edit of this that is twice as long. Cheers Bob

@rejerh8731 Жыл бұрын

Seconded!

@brandonlbartlett Жыл бұрын

Third-ed?

@literallyfiction Жыл бұрын

As a producer, the whole time I was thinking, damn this is sooo expensive haha Thanks for sharing, Bob, that’s very generous.

@Gramps935 Жыл бұрын

I hope they make money because they are putting in so much effort and cash to make this thing.

@snails9505 Жыл бұрын

Yep I wondered if Elon Musk was aboard or something. Amazing team effort though.

@moritzmetzler9377 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely crazy that you can learn and memorize all of that music in such a short period of time. It’s also unbelievable to me, that you can play all day without your embouchure breaking down at some point. Well done, I love the record!

@wiebemartens1030 Жыл бұрын

their embouchure must hurt indeed. My lips hurt from watching this vlog

@chumbo Жыл бұрын

Your musical skills are obviously unquestionable but I must say, I'm also always impressed at how good you are at doing these videos! I love the fast edits, just giving the bare essential so as not to make it too long but yet get the whole story. Congrats! 😉

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Thank you. That was my goal. 🙏

@josephkarl2061 Жыл бұрын

5:59 The audience all singing your solo is a sign you're onto a great thing 👌

@gil-evens Жыл бұрын

Love the part starting from 14:20 when they all start to exchange ideas, great insights into the rehearsing process

@albertomojica2295 Жыл бұрын

I am still procesing and thinking about All the work and discipline that a musician should have to be there. Amazing, and thank for share with us, This is the real use of the social media, you are real influencers!!!!

@kapers5772 Жыл бұрын

We all play music but man, there are levels to this, what you do and how you do it is absoloutely crazy. Keep making sick music

@felipemagalhaes9004 6 ай бұрын

16 new songs in 5 days it's crazy, I hear this album every single day, I love you guys

@MorganWallaceMusic Жыл бұрын

Musicians of y'all's caliber singing Part Of Your World... ❤️❤️❤️

@ChrisBuonoGuitar Жыл бұрын

The struggle is ALWAYS real. Well done, brothas.

@Orlando-wn4uc Жыл бұрын

"Not having greens" basically describes my childhood growing up in Texas! Such incredible musicians! Congratulations on the Grammy. I'm always amazed (and humbled) that you take the time to capture and share such marvelous moments. It's truly inspiring. Thank you, Bob!

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

🙏 thanks, Orlando

@brianmatthews232 Жыл бұрын

Wow great filming Bob, the audio is superb 😀

@BharatRajagopalan Жыл бұрын

Incredible. Thanks for this

@FunkyDigo Жыл бұрын

Great video, Bob! Love the record and these behind the scenes.

@rickgraham786 Жыл бұрын

Excellent!

@calkig Жыл бұрын

Love seeing the process and all the hard work that went into an incredible album, Bob. It really goes to show how much hard work making that music is while keeping all the other commitments you have as working musical professional/educator. The amount of energy passion, dedication and enthusiasm that you have for your art is incredible... and then to make it home for the ball game and family --that was a great ending to the video. Thanks for posting, Sir!

@funkadiktou Жыл бұрын

Amazing content. Great to see (and hear) how you guys cook that great music you do!

@leslee337537 Жыл бұрын

Loved seeing your process. Amazing work!

@SemajMusiq Жыл бұрын

I love all the behind the scenes, overcoming obstacles type of videos because it shows the we ALL have struggles! It’s truly amazing what you guys do!

@MattBeasley1968 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for putting this together. I've always wondered how you put all that music together so fast. Still not sure how you can do all that from memory. The talent in that rehearsal room (and recording studio) is amazing. Congratulations on another great album!

@jacobjammin7693 Жыл бұрын

I'm so inspired by how hard you guys work as a team and the amount of hours of practice. The sleep you guys would be running on and still giving it your all. This is on a whole other level! Thank you for sharing.

@ruby_gleyzes Жыл бұрын

Just legendary!

@ironmikesims Жыл бұрын

Bob, these videos are awesome! I'm amazed you find the time to be able to put these together. Thank you for sharing these moments. You guys have changed how I listen to and play music.

@faithfulduru5153 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this, Bob

@mgbasinski Жыл бұрын

THIS IS AWESOME! Thanks for putting this together, fascinating. You guys are just astonishing, I can't get enough (and by the way, the GUMFEST performances this year were outstanding too, was a thrill to be there in Miami Beach)

@JulianFernandez Жыл бұрын

thanks for sharing these, Bob!

@glennvanderburg8708 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this, Bob. I was there for the early recording session on Sunday, and y’all already sounded *incredibly* tight by then. Awesome to see how it came together over the two weeks prior.

@jordantaylorreed Жыл бұрын

As soon as I see a new Snarky Puppy single, I get stoked for one of these videos from you. Thanks, Bob! 🎷🎷

@jojamison2062 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for making this, this was amazing to see, thank you for sharing your incredible talent with the world. ❤

@bmuhamad Жыл бұрын

Congratulations guys. Best wishes.

@kellynkarr6270 Жыл бұрын

This is so cool. Thank you Bob for putting this together. ❤

@kouch_Sax Жыл бұрын

Great video! Thanks

@Starslope2 Жыл бұрын

This was so incredibly inspiring to watch! Warm thanks all the way from Sweden!

@abworkshops Жыл бұрын

Amazing, thanks Bob, appreciate you taking the time to do this :-)

@mv11000 Жыл бұрын

This is really great, thanks for uploading! It's so mind-blowing that you can learn these intricate songs in such a short time, incredible. I'm just speechless.

@marcushoyt527 Жыл бұрын

What an incredible band! It would be my dream to perform with these guys!

@cejpk Жыл бұрын

Bob Reynolds, we love and appreciate you!

@gregmoore2875 Жыл бұрын

God bless you and your family Bob!!! Thank you for always inspiring us!!!!

@oluwafemiishola1981 Жыл бұрын

This is awesome. Love watching all the hard work behind the scenes to achieve something great.

@jasoneduwaiti2978 Жыл бұрын

This is so inspiring man 🤜🏾

@guidocusani5715 Жыл бұрын

Bob, you're great❤

@sidneiramalho Жыл бұрын

Bob great video. Thanks for sharing such an awesome video. I can't even imagine the stress to learn 16 song in short period of time, on top of that, you recorded so we could see what was happening. I'm listening the album now and the behind the scenes make a richer experience all together. Well done!

@lucascruz1083 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Bob

@koho Жыл бұрын

Been waiting for this one. Congratulations to you, Bob, and all the Pups on the Grammy, well deserved! The musicianship is of course impossibly stellar. I also can't wrap my head around how such great sound can be engineered in that environment.

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Nic Hard (recording engineer) and Mike Harrisson (live sound engineer) are a couple of audio wizards.

@tebs2 Жыл бұрын

Great vlog!! Thanks for that, amazing content

@derekauth157 Жыл бұрын

Not to mention the fact you play in Snarky Puppy *AND* you’re a loving father of young kids…well done, dad, well done

@SectorJazz Жыл бұрын

Amazing!!!!

@edenthedrummer Жыл бұрын

Awesome video, amazing experience. Thank you for sharing!

@retinazer8536 Жыл бұрын

wow. what an amazing video. i absolutely adore you guys and this album and it’s so inspiring and great to see into the process of it. i love the sound of your saxophone alone in a quiet room. such an incredibly talented musician, and videographer!!

@andikerl2486 Жыл бұрын

Maximum respect!

@brucecameron1499 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this, what a cool insight to the Snarky creative process - this only reenforces the belief that most of us already had, that being that ground-breaking music still lives in and through you as a unit, and how inspiring it is.... Cheers!!!!

@gijsvangasteren3994 Жыл бұрын

Dang, your schedule is so super crazy! Insane that you managed to make such an amazing record with so little sleep :O

@philfichtinger3009 Жыл бұрын

the way you guys have been writing and then MIXING these beauties gives me goosebumps and eargasms over and over. such a treat, thank you very much!

@danielpflug 7 ай бұрын

This is so cool, thanks for sharing this Bob!!

@kyletwebster Жыл бұрын

Awesome, Bob!

@palindromial 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting this, awesome stuff!

@chrisgraham7930 Жыл бұрын

Absolute, 100% pure focus from every single player. There are no shortcuts to executing at this level. This is so inspiring.

@Sarkamler 5 ай бұрын

Monumental work! Thank y’all for amazing music…. Lot’s of ❤❤❤❤and respect!

@koho Жыл бұрын

Hey all. Just a quick note to SP (and Bob Reynolds) fans - if you can, go to the GroundUp Music Fest next year! I went for the first time this year, and it was a blast. Not only great music, but it has a small-festival atmosphere, elbow-to-elbow with your musical heroes who are in the audience with you watching the other bands. I had the great pleasure of meeting Bob (I'm the guy at the hot dog stand) and Mark Lettieri, both super nice, gracious, and fun to talk to. (Bob - your workshop was also terrific; I'm a terrible amateur musician, but still got quite a lot out of it (Monk triads over a Rosanna Purdy shuffle!)) It really exemplified what a great community this is.

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

So glad to hear it! Thank you, and thanks again for the hot dog 🤙

@HalethDagore Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing!! I hope you got a well-deserved break.

@josevillanueva9091 Жыл бұрын

I ESPECIALLY love that you made this in my home state of Texas! Please keep coming back and enjoy TX brisket.

@sergeisanych118 Жыл бұрын

Amazing!Bob,unbelievable!😯🤝💪🏻🙏

@neegle5051 Жыл бұрын

Wow… the levels to this!!! I like how everyone has their Macs and learning also by use of the sessions… Keep up the good work👊🏾🔥🔥

@gamzer Жыл бұрын

This video captures the hard work that goes into a show/recording like nothing I have ever seen. People only see what happens on the night but this is the real work...and this is next level of work and cramming

@williammjs 10 ай бұрын

Congratulations for such an amazing journey through bringing what music can delivers us at its best!

@gentnovic3540 Жыл бұрын

Man, this is so unreal, thank you so much for those beautiful insights! It‘s simply mindboggling how you guys pull these things off! And to think that you even sneak moments in to make these video snippets within a schedule where shouldn‘t be any time. Fantastic vlog you did there, really appreciate it. Me and my girlfriend were lucky to see you in Hamburg in October. We had the most incredible time and I was surprised you played the Lingus solo. That was amazing. Thanks for all your effort and congrats to the Grammy!

@joecardillo3730 Жыл бұрын

This is so insane on so many levels! So good! Thanks for sharing your talent, passion and work ethic with the world!

@FAMUCHOLLY Жыл бұрын

Awesome Bob!!!

@bradlucid Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this Bob! Your vlog always shows my all-time favourite band from such a beautiful and 'human' angle. These videos are just DRIPPING with so much inspiration and motivation!! Much Love!💓

@CraigGood Жыл бұрын

If it looks easy it was difficult, and vice versa. Thanks so much for this glimpse behind the curtain. You guys are amazing.

@ianwhatmough150 Жыл бұрын

I'm looking forward to finally seeing Snarky Puppy live this June in Toronto. I can't wait!

@imadlebiar1546 Жыл бұрын

Been waiting for this video since I heard we have a new album coming! Proud to be a fan!

@romulan1006 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this. I'm exhausted from just looking at it. I just got the album and so far I love it. Long live Snarky Puppy!

@terriprecha2526 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for behind the scenes view. The puppies nailed it.... Again. You sure know how to get 'value for time' !!!! ❤

@unclebobrobinson9503 Жыл бұрын

I have been a Snarky Puppy fan for a lone time. I have seen you guys on both coasts and several in between. Love the music. Love the guys. The Grammy was much deserved. Congratulations. Keep it up! ❤

@24acresofparadise Жыл бұрын

Wow! shows how much work goes into the production. No wonder it sounds great!

@ArikLivnat Жыл бұрын

👏 bravo Bob

@cosmokramer9198 Жыл бұрын

Damn that rehearsal clip of Portal was so rad! Thanks so much for sharing Bob! This kind of stuff is a music nerds dream!!

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

It took me weeks to decide what of the 2 hour horn sectional footage to keep. ☺️ Thank you

@okcontent149 Жыл бұрын

my mom brought me to a steely dan concert last year, and i got so much more excited when i found out snarky puppy was opening. that concert was so sweet

@juniorz1986 Жыл бұрын

Bob, this is truly beautiful. I had a wonderful time at the Empire Central concert in Berlin last October. I was genuinely touched by seeing both you and Michael at the merch booth right after the concert, but only managed to exchange a few words with him. Thanks for sharing.

@paujorbabonastre2375 Жыл бұрын

Bob! Thank you so much for this! The wait was worth it. So emotional to revive those crazy and incredible weeks at Deep Ellum. Thank you and everyone that made that happen! And congrats for the Grammy❤️ You guys deserve it!

@bobreynolds Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Pau 🙏 was great to meet and hang with you there.

@pabezem 8 ай бұрын

geez, that is a packed schedule.. incredible profesionals, Bob you really are a legend!! Sax hero, no doubt!

@stepanzampach2800 Жыл бұрын

Wow! I knew the whole album was an enormous amount of work but this video puts it in totally new perspective. How packed the whole process was, crazy! I was on the show in Brno, CZ in fall 2022. The show was one of the best (if not the best) I've ever heard and seen. Love your music!

@rc2257 Жыл бұрын

Holy shhh***** Incredible! Thanks for this peek into the process. Wow. Lesser musicians, lesser human beings could never pull it off, let alone so beautifully.

@quarantinediaries Жыл бұрын

This is an excellent doc of the process!! I've always only seen the part of the process that takes place in the recording space, so seeing the rehearsal days before that was fascinating. Well done! Let's do another one soon, ya?

@tito_pane Жыл бұрын

Thank you guys for coming together as a band, you mean a lot.

@geoffforduk Жыл бұрын

Man!!!!!!! I had a super busy and stressful work day today and thought I'd relax and catchup with some YT. Feel waaaay more stressed now after watching that hahaha. Seriously though, amazing, I don't know how you guys can pull off that sort of intensity, especially on not enough sleep. Makes me love and appreciate Snarky all the more. Kudos!

@0120shrey Жыл бұрын

Pure gold, this. Being in a related field, I’ve seen what goes behind the scenes (albeit at a much smaller scale) and it’s absolutely insane how all of you pull this off! The new album sounds amazing, congratulations to all of you! Eagerly waiting for Snarky Puppy to come to India!