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![Empire Central [Live] Image](https://static.metacritic.com/images/products/music/3/a0e024e146bacc8d3ee441a42d25dffc-98.jpg)
- Summary: The 16-track release for Dallas jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy was recorded live over eight performances at the Deep Ellum Art Company and features the late Bernard Wright.
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- Record Label: GroundUP Music
- Genre(s): Jazz
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 6
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Mixed: 2 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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Oct 10, 2022With Empire Central, Snarky Puppy transform the Dallas music and culture that inspired them into a tangible listening experience.
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Sep 30, 2022Will loyal Snarky Puppy fans be disappointed? Not likely. They’ll be delighted by the band’s continued scale and grandeur; for its music that is as unclassifiable as it is virtuosic.
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Sep 30, 2022Expressive solos from trumpet, violin, guitar, and keys keep the tune choogling along, with ever-active percussion as well. “Coney Bear,” from guitarist Bob Lanzetti begins with his funky strumming before blossoming into a mix of soaring synths and horns interspersed by frenetic funk passages from the rhythm section. The closer, “Trinity” from fellow guitarist Mark Lettieri takes its name from Trinity River that connects Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton, the band’s hometown. It features searing guitar lines in a rather angular take with strong horn lines navigating several rhythmic changes, far less direct than many of the others in the set.
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UncutSep 30, 2022For the most part it's Snarky Puppy at their jazziest, but there's still space for plenty of sweaty funk and prog-rock wigging out. [Nov 2022, p.36]
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MojoSep 30, 2022Their penchant for bold riffs and big climaxes comes with little individual grandstanding. [Nov 2022, p.91]
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Oct 10, 2022Because the formula is so well-tested, Empire Central is at its most satisfying when avoiding Snarky Puppy’s full-group sound.