Snarky Puppy. Snarky Puppy. Snarky Puppy. Snarky Puppy. Can you feel the rhythm yet?

On the heels of their latest album ‘Empire Central’ and their continued rise to the top, Snarky Puppy landed in Montreal last night with a sis – boom – bah. Everything thereafter – a bah – boom – sis.

Jazz’s version of The Grateful Dead were in fine form and that form is continually shape-shifting into worlds only familiar to Snarky Puppy.

The song ‘Keep It On Your Mind’ funked things up while ‘Broken Arrow’ allowed everyone to breathe. The now Snarky Puppy go-to tune ‘Trinity’ contained the dark and the light while the divided tonal sections, layers of horn and flexible guitar work let it all soar. All of this was held down with echoes of percussion and a groove as sublime as it was concrete. The sax was a finishing veneer on a polished floor.

Snarky Puppy throughout the sold out show mesmerized with solos. Drums, sax, guitar and vocals appearing and disappearing like thieves in the night. Looting the souls and the pockets of the punter’s tastes. Something for everyone and everyone for something should be the motto of the technically perfect ensemble. Pushing and pulling through a catalog torn by use but clear in the message.