Snarky Puppy
Ground UP

It's August, specifically the day after my birthday, and like (almost) every Saturday morning of the week, the 9:00 alarm reminds me that it's time for a nice jam session with Sem. After a quick and mandatory coffee, we head to the room where we usually play, and just before starting, Sem plays a song (found by chance the night before on the web) from the car stereo. After just three minutes, "fantastic" is the first thing that comes to my mind. The second thing is to listen to the entire album once I get home. I had to do it.

The first track of the album is titled "Thing of Gold". A modern jazz, direct, well-composed, and played with excellent style is immediately offered (I was surprised to read that it is an album recorded during a live session in front of several spectators). The execution by about twenty musicians is impeccable, and the naturalness with which they manage to blend jazz with funk, rock (sometimes even progressive) inserts is the element that captivated me the most. As just mentioned, as it progresses, the album shows various influences, which, however, do not overshadow the jazz line that is maintained throughout the tracks.
It's while listening to "Minjor" and "Binky" that I realize I'm dealing with a fun, easy-listening, and, most importantly, happy album. In general, the album has nothing special (in terms of genre offered) compared to its peers, and my opinion is: "what's the problem? Enjoy some quality music!"

I also recommend listening to those who are not accustomed to the genre. The album has no pretensions, it's pure entertainment, and composed with great musical taste. A great example that music today is not just the bad stuff you hear everywhere, but it still hides great potentials.