James Brown's Influences
One of Snarky Puppy’s primary influences is James Brown. Nicknamed “The Godfather of Soul”, Brown’s career spanned six decades and had 16 Billboard #1 hit songs. James Brown was also a key figure in the development of several musical genres, including funk and R&B. Snarky Puppy has credited James Brown as a key influence in their work, and it’s easy to see why. James Brown was known for his funk groove, utilizing out-of-the-box guitar licks and horn sections to create a unique timbre, and Snarky Puppy has used that technique with great success. A Snarky Puppy song that shows a clear James Brown influence is the song “Atchafalaya”, off of their 2015 album “Sylva”. In this song, horns play the melody and countermelody throughout and the guitar
plays variations upon the same riff through the entire song. The similarity between the two sections is the heavy reliance on a blues framework to create a unique Snarky Puppy timbre, mixed between a jazz influence evident in the presence of improvisational solos and traditional instrumentation, and a blues-rock influence shown in the chords and active presence of the rhythm section doing just more than keeping time and outlining the harmonies. A James Brown song that utilizes similar techniques is his smash hit, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”. In this tune, a classic 12-bar blues with a funk twist, the horns, guitar, and drums interact similarly. The horns play the response to Brown’s call, the guitar plays a continuous riff throughout the tune, and the drums play an active role in the tune as well, beating time but also adding embellishments to give the song a more upbeat and unorthodox feeling.
plays variations upon the same riff through the entire song. The similarity between the two sections is the heavy reliance on a blues framework to create a unique Snarky Puppy timbre, mixed between a jazz influence evident in the presence of improvisational solos and traditional instrumentation, and a blues-rock influence shown in the chords and active presence of the rhythm section doing just more than keeping time and outlining the harmonies. A James Brown song that utilizes similar techniques is his smash hit, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”. In this tune, a classic 12-bar blues with a funk twist, the horns, guitar, and drums interact similarly. The horns play the response to Brown’s call, the guitar plays a continuous riff throughout the tune, and the drums play an active role in the tune as well, beating time but also adding embellishments to give the song a more upbeat and unorthodox feeling.