(Fusion, Jazz-Funk) [LP] [24/96] Snarky Puppy - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (3 LP) - 2020, FLAC (tracks)

Lineage:
Rega P10 Turntable with Rega P10 PSU > Virgin Vinyl > Rega Apheta 3 Cartridge > PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter ADC > AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable > USB-IN > Audition CC 2019 @ 24bit float, 192kHz capture.
Processing:
24bit wav > Run through Click Repair 3.9.9 at 10/0 on DeClick > Volume Boost +4.93/5.3/5/3.85/4.5/4.55 DB > Remove DC Bias > Saved as 24bit,96kHz WAV > FLAC > Tagged with Discogs tagger through Foobar.
Scans:
Epson Expression 11000XL -> 16bit 600 DPI with Unsharp Mask -> Color Correction in Photoshop CC 2019 x64 -> 8bit 600DPI PNG.

foobar2000 1.6.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2022-02-06 02:48:19
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Analyzed: Snarky Puppy / Live at the Royal Albert Hall
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR13 -1.33 dB -18.02 dB 8:12 01-Even Us
DR13 -1.42 dB -16.82 dB 9:17 02-Intelligent Design
DR14 -0.35 dB -17.29 dB 7:34 03-While We're Young
DR14 -0.64 dB -17.36 dB 8:36 04-Alma
DR14 -0.89 dB -18.04 dB 8:24 05-Bad Kids to the Back
DR15 -0.50 dB -17.05 dB 8:22 06-Bigly Strictness
DR14 -0.66 dB -18.38 dB 6:19 07-Tarova
DR13 -2.02 dB -16.97 dB 9:32 08-Xavi
DR13 -1.20 dB -17.13 dB 9:14 09-Chonks
DR13 -1.87 dB -18.61 dB 11:45 10-Sleeper
DR14 -0.83 dB -18.07 dB 12:15 11-Shofukan
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Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR14
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2934 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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The roar of over 5,000 people has an eerie quality in our self-isolated times, and having witnessed the sheer magnitude and impact of this gig first hand, for me this night now feels like its from a another dimension. There are other resonances too with the UK, and London in particular, being the vital stepping stone on which Snarky Puppy catapulted themselves into a globetrotting live juggernaut.
Of course, such success has spurred their critics and recent multi-tracked studio albums have watered down the frisson of previous ‘live in the studio’ sets such as We Like It Here and Sylva. Yet this is an emphatic riposte to the haters; there are very few (if any) instrumental bands of this size, in any genre, that can do what Snarky do. Thus, if the live spectacle was a colossal wave of sound, then this meticulously captured recording reveals the nuanced sonic punch and detail of the playing. While bassist/bandleader Michael League is the mastermind behind the marvels of their multi-layered, poly-metric jazz-rock into soul-funk-fusion grooves and their razor-sharp horn melodies, this is very much a team effort.
Solos are long and allowed to evolve, the crowd urging on the likes of tenorist Bob Reynolds and trumpeters Shaun Stanton and Mike ‘Maz’ Maher. There are keyboard fireworks too from Londoner Bill Laurance on the Afro-latin vibed ‘Xavi’, but it's Shaun Martin who steals the show on ‘Sleeper’ with a dazzling solo using his ‘Talkbox’ synth to speak to the crowd via his keyboard, with explosively funky results. Drawing from their recent studio albums rather than playing a ‘greatest hits’ show was a risk, but the live takes of ‘Bigly Strictness’, ‘Chonks’ and ‘Bad Kids to the Back’, thump home with a romping, block-rocking power (often thanks to the zinging double-percussion-and-drums) this is the band at peak creativity and virtuosic oneness of purpose. They couldn't sign off such a seismic night without one of their ‘anthems’ and it's the Arabic-inflected ‘Shofukan’ that seals this evening perfectly, with band and audience mutating into one unified mass, the likes of which we are unlikely to see for some time. So, crank this up and savour every note until we can all get together again.
-- Mike Flynn

Mark Lettieri - guitar
Zach Brock - violin
Bobby Sparks, Bill Laurance, Shaun Martin - keyboards
Justin Stanton - keyboards, trumpet
Mike "Maz" Maher - trumpet, flugelhorn
Chris Bullock - tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute
Bob Reynolds - tenor saxophone
Jason "JT" Thomas - drums
Keito Ogawa, Marcelo Woloski - percussion
Mason Davis - krakebs (#8)
Michael League - bass guitar, Moog bass, and krakebs