Though jazz makes a limited appearance on A Little More Vodka, it’s not because it doesn’t have some wonderful musical offerings. Mostly, it is because in general, lyrics help tell the story of a video, and in this case-as with most Snarky Puppy performances-the music /is/ the story. That was true a year ago, with Thing Of Gold from the groups Ground Up offering and remains so today with Family Dinner. Family Dinner –  Volume 1 was released in March (2013) and as with any of their previous offerings, it is instrumentally astounding. Family Dinner combines that instrumental prowess with guest Jazz and R&B vocalists and instrumentalists, to add yet another dimension to their already incredible music. 

Here, Magda Giannikou, adds her accordion and her wonderful salsa-styled vocals to Amour T’es Là in a track that will have you bobbing in your chair or moving your feet. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Magda Giannikou is a pianist. singer, songwriter, orchestrator and producer, among other things, and is a delight here on Amour.

You can purchase Family Dinner – Volume 1, from Snarky Puppy’s bandcamp.com site digitally if you like, but you will miss some context. To get the full effect of any Snarky Puppy offering, you need the CD/DVD combo pack, which is very reasonably priced and will include the digital download as well. Seeing these performances, as well as hearing them, is a huge bonus.  

You can check out Snarky Puppy on what passes for their web site or their Facebook page. You can pick up a whole host of the band’s music from their bandcamp.com site. Check out this amazing group of phenomenal Jazz musicians now-and then purchase one of their offerings-at minimum digitally. You won’t be sorry!