Quotes
“Snaggle plays music without borders, music that is at once sophisticated and inclusive, bristling with infectious funk grooves, rock riffs, and jazz-based improvisations woven into a tapestry of an ambitious yet accessible compositional palette. Seemingly irreconcilable influences vie for attention, from heavy, Zeppelinesque rock riffery to gentle jazz-funk, with hints of Radiohead and the Brian Blade Fellowship Band sprinkled in for good measure, all stitched together in a seamless, somehow inevitable way.”
– Dave Restivo, jazz piano giant
“Snaggle’s sophomore recording The Long Slog features funky, thoughtful, and inventive compositions played by an impressive group of young musicians. Snaggle is definitely more than the sum of its parts!”
– Mike Murley, Juno award winning tenor player
“So now my main man Brownman has opened the doors of his label Browntasaurus Records to local artists he’s been associated with in Toronto and other locales, and the first label release from young pianist Nick Maclean’s 6-man electric-jazz group SNAGGLE is most impressive! The music on Long Slog is very, very challenging, yet groovy, soulful & exploratory at the same time. Brown himself guests on 2 tunes and fits in with flying colors — no easy task given how difficult some of this music is! Extremely well performed, written and executed you Snagglers, with high-end production from Brown in the producer’s chair. Very impressive work. Reminds me of a band I used to play in! Really well done guys.”
– Randy Brecker, multi-Grammy winning trumpet legend / Brownman’s mentor
“Nick Maclean stands out for me as one of the most gifted young Toronto pianists to come along in the last few years. His combination of raw creativity and a well studied grasp of the technical and theoretical aspects of music makes for a powerful musical statement. His project Snaggle embodies the spirit of what jazz is today–this is music that recognizes everything that came before it while also looking forward into the future, searching for new pathways of expression through the language of music.”
– Adrean Farrugia, Juno Award winning jazz pianist
“Metric modulations, meter changes, tempo shifts, counter-point lines, but all with underlying melodic ideas that captivate while shifting from hard funk to gentle motifs (sometimes all within the same tune!)… they’re SERIOUS… a truly astonishing ensemble!”
– Brownman Ali, jazz trumpet icon
“Snaggle’s sound is influenced by such an eclectic mix of genre’s that classification becomes impossible and more importantly, irrelevant. Each song is vast and eclectic, while maintaining a consistent and distinct sound. If dynamic and instrumental music is your thing then you should definitely check them out!”
– BlogTO
“Snaggle is a world class band playing contemporary jazz-rock that’ll knock your socks off! Great playing, writing, and sound design. I love the sense of adventure, the captivating melodies, rockin’ guitar, the space, the jazz sensibility and the deep groove. Look out!”
– Kim Ratcliff, highly sought after Canadian guitarist
“An album that puts a mystical space tiger front and centre on its cover sets some serious expectations, and the Long Slog delivers. This album is adventurous, slightly proggy and seriously grooving and finds the band living up to their reputation as ‘Canada’s answer to Snarky Puppy.’ Tightly composed, thoughtfully arranged and fiercely performed (with just the right amount of weird); exactly what that space tiger deserves.”
– Brad Cheeseman, winner of the Montreal Grand Prix du Jazz Award
“The ever-present technical precision of jazz music is wonderfully complimented by catchy and upbeat funk rhythms. Psychedelic and bluesy guitar riffs add a whole other dimension to their sound that is reinforced by dark and dreamy keyboard parts.”
– BloodyUnderated.net
Reviews
Live Shows
Alayne McGregor – OttawaJazzScene.ca (with photos by Brett Delmage)
The Long Slog
Vangelis Aragiannis – JazzBuzz (Greece)
Filipe Freitas – The Jazz Trail (NYC)
Dick Metcalf – Improvijazzation Nation
Chris Spector – The Midwest Record
Snaggle
Interviews
Click here to read acclaimed music journalist and scene-shaper Alayne McGregor at OttawaJazzScene.ca and her exclusive interview with Nick Maclean discussing Snaggle
Click here for Nick Maclean’s Interview with Canadian jazz tastemaker Peter Hum (Ottawa Citizen)
Snaggle 