Description
Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest – Sylva – Double Vinyl Records
Recorded live in Dordrecht, Netherlands at Het Energiehuis on April 19 & 20, 2014
Sylva, released in 2015, is a stunning collaborative album between the genre-blending jazz-fusion collective Snarky Puppy and the prestigious Dutch ensemble Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley. This ambitious project merges Snarky Puppy’s dynamic, groove-based modern jazz with the lush orchestral power and cinematic sweep of the Metropole Orkest, resulting in a six-movement suite that is as much a symphonic tone poem as it is a modern jazz odyssey.
The album was recorded live in front of an audience at the Energiehuis in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in April 2014, and was released a year later through Impulse! Records, a label historically associated with boundary-pushing jazz. Michael League, Snarky Puppy’s bassist and bandleader, composed the suite with a conceptual framework: each movement represents a different kind of forest or natural environment, exploring both its emotional and ecological implications. The title Sylva (Latin for “forest”) reflects this deep connection to nature.
Rather than functioning as separate tracks, the album unfolds as a continuous narrative, blending orchestral writing with improvisation, jazz harmony, funk, and ambient textures. The six movements are:
Sintra – named after the lush forests in Portugal, it opens the album with mysterious, spacious orchestration and gradually builds into a swelling, cinematic groove.
Flight – rhythmically adventurous, it evokes motion and ascent, with interlocking motifs between band and orchestra.
Atchafalaya – named after the swampy basin in Louisiana, this track blends funky grooves, swampy textures, and bluesy elements, creating a sonic landscape that is both playful and dense.
The Curtain – one of the most introspective and ambient parts of the suite, it explores the quieter, more emotional corners of the sonic forest.
Gretel – offers a moment of tension and drama, with suspenseful orchestration and rhythmic complexity, suggesting fairy-tale danger and psychological nuance.
The Clearing – the triumphant final movement, releasing the built-up tension with a powerful, joyful groove that celebrates resolution and clarity.
Throughout the suite, Snarky Puppy’s core—tight rhythm section, expansive keyboard textures, horns, and guitar—interact seamlessly with the rich harmonic palette and expansive colors of the Metropole Orkest. There are moments of explosive energy, subtle interplay, and profound stillness, making Sylva feel like a journey through terrain both emotional and environmental.
Sylva received widespread acclaim and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016, further cementing Snarky Puppy’s reputation as one of the most forward-thinking ensembles in modern instrumental music. The project also highlighted the Metropole Orkest’s unique position as an orchestra capable of bridging classical, jazz, and pop idioms without sacrificing depth or precision.
Unlike traditional big band collaborations, Sylva doesn’t relegate the orchestra to the background; instead, the orchestra and the band are equals, integrated in a way that feels organic and mutually enhancing. It’s not jazz with strings—it’s a true symphonic fusion, where composition, improvisation, and orchestration are in constant dialogue.
Sylva is a genre-defying masterpiece, an immersive suite that explores the intersection of jazz, classical, funk, and cinematic soundscapes through the metaphor of nature. It’s a powerful example of how contemporary ensembles can transcend genre and form to create something emotionally resonant and artistically ambitious. For fans of large-scale musical storytelling, Sylva is a landmark work—visually evocative, emotionally rich, and masterfully performed.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Sintra
Flight
Atchafalaya
The Curtain
Gretel
The Clearing
