Lineup
SNARKY PUPPY
(Full Sets Every Night)
Few groups have played a more prominent role in reshaping the jazz-adjacent landscape over the past 20 years than Snarky Puppy. The 5x Grammy award-winning ensemble has emerged as both progressive trailblazers and pillars of the instrumental music community, though their success followed more than a decade of relentless touring and recording in near obscurity. The Texas-born collective’s story is one of determination, resilience, and a seemingly bottomless reserve of creative energy, fueled by the musicianship of its expansive, rotating membership.
After their first ten hard-earned years, Snarky Puppy was suddenly embraced by critics and audiences alike as a major force in contemporary music. Yet, as evidenced by their Grammy categories— from Best R&B Performance to Best Contemporary Instrumental Album—the band defies easy classification. Neither strictly jazz, fusion, nor jam band, Snarky Puppy is best understood on its own terms. As New York Times critic Nate Chinen advised, they should be “taken for what they are, rather than judged for what they’re not.”
Operating as a flexible collective, members move in and out of tours to support individual artistic pursuits. Collectively, they maintain prolific careers as collaborators with artists such as Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, and D’Angelo; as producers; and as solo artists, many releasing music on the band’s independent label, GroundUP Music.
Formed in 2004 by bassist Michael League, Snarky Puppy continues to evolve, champion collaboration, and celebrate the joy of collective creation—showing no signs of slowing after two decades, fifteen albums, and countless accolades.
PATRICE RUSHEN
Patrice Rushen is an award-winning musician and composer who is also one of the most sought after artists in the music industry. She is a classically trained pianist who originally found success in the 70’s and 80’s with her signature fusion of jazz, pop and R&B. During this era, she composed and recorded the hit song, “Forget Me Nots,” which has been frequently covered and sampled by other artists.
Rushen is also a 4x Grammy nominee who has composed scores for movies and television. She has been the first female musical director for many of the entertainment industry’s top award shows, which include the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and HBO’s “Comic Relief V.”
Considered one of the world's top jazz pianists, she has performed with many artists. Among them such esteemed names as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Nancy Wilson, Ndugu Chancler, Carlos Santana, Christian McBride and Lee Ritenour. She is a record producer and an award-winning composer of symphonic music, some of which was commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Rushen is the ”Ambassador of Artistry In Education” at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and is the Chair of the Popular Music Program at USC’s Thornton School of Music.
Rushen also spends time working with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, NARAS “Grammy In The Schools” program and other organizations dedicated to establishing music education and mentorship programs for underprivileged youth.
BILAL
GRAMMY Award-winning artist Bilal returns to the spotlight following the success of his two album releases in 2024. Bilal: Live at Glasshaus is a mid-career retrospective featuring Questlove, Common, Robert Glasper, and Burniss Travis. The live record presented Bilal within an ensemble of luminaries to reimagine standouts from his classic repertoire, shining a spotlight on his ever-evolving artistry that asserts, in 2024, he is at the height of his powers, eternally honing his craft and finding new edges in his voice. It is a powerful reminder of Bilal’s dynamic vocal abilities and songwriting mastery.
That was followed with his first album of new music in eight years titled Adjust Brightness, which marks a new chapter for Bilal. The album features 11 brand-new tracks that will take listeners on his most daring musical journey yet. Adjust Brightness represents a bold step forward in Bilal’s already innovative sound, blending his deep love of soul, funk, and jazz with futuristic, electronic, and abstract elements. This album is a giant step forward, as Bilal merges his organic, soulful roots with experimental electronic influences inspired by artists like Aphex Twin and Stereolab. Listeners can expect an immersive sonic experience that defies genre conventions, as Bilal continues to evolve and refine his unique style.
FLYING LOTUS
It’s impossible to examine the music of the 2010s without considering Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus. A multidisciplinary creative, Ellison is as likely to appear at Sundance with a film as he is to headline a music festival. His six studio albums, featuring collaborators Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu, David Lynch, and Thundercat, established him as one of the decade’s defining musical forces. His influence spans widely, from Kendrick Lamar, to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Pitchfork named him an icon of the past 25 years, and he was nominated for Producer of the Year at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
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Raised in LA, Ellison was immersed in artistic inspiration early on. His lineage includes musical legends Marilyn McLeod and Alice Coltrane, while his interests ranged from beat-making to anime. By the late 2000s, his fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and futuristic textures placed him at the center of LA’s influential Low End Theory scene. Ellison founded Brainfeeder, a label that has released music from Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Hiatus Kaiyote, and more. Ellison’s visual work is equally expansive.
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His live performances are known for immersive visuals and his rap alter ego, Captain Murphy. A longtime creative partner of Adult Swim, he directed the Sundance-premiered Kuso (2016), executive produced and scored Netflix’s Yasuke, and co-wrote, directed, and scored a segment of V/H/S/99. He recently announced a development deal between Brainfeeder Films and Logical Pictures and XYZ Films, as well as his sci-fi horror film Ash, starring Aaron Paul and Eiza González, set for release in early 2025.
RICKIE LEE JONES
Rickie Lee Jones is an American musician, storyteller, two-time Grammy winner and eight-time nominee who has been inspiring pop culture for decades, beginning with her star-making self-titled debut and the seminal Pirates. Named the “premiere song-stylist and songwriter of her generation” by The New Yorker and “The Duchess of Coolsville” by Time magazine, Jones released her Grammy-nominated album Pieces of Treasure in 2023, a reunion with Russ Titelman, who produced her first two records. Jones’ celebrated memoir Last Chance Texaco was named Book of the Year by MOJO and on Best of Year lists by NPR, Pitchfork, and many more. The Independent writes, “There has always been something defiant about Rickie Lee Jones . . . a voice from a dream, elusive yet familiar, transcendent, a messenger from another place.”
ISAIAH SHARKEY
Grammy Award–winning guitarist, vocalist, and composer Isaiah Sharkey is hitting the road with a powerful new live show that brings his unmistakable blend of soul, R&B, jazz, and modern guitar artistry to stages across the globe. A Chicago native and one of the most sought-after musicians in contemporary music, Sharkey has toured and recorded with D’Angelo, John Mayer, Cory Henry, Chris Dave & The Drumhedz, Lalah Hathaway, Common and many others, while steadily building a devoted audience for his own deeply musical, genre-blurring solo work.
Sharkey’s live performances are a masterclass in groove, harmony, and emotional connection—balancing virtuosic guitar playing with soaring vocals and sophisticated songwriting. Audiences can expect a dynamic set that draws from his solo catalog, exclusive new material, and the improvisational spirit that has made him a favorite on festival and club stages worldwide.
With the momentum building current release, RED, Isaiah Sharkey’s upcoming performances marks a major chapter in the evolution of an artist widely recognized as one of the most exciting creative forces in modern soul, vocal, and guitar-driven music.
AROOJ AFTAB
Arooj Aftab is a Grammy-winning musician, composer, and producer based in Brooklyn.
Her breakthrough album Vulture Prince won a Grammy and cemented her place as a vital voice in contemporary music. The album was named one of the decade’s most important by critics and listeners alike. Since then, she has continued to evolve her sound across solo and collaborative projects, including Night Reign and Love in Exile—both Grammy-nominated in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category. Her song “Raat Ki Rani” has been remixed by Khruangbin and Sylvan Esso, with an official video directed by Tessa Thompson. She has performed at major festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella, Primavera Sound, Montreux Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and the BBC Proms, and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and Later… with Jools Holland. Her work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, TIME, and Pitchfork, among others.
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ALAIN PÉREZ
Alain Perez refers to himself as “the true guajiro.” Raised with humble means but rich in curiosity and love for life, his music transmits truth, pure rhythm, and deep traditional flavor. Unadorned by artifice, Perez learned early how to command the stage with presence and poise. His work reflects a lifelong need to communicate through sound, silence, and the abstract energy that flows through music.
Known as “the one from Trinidad,” Perez transforms every live performance into a complete sensory experience—a whirlwind of emotion, subtlety, and intensity that leaves a distinctive mark of honesty, tradition, and contemporaneity. His artistry bridges the roots of Cuban music with a modern, textured vision, creating a sound that feels both grounded and forward-looking. In addition to his solo work, Perez is currently the music producer for Barcelona-based singer Miguel Poveda. Their collaboration, including the album Diverso, represents a shared commitment to opening new creative paths and presenting Cuban music to the world through a fresh lens.
A globally respected musician, Perez has traveled extensively, sharing the stage with some of the greatest artists in music. He has served as bassist for Paco de Lucía, multi-instrumentalist with Irakere under Chucho Valdés, musical director for Isaac Delgado, and music producer for Celia Cruz and Estrella Morente, among many others. His career stands as a testament to the power of roots, evolution, and artistic integrity.
VARIJASHREE VENUGOPAL
Bangalore-based Grammy® nominated singer-songwriter Varijashree Venugopal, was widely
recognised as a child prodigy who could identify 100 Carnatic Ragas at the tender age of 18 months, and began performing concerts at the age of 4. She initially trained under her musician parents Vidwan H.S. Venugopal and Vidhushi T.V. Rama, Vidhushi H Geetha, Vidhushi Vasantha Srinivasan, Vidwan D S Srivatsa, and later under Ganakalanidhi Vidwan Salem P Sundaresan.
Coming from a rich background of an intricate classical form of music such as Carnatic music, Varijashree is one of the pioneering artists in applying the techniques, fundamentals, and the sound and soul of Indian singing in the global music context. Apart from being a singer, Varijashree is a flautist, composer, and music educator.
Her unique capabilities of using her voice as an instrument, her improvised singing, and the blending of her singing with various music cultures using the Indian singing techniques, has led to her features and collaborations with few of the most notable musical personalities in the world such as, Bobby McFerrin, Michael League, Snarky Puppy, Victor Wooten, Herbie Hancock, Béla Fleck, Hamilton de Holanda, Eddie Gomez, Anat Cohen, Jacob Collier, Praveen D Rao, C4 trio, Trio Bobo, Anoushka Shankar, EYM trio, and more.