Michael League & Bill Laurance

The second night of Michael League’s week as Resident Artistic Director is an intimate evening of duos by League and his longtime Snarky Puppy collaborator, keyboardist Bill Laurance. With Laurance on acoustic piano and League handling all manner of stringed instruments including fretless electric bass, the Middle Eastern oud, the Malian ngoni, they perform material from their two duo albums for the ACT Music label, 2023’s Where You Wish You Were and 2024’s Keeping Company, along with new music and a few surprises.  

ABOUT MICHAEL LEAGUE
Easily one of the most visible, prolific, and versatile bandleaders and collaborators in modern music, the 5-time GRAMMY-winning Snarky Puppy mastermind and GroundUP Records founder Michael League showcases his widely varied musical endeavors as SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director.  

A Southern California native, League attended the renowned University of North Texas jazz program, where he met the core of the band that would become Snarky Puppy — a band that has built a fervent global following for their electric blend of jazz, pop, R&B, and soul. 

Now based in Catalonia, Spain, he is the creator and bandleader of both Snarky Puppy and the world music group Bokanté, founder of the record label and music curation source GroundUP Music, and co-founder/artistic director of the GroundUP Music Festival.