Members of Bokanté Work With SFJAZZ's Monday Night Band

August 10, 2020 | by Erin Putnam

Snarky Puppy and Bokanté's Michael League rehearsing the SFJAZZ Monday Night Band (Photo by Scott Chernis)

In addition to their masterful musicianship on the bandstand, bassist Michael League and his Snarky Puppy and Bokanté bandmates have a serious commitment to music education. The night after their September 2018 performance that was captured for this week's Fridays at Five streaming concert, members of Bokanté joined our terrific Monday Night Band for a workshop and hang session. We take a look back at that memorable night.

The Fall '18 session of Monday Night Band got off to a running start on September 17 with members of world music super group Bokanté attending the first rehearsal! Following their Sunday show in Miner Auditorium, Bokanté's Malika Tirolien, Weedie Braimah, Michael League, and Bob Lanzetti joined us in the Joe Henderson Lab for a meet and greet and workshop.

Michael League conducts "Grown Folks" in Joe Henderson Lab (Photo by Scott Chernis)

League and Lanzetti, also members of fusion jazz jam band Snarky Puppy, were able to step in and help the band finesse an arrangement of the Snarky tune, "Grown Folks," that Monday Night Band member Mark Basinski had created. Ensemble members had received copies of the tune two weeks previously, but were playing together for the first time; needless to say, a first reading in front of the composer is a big band baptism by fire.

Basinski (who earned a degree in guitar performance before working outside of the music sphere for many years) mentioned the influence that League has had on his return to playing and to composing. “When I first heard Snarky, maybe five years ago, that kicked me out of not playing very seriously for fifteen years. It helped motivate me to get myself to a place I hadn’t been before.”

Monday Night Band director Adam Theis, Michael League and Mark Basinski (Photo by Scott Chernis)

Huge strides were made from the initial read-through to the end of the night, and the band had an amazing time wading into the world jazz waters with our Bokanté guests.

Originally posted September 24, 2018