Snarky Puppy, "Immigrance" (GroundUP Music)
With musicians from all over the United States, as well as Argentina, Canada and Japan, to name a few, and instruments from as far away as Egypt and Morocco, Snarky Puppy's "Immigrance" rings true to its name.
Bandleader and bassist Michael League says it's all about fluidity, motion and being "in a constant state of migration." At 19 members — including trios of drummers, guitarists and percussionists — Snarky Puppy is a band as caravan, a group that may need to start its day with a roll call.
Winner of three Grammys and numerous other distinctions, the instrumental mega-combo is also a globalist when it comes to musical styles, finding room to add a wide spectrum of world sounds to its jazz and funk foundations.
Opener "Chonks" is chock-full of funk, while another League composition, "Bigly Strictness," has a gnarly guitar and a Moog keyboard solo that briefly speeds up like a vintage video game.
None of the tunes have lyrics, but guitarist Chris McQueen's "Coven" has plenty of lyricism, anchored by a horn section that frequently varies its hues as guitars and keyboards add their own emotional inputs.
"Bling Bling," by saxophonist Chris Bullock, and League's "Xavi" are rhythmic tours de force, both highlighting one of the album's idiosyncrasies: the three drummers — Larnell Lewis, Jamison Ross and Jason "JT" Thomas — all play on sections of the compositions but without overlapping.
Keyboardist Justin Stanton's "Bad Kids to the Back," a tune as mischievous as its name, also makes great use of the rotating rhythmists.
"Even Us" ends the album in cinematic fashion, as beautiful melodies from oud, violin and flugelhorn combine with Turkish percussion, piano and more for a soundtrack to much of the world's existence.
Snarky Puppy is the real deal in concert and "Immigrance" has plenty of the liveliness and flow to emulate the live experience.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are divorced and legally single, ending the 19-year marriage of one of entertainment’s most prominent power couples
A Nashville, Tennessee, judge on issued an order at a hearing Tuesday dissolving the marriage of the Oscar-winning actor and the Grammy-winning country singer.
Judge Stephanie J. Williams said in a court filing that the couple’s settlements on splitting assets and child custody are sufficient, and granted them the divorce.
Williams wrote that “there exist such irreconcilable difference between the parties that would render continuation of the marriage impractical and impossible.”
Both Kidman and Urban waived their right to appear at the hearing.
Messages to their representatives seeking comment were not immediately answered.
Kidman filed for divorce in September. The superstar split was a surprise to most of the public, but it had clearly been in the works for a while. All the legal issues involving assets and custody had been settled and signed the day of her filing.
Tennessee requires a 90-day waiting period for couples with minor children before a divorce can take effect.
Kidman and Urban, both 58, have two teenage daughters together. Their divorce filing said they had “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences.”
The plan they signed states that Kidman would be the primary residential parent to the children. It suggested they would remain living in Nashville as they have all their lives. The filing states that neither parent would need child or spousal support, and lays out a roughly equal division of their joint assets.
Two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent decades, Kidman and Urban met in Los Angeles in 2005 and were married in Sydney the following year. They were red carpet fixtures throughout their two-decade relationship, with Urban joining his wife at the Oscars and Kidman attending music events like the Academy of Country Music Awards. The couple had publicly but lovingly described some marital difficulties, yet there were still few outward signs the divorce was coming.
The marriage was the first for Urban and the second for Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. Kidman also has two older children with Cruise.
Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
FILE - Keith Urban, left, and Nicole Kidman arrive at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - Nicole Kidman, left, and Keith Urban arrive at the American Music Awards on Nov. 19, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
