Michael League, Cory Henry, Nathaniel Townsley

The final night of Michael League’s residency is devoted to a true power trio including keyboardist Cory Henry and drummer Nathaniel Townsley. Henry’s collaborative history with League goes back over fifteen years when he was a member of Snarky Puppy, appearing on the 2011 release GroundUP through 2016’s Culcha Vulcha. The organist has established himself as a major name in jazz, releasing a series of hard-grooving sessions. Nathaniel Townsley is one of the finest drummers on the scene, whose resume includes Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Richard Bona, and Alejandro Sanz.  

The trio first made waves with viral videos for their covers of Jaco Pastorius’ “Continuum” and Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin.’”

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.