Bill Laurance & Michael League

»Pushing forward with a joint project is also an affirmation of ourselves. We are very close friends and this album is a celebration of that.« – Bill Laurance

Some duos are put together specially. Others come about on their own. Like that of pianist Bill Laurance and bassist and oud player Michael League. The two have known each other since their student days. One of them once came to Denton from London to the University of North Texas to open his horizons in other directions. The other had originally learnt guitar in his native California, but then picked up the bass and also travelled to Texas to experience a flow that was new to him. The two quickly got to know and appreciate each other and gathered like-minded people around them. Anything that was fun was allowed: classical, soul, folk, jazz. It was the founding phase of a collective that would become known as Snarky Puppy from 2003 onwards and would travel the world in a big tour. The joint duo of Bill Laurance and Michael League and their album ‘Keeping Company’ is something of an alternative to the large-scale Snarky Puppy format.