Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet
Encyclopedia
Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (also known as SST7) is a jazz ensemble formed in Seattle, Washington in 2002.
as "...punk-jazz
. Maybe a punk-jazz version of the Thelonious Monk Octet
."
A theme in the music is a recognition that traditional jazz having reached a zenith in the early 1960s cannot be contained in reverence. The Syncopated Taint Septet is a synthesis of traditional music with current and experimental music forms. The project displays a band member equality with "leads being shared by everyone."
recorded live at the Owl and Thistle in Seattle and was released in 2003. It was reviewed as occasionally loud, yet also having a "spirited [and] immediate musicianship." Although popularly associated with jam band
music an improvisational distinction can be made regarding the large musical vocabulary displayed by the band in the recording.
The second album Husky
was released in 2006. It was recorded in the studio by S. Husky Höskulds
all in one day and often in one take. The album was reviewed for its strengths in "ensemble writing and musical structure." The five-horn arrangements are written mostly by Hans Teuber and Steve Moore. On the album there are suggestions of Thelonious Monk in its solos and Ornette Coleman in its melodies, yet there is also a hip-hop rhythmic sensibility. Husky has been reviewed as the best jazz album of 2006.
- tenor
and baritone saxophone
Dave Carter - trumpet
Hans Teuber - alto saxophone
and flute
Steve Moore - trombone
and Wurlitzer electric piano
Craig Flory - baritone saxophone and clarinet
Joe Doria
- Hammond Organ
John Wicks
- drums
Music
Although uniquely merging jazz and funk, the music of Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet can also include "New Orleans flavors", solid grooves, swing and hip-hop combined into something both appealing and undefinable. Their music has been self-described by SkerikSkerik
Skerik is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, Skerik is a pioneer in a playing style that has been dubbed saxophonics. He is a founding member of Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois and Skerik's Syncopated...
as "...punk-jazz
Punk jazz
Punk jazz describes the amalgamation of elements of the jazz tradition with the instrumentation or conceptual heritage of punk rock...
. Maybe a punk-jazz version of the Thelonious Monk Octet
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
."
A theme in the music is a recognition that traditional jazz having reached a zenith in the early 1960s cannot be contained in reverence. The Syncopated Taint Septet is a synthesis of traditional music with current and experimental music forms. The project displays a band member equality with "leads being shared by everyone."
History
Their first album Skerik's Syncopated Taint SeptetSkerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (album)
Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet is a self-titled first album recorded live in September 2002 in Seattle, Washington. It was recorded at the venue Owl & Thistle...
recorded live at the Owl and Thistle in Seattle and was released in 2003. It was reviewed as occasionally loud, yet also having a "spirited [and] immediate musicianship." Although popularly associated with jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
music an improvisational distinction can be made regarding the large musical vocabulary displayed by the band in the recording.
The second album Husky
Husky (album)
Husky is a studio album by Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet released 2006. It was recorded at the Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California March 2004. Much of the recording is first takes. Skerik talks about recording the album:...
was released in 2006. It was recorded in the studio by S. Husky Höskulds
S. Husky Höskulds
S. Husky Höskulds is a Grammy Award–winning audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California.He moved to Los Angeles in 1991, to study audio engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles...
all in one day and often in one take. The album was reviewed for its strengths in "ensemble writing and musical structure." The five-horn arrangements are written mostly by Hans Teuber and Steve Moore. On the album there are suggestions of Thelonious Monk in its solos and Ornette Coleman in its melodies, yet there is also a hip-hop rhythmic sensibility. Husky has been reviewed as the best jazz album of 2006.
Members
SkerikSkerik
Skerik is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, Skerik is a pioneer in a playing style that has been dubbed saxophonics. He is a founding member of Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois and Skerik's Syncopated...
- tenor
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
Dave Carter - trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
Hans Teuber - alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
Steve Moore - trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
Craig Flory - baritone saxophone and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
Joe Doria
Joe Doria
Joe Doria is an American Hammond Organ keyboardist from Seattle, Washington. Playing many styles, Doria has backed solo artists from the Seattle area and is a member of several Seattle based groups, some of which have toured nationally...
- Hammond Organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
John Wicks
John Wicks (drummer)
John Wicks is a studio session drummer, producer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles.As of May 2010, Wicks is playing live and/or recording with B.o.B, Bruno Mars, Cee Lo, Meshell Ndegeocello, Chocolate Genius, Money Mark, Fitz and The Tantrums, Zack Hexum, and many more.-Recordings:* Bruno Mars...
- drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Discography
- Skerik's Syncopated Taint SeptetSkerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (album)Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet is a self-titled first album recorded live in September 2002 in Seattle, Washington. It was recorded at the venue Owl & Thistle...
2003 (Ropeadope) - HuskyHusky (album)Husky is a studio album by Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet released 2006. It was recorded at the Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California March 2004. Much of the recording is first takes. Skerik talks about recording the album:...
2006 (Hyena Records) - Live at The Triple Door 2010 (Royal Potato Family)