Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (also known as SST7) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

ensemble formed in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, in 2002 and led by saxophonist Eric "Skerik" Walton.Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet
''allaboutjazz.com'', Biography

Music

Although uniquely merging jazz and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

,Jeff Tamarkin

Husky Husky is a general term for a type of dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies ...

''allmusic.com'' the music of Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet can also include "New Orleans flavors", solid grooves, swing and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, combined into something both appealing and undefinable. Their music has been self-described by

Skerik Skerik (born November 19, 1964) is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, he is a pioneer in a playing style that has been called saxophonics. He is a f ...

as " punk-jazz. Maybe a punk-jazz version of the Thelonious Monk Octet." A theme in the music is a recognition that

traditional jazz Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain that flourished from the 1930s to 1960s, based on the earlier New Orleans Dixieland jazz style. Prominent English trad jazz musicians such as Chris Barb ...

having reached a zenith in the early 1960s cannot be contained in reverence.Paul de Barros
"Seattle saxophonist's funky, artful septet"
''seattletimes.com'', Jazz Etc. August 18, 2006 The Syncopated Taint Septet is a synthesis of traditional music with current and experimental music forms.Courtnay Scot
Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet: Husky
''jambase.com'' 7/14/06 The project displays a band member equality with "leads being shared by everyone."Sean Westergaard

Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (also known as SST7) is a jazz ensemble formed in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, in 2002 and led by saxophonist Skerik, Eric "Skerik" Walton.

''allmusic.com''

History

Their first album, ''

'', was 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 ndimmediate musicianship." Although popularly associated with

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

music, an

improvisational Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

distinction can be made regarding the large musical vocabulary displayed by the band in the recording. The second album, ''

'', was released in 2006. It was recorded in the studio by S. Husky Höskulds all in one day and often in one take.Chris M. Slaweck
Husky
''allaboutjazz.com'' July 11, 2006 The album was noted in reviews 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 Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Ja ...

in its melodies, yet there is also a hip-hop rhythmic sensibility. ''Husky'' was reviewed as the best jazz album of 2006 by

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

.Paul Olso
Husky
''allaboutjazz.com'' July 02, 2006

Members

–

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

and

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

Dave Carter –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

Hans Teuber –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

and

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

Steve Moore –

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

and

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

Craig Flory – baritone saxophone and

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

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. These inc ...

–

Hammond Organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

John Wicks –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Discography

* ''

ive Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

(2003, Ropeadope) * ''

'' (2006, Hyena) * '' Live at The Triple Door'' (2010, Royal Potato Family)

References

External links

SST7 MySpace
{{Authority control Jazz ensembles from Washington (state) American musical septets Musical groups established in 2002 Ropeadope Records artists