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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

ensemble formed in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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

Music

Although uniquely merging jazz and funk,Jeff Tamarkin

Husky Husky is a general term for a 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 that ma ...

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

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

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

Skerik Skerik 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 founding member of Critte ...

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 in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, played by musicians such as Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine, based on a reviv ...

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''allmusic.com''

History

Their first album, '' Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet'', 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) are characterized by lengthy improvisational " jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often ...

music, an

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

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, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Col ...

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 classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

and baritone saxophone
Dave Carter –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...

Hans Teuber – alto saxophone and flute
Steve Moore –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...

and

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...

Craig Flory – baritone saxophone and clarinet

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 and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

John Wicks –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

Discography

* '' Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet'' ive(2003, Ropeadope) * ''

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

References

External links

SST7 MySpace
{{Authority control American jazz ensembles from Washington (state) Septets Ropeadope Records artists