Biography
New Jersey-based interracial ensemble Blue Number Nine, fronted by vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Stefanie Seskin, channels a pronounced 1970s soul and funk sensibility. Occasional infusions of rock, pop, and jazz appear, yet the dominant thrust stays soul and funk, prompting comparisons to the similarly 1970s-oriented Brand New Heavies. Seskin draws core inspiration from the period when Rufus & Chaka Khan, Labelle (Patti LaBelle’s 1970s vocal trio alongside Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash), Maze & Frankie Beverly, and the Average White Band topped the R&B charts. Her funk leans toward the polished yet gritty “sophisticated funk” linked with Rufus/Khan, Maze, AWB, and Philadelphia International Records rather than the raw, exaggerated style associated with Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, and the late Rick James.
Seskin launched Blue Number Nine in September 1995 after earlier credits that included bass work with the New York City outfit Bill Popp & the Tapes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She performed most of the bass lines on Popp & the Tapes’ debut album, Popp This, which singer/songwriter Popp issued on his own 121st Street Records label in 1990. That association placed her inside a British Invasion-inflected, 1960s-styled pop/rock framework echoing the Beatles, the Yardbirds, and the Zombies, underscoring her adaptability when she shifted to a soul/funk project roughly five years later. Although Bill Popp & the Tapes and Blue Number Nine differ markedly in style, each project mirrors the creative leadership of its founder. Just as Popp’s band constitutes his central endeavor, Blue Number Nine remains Seskin’s project, with her occupying multiple positions: lead vocalist, primary or co-songwriter, producer, engineer, flutist, keyboardist, alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and percussionist.
Blue Number Nine’s first album appeared on Berger Platters Records in 2000 and was followed by the live set Saving Spot in 2001 and On a Shoestring in 2003, the latter two released on Check Other Music. Repeated lineup turnover left Seskin as the only original member by 2004; the East Coast musicians then performing with her included Marco Accattatis on bass and background vocals, Sal Carrubba on guitar, Ada Rovatti on tenor sax, Nabate Isles on trumpet, Rob Susman on trombone, Sheila Connors, Camari Frame, and Joel Hirsch on percussion and background vocals, and Jack M. Gourdine on drums.
Seskin launched Blue Number Nine in September 1995 after earlier credits that included bass work with the New York City outfit Bill Popp & the Tapes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She performed most of the bass lines on Popp & the Tapes’ debut album, Popp This, which singer/songwriter Popp issued on his own 121st Street Records label in 1990. That association placed her inside a British Invasion-inflected, 1960s-styled pop/rock framework echoing the Beatles, the Yardbirds, and the Zombies, underscoring her adaptability when she shifted to a soul/funk project roughly five years later. Although Bill Popp & the Tapes and Blue Number Nine differ markedly in style, each project mirrors the creative leadership of its founder. Just as Popp’s band constitutes his central endeavor, Blue Number Nine remains Seskin’s project, with her occupying multiple positions: lead vocalist, primary or co-songwriter, producer, engineer, flutist, keyboardist, alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and percussionist.
Blue Number Nine’s first album appeared on Berger Platters Records in 2000 and was followed by the live set Saving Spot in 2001 and On a Shoestring in 2003, the latter two released on Check Other Music. Repeated lineup turnover left Seskin as the only original member by 2004; the East Coast musicians then performing with her included Marco Accattatis on bass and background vocals, Sal Carrubba on guitar, Ada Rovatti on tenor sax, Nabate Isles on trumpet, Rob Susman on trombone, Sheila Connors, Camari Frame, and Joel Hirsch on percussion and background vocals, and Jack M. Gourdine on drums.
Albums
