blue number nine

Led by vocalist/songwriter/musician <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Stefanie Seskin</a>, New Jersey's Blue Number Nine is an interracial soul/funk outfit with a strong ‘70s influence. <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> isn't necessarily an R&B purist where Blue Number Nine is concerned; there are, at times, traces of rock, pop, and jazz in their work. But soul/funk is the primary direction of Blue Number Nine -- who have sometimes been compared to the equally ‘70s-minded <a href="spotify:artist:3DEveX6KVzhPDqq2VRuN14">Brand New Heavies</a> -- and <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> obviously gets a lot of inspiration from an era in which <a href="spotify:artist:1YLsqPcFg1rj7VvhfwnDWm">Rufus & Chaka Khan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3DznKagEU8yMQZR9z33Da5">Labelle</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:0ty0xha1dbprYIUAQufkFn">Patti LaBelle</a>'s ‘70s vocal trio with <a href="spotify:artist:5pTDagkiVMJC5DJtSAdbXg">Nona Hendryx</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:40GzTuEPg9xjzGeXJESEMH">Sarah Dash</a>), <a href="spotify:artist:6rXycobs8wkWicUGLtmB0n">Maze & Frankie Beverly</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3tx8fyu3c4OBP5nejYtUOb">the Average White Band</a> reigned supreme on the R&B charts. <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a>'s funk isn't the gutbucket, over-the-top funk that Parliament/<a href="spotify:artist:450o9jw6AtiQlQkHCdH6Ru">Funkadelic</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:44y3DMkP83lyU25GaP8y7U">Bootsy's Rubber Band</a>, and the late <a href="spotify:artist:0FrpdcVlJQqibaz5HfBUrL">Rick James</a> were famous for in their heyday; rather, <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> favors what was called "sophisticated funk" back in the ‘70s -- that is, the sort of gritty yet polished funk associated with <a href="spotify:artist:3MCjwjfIor5FkK3h639qkW">Rufus</a>/<a href="spotify:artist:6mQfAAqZGBzIfrmlZCeaYT">Khan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3DvdryKH4O95ZnsUZJKXpt">Maze</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3tx8fyu3c4OBP5nejYtUOb">AWB</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Philadelphia+International+Records%22">Philadelphia International Records</a>.

<a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> formed Blue Number Nine in September 1995; by that time, she had a résumé that included, among other things, a stint playing bass for the New York City band <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Bill Popp & the Tapes</a> in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> does most of the bass playing on <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Popp & the Tapes</a>' first album, Popp This, which singer/songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Popp</a> released on his own label, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22121st+Street+Records%22">121st Street Records</a> in 1990. With <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Popp</a>'s band, <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> played his songs and embraced a very British Invasion-influenced, ‘60s-minded style of pop/rock along the lines of <a href="spotify:artist:3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2">the Beatles</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2lxX1ivRYp26soIavdG9bX">the Yardbirds</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a> -- and <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a>'s ability to go from playing in <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Popp</a>'s band to forming a soul/funk outfit about half-a-decade later underscores her versatility. But while there are major stylistic differences between <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Bill Popp & the Tapes</a> and Blue Number Nine, the two bands have one thing in common: both of them reflect the creative visions of their leaders. Just as <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Bill Popp & the Tapes</a> is <a href="spotify:artist:47S71EwP1rwaGIZEcdovGp">Popp</a>'s baby, Blue Number Nine is very much <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a>'s baby, and she has worn many different hats in her band, including lead vocalist, songwriter (she writes or co-writes most of the material), producer, engineer, flutist, keyboardist, alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and percussionist. Blue Number Nine's debut album was released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Berger+Platters+Records%22">Berger Platters Records</a> in 2000; that CD was followed by 2001's Saving Spot (a live album) and 2003's On a Shoestring, both on Check Other Music. Along the way, <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a>'s band has had more than its share of lineup changes; in 2004, <a href="spotify:artist:3Mn2U6bSqHGdEKNGP5Y7GI">Seskin</a> was the only remaining original member, and the East Coast musicians joining her in Blue Number Nine included Marco Accattatis on bass and background vocals, Sal Carrubba on guitar, Ada Rovatti on tenor sax, Nabate Isles on trumpet, <a href="spotify:artist:3GHcl7GK5maOP2PV7j2nMK">Rob Susman</a> on trombone, Sheila Connors, Camari Frame, and Joel Hirsch on percussion and background vocals, and Jack M. Gourdine on drums,. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi