Skye Steele

You never know what’s coming next on LATE BLOOMER by the
SKYE STEELE Quintet (Skyesteele, no#). Violinist Steele and cohorts
(Steele, vln; Harel Shachal, rds; Ben Cassorla, g; Mike Savino, b;
Satoshi Takeishi, d; John Hadfield, perc) start out in folk territory,
and before long it’s clear that this crew is ready to stretch out in
a million directions, and have tons of fun doing it (Black is the
Color of My True Love’s Hair/ Monkey-See/ Evelynn/ Shine/ Echo
Park/ Pepperoni Pizza/ Rubber Ducky/ Freedom Impressionism/
Scarborough Fair/ My Funny Valentine/ Years Later/ I Don’t Want
to Live on the Moon/ The Fall/ Pretty Pretty Girls. 70:57). The
progressive folk vein of the traditional “Black Is the Color,” with
the drone of Steele’s violin against the dark hues of Haral Shachel’s
clarinet, gives way to “Monkey-See.” This one’s all jittery, its jump-
ing beat courtesy of percussionists Satoshi Takeishi and John
Hadfield. Steele’s fiddle darts in and out of the oddball structures
with great panache and rhythmic assurance. “Scarborough Fair”
is given a heavy modal treatment, while the too-familiar “My Funny
Valentine” gets a brief violin solo statement. The packaging includes
no information about the players, but I’ll bet Steele’s fabulous tone
and inventive solo sense didn’t just happen over night. It was a fine
couple of days in the studio (6/26-27/07, Brooklyn, NY). While they
get silly at times, like the chant of “Pepperoni Pizza” that opens that
multi-sectioned original, they always redeem themselves. On that
one, it’s the biting guitar solo by Ben Cassorla. But every song here
has something to recommend it, and it’s often Steele’s impressive
violin. This is absolutely worth a listen.
-Stuart Kremsky - Cadence Review, July 2008

-Frank Rubolino Review of "Gaze at you Omphalos" - Cadence Magazine

"the most fantastic violinist... the type of musician who made the violin transcend beyond all the classical music stereotypes into an ephemeral, personal space." - FreeNYC.net

There seems to be little limit for what Skye Steele, the young violinist, can do throughout the local musical landscape. A California native who has been in New York for seven years, he began his music studies when he was three years old, absorbing his mother’s classical influences and later falling in love with jazz via John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Stephanie Grappelli.

After high school, he was accepted to the New School Jazz and Contemporary Music Program, where he honed his chops and expanded his musical horizons even further, joining musical theater-inspired rock band M-Lab (with whom he has recorded two albums) and also playing maracatu, an Afro-Brazilian beat that traces its origins to northeastern Brazil, with Nation Beat.

If that were not enough to keep him from getting any sleep, he’s also found the time to lead his own jazz quintet, which explores musical textures that Steele has been involved with over his short but prolific career. “I wanted to utilize all the elements without making it sound like a pastiche,” he says.

In a live setting, he mixes several original songs with reinterpretations of others that do not necessarily come from the jazz realm. “There are some familiar covers, such as [Paul Simon’s] ‘Scarborough Fair’ reinterpreted with a jazz rhythm and some Turkish elements,” he explains.

Steele further clarifies that his musical mix comes from having traveled while studying music (he has been to Brazil and Turkey, where he spent a lot of time researching different rhythms), and his love for the art of melody. “I spent a lot of time studying Turkish [music], I love Bach and I have a strong background in jazz,” he says. However, he doesn’t see his eclectic approach to music negatively. “I came to realize that no matter what I do, I’m always going have my own sound, creating a context for myself in all those different styles.”

He expects his upcoming concert to be “very special,” he says. “It’s going to be very explosive, with two drummers playing together.” Also joining them will be alto saxophonist Andrew D’Angelo, a veteran of the local jazz scene who will also be producing the sessions for the quintet’s upcoming CD.

May 24, Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St. (betw. 6th & 7th Aves. by W. 4th St.), 212-989-9319; 8:30 - New York Press by Ernest Barteldes

--from review of Dizzy's Jazz club - 944 Magazine, San Diego

--from liner notes to "Radical Pop Music from the Ragtime Era" - Butch Thompson

Skye Steele is an eclectic local violinist often heard with groups such as Jay Vilnai's Vampire Suit and EthnoEccentric String Trio. Tonight Steele leads his own graceful quintet, which interprets composers ranging from Erik Satie to John Coltrane. - Time Out New York

"Steele's violin playing is often amazing" --from review of "Gaze at your Omphalos" - All About Jazz New York