Nicky Skopelitis
Encyclopedia
Nicky Skopelitis is an American guitar
ist and composer from Greek heritage. He is best known as a guitarist, but also performs on banjo
, oud
, lute
, keyboards
and other instruments.
Although Skopelitis has recorded few albums as a bandleader, he has appeared on many more recordings, often collaborating with prolific bass guitar
ist and producer Bill Laswell
.
Until 1987 or so, he used the spelling "Scopelitis" for his last name.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and composer from Greek heritage. He is best known as a guitarist, but also performs on banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and other instruments.
Although Skopelitis has recorded few albums as a bandleader, he has appeared on many more recordings, often collaborating with prolific bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and producer Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
.
Until 1987 or so, he used the spelling "Scopelitis" for his last name.
As leader or co-leader
- 1989: Next To Nothing (Venture Records)
- 1991: with Sonny SharrockSonny SharrockWarren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock was an American jazz guitarist. He was once married to singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he sometimes recorded and performed....
: Faith Moves (CMP Records) - 1993: Ekstasis (Axiom)
- 1993: Ekstasis Live
- 1998: Ekstasis: Wake Up And Dream (Cyber Octave)
- 2001: with Raoul BjörkenheimRaoul BjorkenheimRaoul Björkenheim is an American jazz guitarist. He was born to Finnish parents. His mother is actress/singer Taina Elg . He lived in the USA until he was 15 years old, when his family returned to Finland...
: Revelator (Innerhythmic)
Sideman (incomplete)
- 1981: CurlewCurlew (band)Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. Members of the band have included cellist Tom Cora, guitarists Davey Williams and Fred Frith, and bassist Bill Laswell.-Discography:*Curlew...
: Curlew - 1982: MaterialMaterial (band)For the rock band of the same name, see The MaterialMaterial is a musical group formed in 1979 and led by bass guitarist Bill Laswell.-1978-82: The band:...
: One Down - 1983: Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
: Future Shock - 1984: Herbie Hancock: Sound-SystemSound-System (album)Sound-System is the thirty-sixth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and the second of three albums with the Rockit Band.-About the Album:The second of the three Rockit band albums, Sound-System was another smash for Herbie Hancock....
- 1984: Time ZoneTime Zone (band)Time Zone was a electro band headed by Afrika Bambaataa. Bambaataa worked with different musicians for each Time Zone project.-History:The first Time Zone single was the 1983 electro song "The Wildstyle" which featured music from a German project called Wunderwerke. Bambaataa was introduced to...
: World Destruction (Single) - 1986: Public Image Ltd.Public Image Ltd.Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band formed by vocalist John Lydon , guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble, with frequent subsequent personnel changes. Lydon is the sole constant member of the band....
: Album - 1986: Afrika BambaataaAfrika BambaataaAfrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
: Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) - 1986: Ginger BakerGinger BakerPeter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
: Horses And Trees - 1987: Sly & Robbie: Rhythm Killers
- 1987: James Blood Ulmer: America - Do You Remember the Love?
- 1987: Ginger BakerGinger BakerPeter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
: No Material - 1988: Herbie Hancock: Perfect Machine
- 1988: Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
: Instinct - 1988: Gettovetts: Missionaries Moving
- 1989: White ZombieWhite ZombieWhite Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
: Make Them Die Slowly - 1991: SwansSwans (band)Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
: White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity - 1991: The Golden PalominosThe Golden PalominosThe Golden Palominos was an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership was wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album.While the Palominos' records...
: Drunk With Passion - 1993: Material: Live In Japan
- 1993: Divination: Ambient Dub Volume I
- 1994: Hakim Bey: T.A.Z.Temporary Autonomous ZoneT.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism is a book by anarchist writer Hakim Bey published in 1991 by Autonomedia...
- 1994: Anton FierAnton FierAnton Fier, , is an American drummer, composer and bandleader. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.Fier was an early member of The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies. He was in The Lodge , worked with Pere Ubu, was briefly in the Voidoids and founded The Golden Palominos...
: Blind Light - 1991: The Golden PalominosThe Golden PalominosThe Golden Palominos was an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership was wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album.While the Palominos' records...
: Pure - 1995: Axiom Funk: FunkcronomiconFunkcronomiconFunkcronomicon is a 1995 various artists collection of tracks produced by Bill Laswell under the name Axiom Funk, after Laswell's associated record label. It is a 2-CD set that was released by Island Records...
(Compilation) - 1995: Julian SchnabelJulian SchnabelJulian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker. In the 1980s, Schnabel received international media attention for his "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates....
: Every Silver Lining Has a CloudEvery Silver Lining Has a Cloud-Credits:*Buckethead: Guitar, Vocals *Carey Burtt: Guitar*Teddy Daniel: Flugelhorn*Anton Fier: Drums, Vocals *Julian Bernard Fowler: Piano, Vocals *Oz Fritz: Engineer, Mixing*Brian Kelly: Guitar, Design... - 1997: Arcana: Arc Of The Testimony
- 1999: Shin TeraiShin TeraiShin Terai is a Japanese musician and producer most known for his work with Bill Laswell and Buckethead. On his albums he combines ambient and electronic music with dub and avant-garde jazz.- Biography :...
: UnisonUnison (Shin Terai album)-Personnel:* Bass, Synthesizer, Effects - Bill Laswell* Engineers - Oz Fritz & Robert Musso* Guitar - Buckethead* Guitar, Sitar - Nicky Skopelitis* Ogran, Synthesizer, Clavinet - Bernie Worrell* Voice, Synthesizer, Loops, Beats, Effects - Shin Terai... - 2001: Gigi: Gigi
- 2002: The Meta Collection (Compilation)
- 2003: Pharoah SandersPharoah SandersPharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
& Graham HaynesGraham HaynesGraham Haynes is an American cornetist, trumpeter and composer, the son of jazz drummer Roy Haynes....
: With A Heartbeat - 2005: Neighborhood Legends Vol. 1 (Compilation)
- 2007: Dorian Cheah: ARA
External links/references
- Excerpts from an interview with Sonny Sharrock and Nicky Skopelitis, "New Sounds" #711, WNYC-FM, 9/9/91
- Downtown Composer Collective profile
- Review on Next To Nothing in Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
- Review on Faith Moves in Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...