Sex Mob

With their playful, genre-crossing cover choices, Sex Mob are a band with a much larger mission: to put the fun back in jazz music. Led by slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein, the group has been a maverick presence on the Downtown New York creative music scene since their 1998 Knitting Factory debut, Din of Inequity. That album introduced both the group's almost telepathic improvisational style and directive to turn the standards-centric jazz playbook on its head. It's an approach that has found them tackling songs by artists like Prince, Nirvana, and ABBA, right alongside their adventurous originals on albums like 2000's Solid Sender, 2003's Dime Grind Palace, and 2006's Sexotica. They have also explored the works of Federico Fellini and Duke Ellington, and collaborated with guests like Roswell Rudd and John Medeski. While fun remains at the core of Sex Mob's sound, albums like 2017's all-original Cultural Capital, 2023's electronic-influenced The Hard Way, and 2026's live Laurie Anderson with Sexmob Let X=X have found them growing ever more sonically nuanced. Formed in 1996 by slide trumpeter Bernstein, Sex Mob features alto saxophonist Briggan Krauss, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. That same year, they began a residency at the Knitting Factory, playing predominantly originals written by Bernstein. However, during a special evening of film music, the band's rendition of the "James Bond Theme" enjoyed an enthusiastic response and Bernstein realized that the audience was much more attuned to their playing when they recognized the tune. The band started to expand their songbook, but not with classic standards. Songs by Prince, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and even the "Macarena" could find their way into a Sex Mob set, the only rule being that the song had to have such a strong melody that it could withstand serious deconstruction. Word of mouth began to spread about their live shows, with Bernstein's on-stage antics and the band's amazing musicianship as the focal points. Sex Mob's 1998 debut, Din of Inequity, was the only release of a short-lived agreement between Knitting Factory Records and Columbia Jazz. Augmented by two guitarists (Adam Levy and London McDaniels) and keyboard powerhouse John Medeski, Sex Mob romped through a program mostly of covers and a handful of Bernstein originals. 2000 saw the release of Solid Sender on Knitting Factory, featuring covers (Nirvana, Rolling Stones, ABBA) mixed with more Bernstein originals, some of which serving as short bridges between tunes. The album also showcased a variety of guests, including DJ Logic and a string trio featuring Charles Burnham. That same year, they also self-released Theatre & Dance, an album split between Duke Ellington compositions commissioned by choreographer Donald Byrd for a dance entitled In a Different Light: Duke Ellington, and Bernstein originals written for a revival of the 1926 Mae West play Sex. For 2001's Sex Mob Does Bond they moved from Knitting Factory to Ropeadope. The album found them burning through the John Barry songbook, covering a host of tunes written for the first five James Bond movies. With 2003's Dime Grind Palace, they focused on Bernstein originals with a myriad guests including trombonist Roswell Rudd. 2006's Sexotica on Thirsty Ear paid homage to the soundscapes of Martin Denny. In 2009, they showcased longtime associate pianist John Medeski on the concert album Sex Mob Meets Medeski: Live in Willisau. The studio album, Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti: Sexmob Plays Fellini, appeared in early 2013 with renditions of classic Italian film themes. Following a four-year absence, they returned in 2017 with Cultural Capital, the group's first album consiting entirely of Bernstein originals. Their ninth album, The Hard Way, appeared in 2023 and found Bernstein collaborating with producer/instrumentalist Scotty Hard, incorporating electronic beats and soundscapes into their work. Along with Hard, it also featured guest appearances by satellite member Medeski and pianist Vijay Iyer. In 2026, they released Laurie Anderson with Sexmob Let X=X, a live concert culled from the band's 2023 tour alongside Anderson. Featured were songs from the singer's various albums, as well as a cover of the Lou Reed and Metallica co-write "Junior Dad." ~ Sean Westergaard & Matt Collar