This is an archive of the band profile for Shatner's Bassoon.

Shatner's Bassoon are a band of six Leeds based improvisers influenced by William Shatner's monologues and the perils of jazz induced trances. Recent graduates of Leeds College of Music, they formed in 2010 and have since performed regularly around the UK.

Their sound is influenced by contemporary improvisers such as Tim Berne, John Zorn, LIMA (Leeds Improvised Music Association) and a range of rock and electronica. The music explores the relationship between composition and improvisation: fragments of written material are dissected and developed into a framework for improvisation. The results range from dense math-rock to ambient textures and disturbed circus music.

The band's combined experience includes gypsy music, straight ahead and free jazz, reggae, metal and a bizarre synth duo called 'Epic Toe Birth' - the approach to improvisation is not conventional. They describe their disjointed sound as Improvised Rock-Puke, playing with musical clichés and conventions to produce music which negotiates a path from the sinister to the humorous and surreal..