One of the "big three" of current jazz guitarists (along with
Pat Metheny and
Bill Frisell),
John Scofield's influence grew in the '90s and continued into the 21st century. Possessor of a very distinctive rock-oriented sound that is often a bit distorted,
Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, fusion, and soul-jazz. He started on guitar while at high school in Connecticut, and from 1970-1973
Scofield studied at Berklee and played in the Boston area. After recording with
Gerry Mulligan and
Chet Baker at Carnegie Hall,
Scofield was a member of the
Billy Cobham-
George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded with
Charles Mingus, and later joined the
Gary Burton quartet and
Dave Liebman's quintet. His own early sessions as a leader were funk-oriented. During 1982-1985
Scofield toured the world and recorded with
Miles Davis. Since that time he has led his own groups, played with
Bass Desires, and recorded frequently as a leader for Verve, Emarcy, Gramavision, and Blue Note, using such major players as
Charlie Haden,
Jack DeJohnette,
Joe Lovano,
Eddie Harris, and a host of others.
Scofield started a long-term relationship with the Verve label in 1996 with his acoustic album
Quiet. He cut the funky
A Go Go with
Medeski, Martin & Wood in 1997, while 2000's
Bump featured members of
Sex Mob,
Soul Coughing, and
Deep Banana Blackout. Released in 2001,
Works for Me featured a more traditional jazz sound, but for 2002's
Uberjam and 2003's
Up All Night he was back to playing fusion. Drummer
Bill Stewart and bassist
Steve Swallow rounded out the John Scofield Trio for 2004's cerebral and complex live album
EnRoute. In 2005,
Scofield paid tribute to legendary soul man
Ray Charles with
That's What I Say. He featured a number of guest vocalist/musicians, including Dr. John, Warren Haynes, and Mavis Staples.
In 2007,
Scofield released his debut for Emarcy, This Meets That. Once again, the set was theme-related and featured the guitarist in the company of a large horn section -- winds as well as brass and reeds -- playing original compositions as well as those from the rock and pop vernacular. Two of the more radical offerings on the album were the completely rearranged jazz-rock versions of Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
Scofield took another left turn on 2009's Piety Street. He hired Jon Cleary on keys, ex-Meters bassist George Porter, and drummer Ricky Fataar to play on a set of spirituals and gospel tunes, all done in a grooved-out soul-jazz manner. In 2010, he was the featured soloist on the Metropole Orkest's Emarcy date 54.
Scofield returned to a theme-based format for his next date for the label, A Moment's Peace, a collection of ballads that ran the gamut from Gershwin to the Beatles, and included some original compositions. The set, which was released in September of 2011, featured the guitarist in the company of drummer Brian Blade, organist Larry Goldings, and bassist Scott Colley. Also in 2011, MSMW Live: In Case the World Changes Its Mind was released by Indirecto Records. The double-length set is culled from the Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood 2006 world tour; its contents reflect material off
Scofield's
A Go Go and the MSMW studio offering Out Louder.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi