John Scofield: Music of Ray Charles - Gatineau, Canada 10/15/05

John Kelman

Senior Editor since 2004

With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.

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Published: October 19, 2005

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It's the collective experience of the band that makes it the perfect complement for Scofield. Opening the show with a medley of "Talkin' 'Bout You" and "I Got a Woman," the group quickly established the modus operandi for the evening. This was music for the head, the heart and the soul—a kind of intelligent party music that didn't sacrifice substance for sheer physicality. Taking Scofield's compact arrangements on the record as a starting point, the group stretched things out considerably—and not just in terms of lengthy solos, although there was ample opportunity to stretch. The funky groove of "Talkin' 'Bout You" shifted into swing for Versace's solo, which managed to mirror Scofield's own ability to take things out just enough to create tension, but not so far as to lose the pure and simple essence at the song's core.

On "Sticks and Stones" Hass combined a loose swing feel with a house-like snare beat, locking in tightly with Benitez to give the tune a more contemporary groove. While the band was raw and gritty, they also respected Charles' soulful dignity. Even when Scofield soloed over a long vamp, the interaction of the band, and the imaginative underpinning of Versace's comping gave him the opportunity to evolve in ways that he never could with his Ãœberjam band.

Scofield has cited Wes Montgomery as a primary source, with his solo on "Hit the Road Jack"—liberally peppered with octave runs throughout—playing to that influence but with his own signature edge. When Scofield first emerged in the mid-1970s, he was a more linear player, but over the years has developed a detailed harmonic concept that includes curious chord voicings and broad intervallic leaps. Although the album take of "Hit the Road Jack" featured a horn section, this pared down touring ensemble managed to hit all the right spots, implying the same sense of full harmony. Abruptly shifting the tune into a fiery swing for Versace's abstract solo, Scofield built the intensity during his own solo so powerfully that, when the group shifted on a dime back to the song's original groove, you could palpably feel the crowd relax again.

The down and dirty funk of "I Don't Need No Doctor" was another strong feature for Statham, and it was clear that Benitez was having a great time as well. But, again, what caused the song to transcend the album version was the interplay going on within the group, highlighted by an exciting trade-off between Scofield and Versace near its conclusion.

"You Don't Know Me" took the temperature down—but only marginally. This may have been a ballad, but it was as evocative as the rest of the set, with Scofield starting alone and demonstrating just how strong his ability is to take a simple melody and harmonize around it with ever-shifting chordal support. While most guitarists of his generation have, at one time or another, recorded a purely solo project, it's one area that Scofield has yet to explore, and his intro to "You Don't Know Me" suggests that a solo record would be a real treat. When the band entered it demonstrated, once again, their ability to blow the lid off the intrinsic self-containment of the album's more rigid arrangements. Versace took his most tender solo of the evening—short and to the point, but delicate and almost painfully poignant—while Hass created a larger percussion sound with his ride cymbal and bass drum combining with hand-hit drums to create a conga-like effect.

In a complete departure from the album, Scofield pared things down to a trio with Benitez and Hass for "Just You, Just Me," a song that Charles originally sang with Betty Carter. The only Charles tune of the night not found on Scofield's album, this was also the most mainstream. While it's possible that including this version of "Just You, Just Me" would have altered the focus of the album, it would have also demonstrated just how malleable Scofield sees Charles' material as being. His solo was a vivid lesson in the dynamics possible through the sheer physicality of playing an instrument—rather than electronic manipulation—with some phrases almost drifting by, others more sharp punctuation marks. Benitez's fine solo had its own lesson—that a melody, properly constructed, can imply changes that aren't being explicitly played.

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