Jazz Articles about John Scofield

John Scofield: Live 3 Ways

by John Kelman
April 6, 2005

John Scofield Live 3 Ways Blue Note Recorded 1990; DVD released 2005

At long last Blue Note is digging into their archives and reissuing some of their concert footage, previously only available on long out-of-print videotape, on DVD. While these are bare bones releases -- nothing in the way of special features to speak of -- they stand on their own as documents that are vital on their own merits.

Arguably the best of ...

John Scofield Trio: EnRoute

by AAJ Staff
July 4, 2004

Cerebral jazz fans play in the same sound box as the John Scofield Trio does for 73 minutes of collective prowess. EnRoute is aptly named, for it is a musical journey whose speculative effect needs no conclusion. The trip is worth a long ride and that is what we get. John Scofield’s exercise of unconventional playing embraces the kind of musical exploration that drives jazz forward with optimism. In nine songs, Scofield articulates ideas whose foundations transcend so many boundaries ...

The John Scofield Trio: EnRoute

by Doug Collette
June 1, 2004

EnRoute may be one of the most remarkable recordings John Scofield has made during a redoubtable career that includes a stint with Miles Davis, a tenure with Billy Cobham, and projects with the likes of Pat Metheny and Medeski Martin & Wood. The level of inspiration on this live set recorded last December at the Blue Note in New York is usually the result of constant roadwork on the part of players who have been together for years at a ...

John Scofield Trio: EnRoute

by John Kelman
May 23, 2004

Some artists are revolutionary, making periodic stylistic leaps that herald in a completely new direction or approach. Others are more evolutionary, with a gradual development that often unfolds over a number of years. John Scofield clearly falls in the second camp; while the context of his albums may vary wildly from one to the next, the actual meat of his style has matured at such a slow and steady pace that differentiation over the short term might be difficult to ...

John Scofield Band: Up All Night

by Farrell Lowe
October 6, 2003

The Freaky Deaky is back! This is the most inspired playing I have heard from John Scofield in many years. On Up All Night, Scofield has found the elusive spot (as a player) between knowing what he's doing and what he doesn't know. The band caught at the time of this recording exists at that junction--a place beautifully balanced between solid compositional form and sheer improvisational grace. Scofield hasn't been this hungry in a long, long time!

If you liked ...

A Fireside Chat With John Scofield

by AAJ Staff
January 31, 2003

A bird told me that John Scofield would be touring with old friend and band mate, Joe Lovano, Al Foster, and Dave Holland. That was a handful of years ago. Logistics, being that it was a European tour, made it difficult for me to catch the band live. Thankfully, Blue Note recorded the band and that recording, OH! , is not a live recording, but it might as well be. It has all the verve and spontaneity of a live ...

John Scofield Band: Uberjam

by David Adler
February 1, 2002

Depending on your point of view, John Scofield is either hopelessly unfocused or boldly unpredictable. In 1999 he released Bump, a provocative yet ultimately perfunctory, jam-band-meets-electronica statement. Last year he did a 180 with Works For Me, a straight-ahead quintet offering featuring the likes of Brad Mehldau and Kenny Garrett. Now he returns with Uberjam, a project billed under the name of The John Scofield Band, and surely Scofield's most radical departure from jazz yet.Avi Bortnick, on rhythm ...