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John Scofield: Aileron

By Scott Lichtman
November 24, 2024
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For decades, John Scofield has stood on one of the pedestals labelled "greatest bop/groove guitarist of his time." He's achieved this through a combination of blistering alt-scale solos, clever compositions, and world-class groups. Yet, not everyone listening to his work today knows just how skilled and intense he was as a post-bebopper early on. Take the album Rough House (Enja Records, 1978)—his second as leader —and the song "Aileron." Scofield's warm, distorted tone penetrates the soundscape while the band, comprising Hal Galper on piano, Stafford James on bass and Adam Nussbaum on drums, provide irrepressible drive and punch. Note the altered chords (e.g., kicking off with Bbmaj7#5/A to Dbmaj7#5/C ) and the back-half of the melody that's reminiscent of "Giant Steps." Sco' simply burns.

See Hal Galper: Ivory Forest Redux for more history on the creation of Rough House and its sister album.

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Jazz/fusion keyboardist & autograph collector in Stamford CT.

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