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After moving to Wilton, Connecticut with his family and discovering his insatiable desire for music, Scofield began studying at the Berklee College of Music in 1970. After graduating in 1973, the guitarist performed and recorded alongside Chet Baker and Gerry Muligan, before becoming a member of the famous Billy Cobham-George Duke band. Scofield subsequently played in the bands of Gary Burton and Dave Liebman, before forming his own funk-induced quartet alongside Steve Swallow, Adam Nussbaum, and Bill Stewart. In the early ‘80s the guitarist toured the world with the notorious Miles Davis, and contributed to the recordings “Star People”, “You’re Under Arrest”, and “Decoy”.
In 1984 Scofield released his debut recording on the Gramavision label “Electric Outlet”, followed a year later by “Still Warm”. The Blue Matter Band later formed in the mid-‘80s, followed by the Marc Johnson ensemble, Bass Desires, with Peter Erksine on drums, and Bill Frisell and Scofield on guitar. After signing with Blue Note at the start of the ‘90s the label issued seven of Scofiled’s subsequent records notably including “Hand Jive”, “I Can See Your House From Here” with Pat Methany and “Groove Elation” – after which the guitarist started a fruitful relationship with Verve Records, which began with the acoustic album “Quiet” in 1996.
“A Go Go”, recorded with the revered avant garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, was released in 1997 to critical acclaim and followed by an impressive touring schedule. Scofield later collaborated with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, and crafted “Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy”, and later “Scorched”. 2001’s “Works for Me” was an undeniably traditional jazz record, unlike its successors “Uberjam” (2002) and “Up All Night” (2002), which showed the guitarist long-standing proclivity for jazz fusion. The John Scofield Trio, consisting of drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow, released the live album “EnRoute” in 2004, and the year after Scofield crafted the Ray Charles tribute album “That’s What I Say”.
2007 brought a label debut for Emarcy and the album “This Meets That”, proving once again Scofield's jazz-fusion stylistic themes, assisted by an ensemble of brass, reeds and horns. “Piety Street” arrive in 2009, followed by the album of covers ballads “A Moment’s Peace”, and “MSMW Live: In Case the World Changes Its Mind” in 2011.
It is surely a treat to see John Scofield grasp the attention of his audience with his unique blend of jazz-rock.
John Scofield is a well-trained guitarist having attended Berklee College of Music, and having performed with other highly regarded jazz musicians such as, Mile Davis, Herbie Hancock, Bill Frisell, and many others. He has an incredible backing band that takes the form of a traditional jazz group consisting of upright bass, drums, and keyboards. His band plays as a tight-knit group laying down the grounds for a perfect rhythm as John Scofield plays the most intricate and complex jazz scales on his Ibanez guitar. His pianist often plays on a synthesizer that allows him to emulate the smooth sounds of the Fender Rhodes and the funky sounds of the Hammond organ. John Scofield is also known to play in dissonant and ominous sounding scales that are reminiscent of hard bop jazz songs to the likes of Thelonious Monk. Scofield also uses slight distortion on some of his songs to give more of an edge to the blues and rock influenced songs he plays.
John Scofield’s shows are always engaging because you never know what style of music he will play next. At one moment he will be playing a traditional sounding jazz song, and the next moment he will be shredding away some funky riffs on the guitar. He and his band members have great communication on stage, knowing exactly when to jump into the performance to play a solo on their instrument. John Scofield’s setlist is very interesting and diverse. He will be sure to include some of his best originals such as “Green Tea”, but he might also incorporate some old traditional songs like “Motherless Child” or he might play the R&B, rock and roll song “Let the Good Times Roll”.
Whatever style of jazz music John Scofield ends up playing, he will be sure to play it with perfect precision and deep inspiration.
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