Up John Scofield

With John Scofield, a big part of the fun is never knowing what the guitarist will do from one album to the next. He might provide an album that is abstract and cerebral, or he might come up with something funky and groove-oriented; That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles is a perfect example of the latter. Featuring well-known guest vocalists who include Dr. John, Mavis Staples (as in the Staple Sisters), Aaron Neville and John Mayer, this tribute to the late Ray Charles is definitely one of Scofield's more commercial projects - which isn't to say that he shouldn't be proud of the album. Commercialism isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as it is tastefully done, and That's What I Say is a tasteful effort that finds Scofield fluctuating between instrumental soul-jazz and vocal-oriented soul…

Dayna Stephens is a contemporary jazz tenor saxophonist whose sound is roundly hailed as warm, effusive, and sophisticated, much like his admitted influences Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. As a performer in the neo-bop post-Michael Brecker tradition, he'll also be compared in blindfold tests alongside Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Chris Potter, and Seamus Blake. Nonetheless, Stephens has come out of the gate with a collection of original modern mainstream compositions backed by some established heavyweights of American music to support him. "Contagious" is the best track on the date to feature the young and brilliant pianist Taylor Eigsti, a chip off the ol' Chick Corea block. His complex, probing intricate rhythm changes spur the band on to a high level, while in a modal and beautifully spiritual area during the standard "But Beautiful," Eigsti coaxes Stephens to a cozier radiance tempered by restraint…

It isn't surprising that John Scofield spent some time in Miles Davis' employ. Like that innovative trumpeter, Scofield has always had a restless spirit. One never knows what to expect when a new Scofield album arrives; Up All Night, it turns out, pretty much picks up where its predecessor, Überjam, leaves off. Like Überjam, Up All Night is a fusion effort that manages to be intellectual and funky at the same time. Of course, intellect and funkiness don't automatically cancel one another out - Davis demonstrated that on many occasions. But some artists have a hard time balancing the two in an effective way…

Guitarist John Scofield and tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris make a very complementary team on this upbeat set of funky jazz, for both have immediately identifiable sounds and adventurous spirits. Along with a fine rhythm section that includes Larry Goldings on piano and organ, Scofield and Harris interact joyfully on ten of the guitarist's originals.

In the jazz world, there are artists who are consistent but predictable and artists who are unpredictable but inconsistent. John Scofield, meanwhile, is an impressive example of a jazzman who is both unpredictable and consistent. You never know what the risk-taking guitarist will do from one album to the next, but he rarely provides an album that is flat-out disappointing. Überjam is a major departure from 2000's Works for Me, the Verve date that preceded it. While Works for Me is essentially a straight-ahead post-bop outing and employs acoustic-oriented players, like pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Christian McBride, Überjam is pure, unadulterated fusion. This album always has a jazz mentality - Überjam is as spontaneous, free-spirited, and uninhibited as any bop session that was recorded in Rudy Van Gelder's studio in the '50s…

John Scofield continued to use his Verve Records contract for unusual outings - like this one, his third release for the label, following the acoustic disc Quiet and A Go Go (which featured Medeski, Martin, and Wood). On Bump, he retained bassist Chris Wood and added Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen (the rhythm section from Sex Mob), keyboardist Mark De Gli Antoni from Soul Coughing, and drummer Eric Kalb and conga player Johnny Durkin from Deep Banana Blackout. Such sidemen allowed him to delve even more deeply into the second-line funk he had explored earlier in his career; indeed, "Three Sisters," the leadoff track, sounded like something Allen Toussaint might have produced for the Meters in the early '70s…

Meant to Be features guitarist John Scofield's 1990 pianoless quartet on 11 of his compositions. During the best selections (such as "Big Fan" and "Mr. Coleman to You") one can hear the influence of not just the original Ornette Coleman Quartet but the Keith Jarrett/Dewey Redman Quintet. Joe Lovano's increasingly original tenor sound (mixing together John Coltrane, Dewey Redman, and even Eddie Harris on this set) works well with Scofield and the tight but loose rhythm section (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart). "Eisenhower" (a slightly tongue-in-cheek, boppish romp) and "Some Nerve" (which uses New Orleans parade rhythms) are also memorable performances. The colorful and enjoyable set is modern mainstream music of the 1990s, stretching ahead while holding on to the roots of hard bop, funk, and fusion.

John Scofield has turned the corner from journeyman jazz guitarist to become one of the most inventive and witty players on the contemporary scene. This date, his first for the Blue Note label, builds on a discography following several recordings for the Gramavision label, and also progresses this contemporary jazz music into an individualism that can only bode well for his future efforts. Teamed with the rising-star saxophonist Joe Lovano and the bulletproof rhythm team of bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Scofield is emerging as a player of distinction on the electric guitar, and a composer whose mirthful ideas add spark and vigor to his newfound musical setting…

Guitarist John Scofield contributed all nine originals on this album and teams up with up-and-coming tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist Dennis Irwin and drummer Bill Stewart for a set of consistently stimulating music. The interesting blend between Scofield and Lovano, the consistently inventive solos, and the unpredictable material - which falls loosely into the post-bop area but is really unclassifiable - make this a CD worth listening to several times.

A relatively short span in the career of guitarist John Scofield, but one that really shows him changing a lot as well! Scofield first came up as a musician with a more breezy, open tune – that approach to jazz guitar that really blossomed in the 70s – particularly as some of the more soul-based players of the previous decade opened their minds to more spiritual and experimental settings, particularly on labels like ECM or Muse. Here, Scofield almost goes the other way – starting out with more of those open, chromatic hues that were one of his biggest calling cards in the 80s – then shifting into more groove-oriented material, pointing towards a stronger soul jazz direction he'd take as the 90s moved on. The five albums here cover the span of five years of recording – and each are presented in cool little LP-styled sleeves – in a package that includes the records Time On My Hands, Meant To Be, Grace Under Pressure, Hand Jive, and Groove Elation.