When I was in university, we used to joke around about the musicians we enjoyed. If someone would say, for example, "Hey, do you like Miles Davis?", we would respond by saying "Yeah, he's not bad if you like that amazing melodies, innovating composing and forward-thinking stuff." Well, John Scofield is not bad if you like that amazing guitar player thing.
John's bio speaks for itself - stints with Charles Mingus, Gary Burton, and three years with Miles Davis; more than 30 albums as a leader; and collaborations with all of the biggest names on the international jazz scene.
What first turned me on about John Scofield was his sound. He's got this distinctive sound which comes in part from the gear he uses, and in part from the way he articulates, and it's fairly consistent no matter what style he's playing. Plus, he's a bit of a chameleon - with Miles Davis he did the rock/jazz/fusion thing; on Uberjam he experimented with dance/drum & bass music; on Quiet he plays acoustic guitar on an album full of beautifully arranged mellow tunes; he recently paid tribute to the music of Ray Charles; and on his most recent album he takes on blues and gospel. Check out a few samples of his sound (these links open in a new window):
Hit The Road Jack from That's What I Say - John Scofield Plays The Music Of Ray Charles
Jungle Fiction from Uberjam
Door #3 from Quiet
That's Enough from Piety Street
(I'm a trumpet player, so don't know a whole lot about guitar gear, but here's what he lists on his website: Amps: VOX AC30 or MESA BOOGIE MARK I reissue; Effects: Pro Co Sound RAT Distortion pedal, Ibanez Analog Chorus Pedal (purple), Boss EQ pedal, DIGITECH Whammy/Wah, Boomerang Phrase Sampler, Boss Loop Station, Tuner, Green Line 6 (delay), Purple Line 6 (filter), Expression pedal for Line 6 pedals, Micro Synth.)
It's the most recent album - Piety Street - that he'll be featuring at the festival. Joined by Jon Cleary (piano/keyboards/vocals), George Porter Jr. (bass); Ricky Fataar (drums); John Boutt (vocals) and Shannon Powell (percussion), John gets back to his guitar roots, playing the blues and gospel of New Orleans. Of the album, he says:
"I've always wanted to record and tour a blues project...that's where I started as a guitarist and I'm feeling that music more than ever of late. I launched a personal search for musical inspiration beyond the standard 12 bar blues and rediscovered 'old time gospel' music...My search has led to countless songs that really move me and I realize that this great and heartfelt music remains unheard by most of the world outside of churches here and there. Of course, I'll be going at it in my own way. I think my sound is pretty consistent no matter what I'm playing or who I'm playing with. I don't change my guitar playing from one style to another and if anything, I use all of these musical styles within most of what I do."
Check out this documentary about Piety Street:
For more information on John Scofield (including sound clips, video clips and ring tones!), visit www.johnscofield.com. For more information on Piety Street, read a New York Times performance review or read the All About Jazz reveiw.
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