John Scofield
(born December 26 1951 in Dayton, Ohio) [1], often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, George Duke, Jaco Pastorius, John Mayer , and many other important artists. At ease in the bebop idiom, Scofield is also well versed in jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and other forms of modern American music.
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JOHN SCOFIELD TICKETS
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Biography
Early in his life, Scofield's family left Ohio and relocated to the small, then mostly rural location of
Wilton, Connecticut; it was here that he discovered his interest in music.
[2]
Educated at the prestigious
Berklee College of Music, Scofield eventually left school to record with
Chet Baker and
Gerry Mulligan. He joined the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band soon after and spent two years playing, recording and touring with them. Scofield recorded with
Charles Mingus in 1976, and replaced
Pat Metheny in
Gary Burton's quartet
[3]. In autumn 1976 he signed a contract with
Enja Records, and he released his first album,
John Scofield
, in 1977. Around this time, he toured and recorded with Pianist
Hal Galper, first on his own solo album
"Rough House" in 1978, and Galper's album
Ivory Forest
(1980), where he is heard playing a solo rendition of
Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood". In 1979 he formed a trio with his mentor
Steve Swallow and
Adam Nussbaum which, with drummer
Bill Stewart replacing Nussbaum, has become the signature group of Scofield's career. In 1982, he joined Miles Davis, with whom he remained for three and a half years. He contributed tunes and guitar work to three Davis recordings,
Star People
,
You're under Arrest
and
Decoy
.
While still with Davis, he released the first of his Gramavision recordings
Electric Outlet
(1984).
Still Warm
(1985) followed after he left Davis's group. At the end of the Davis tenure, he started what is now referred to as his Blue Matter Band - with
Dennis Chambers on drums, Gary Grainger on bass and at times either Robert Aries or
Jim Beard on keyboards - releasing
Blue Matter
,
Loud Jazz
and
Pick Hits Live
.
At the beginning of the 1990s, he formed his quartet that included
Joe Lovano with whom he recorded several important albums for
Blue Note Records.
Time on My Hands
(1990), with Lovano,
Charlie Haden and
Jack DeJohnette, showcased Scofield's guitar and Mingus-influenced writing. Bill Stewart subsequently became the group's drummer, and played on
Meant To Be
(1991) and
What We Do
(1993). In 1992, Scofield released
Grace Under Pressure
, featuring fellow guitarist
Bill Frisell, with Charlie Haden on bass and
Joey Baron on drums. Stewart rejoined with Scofield and bassist
Steve Swallow for the 1994 collaboration with
Pat Metheny,
I Can See Your House From Here
.
Towards the end of his tenure with Blue Note, Scofield returned to a more
funk and
soul jazz-oriented sound, a direction which has dominated much of his subsequent output. He recorded the acclaimed 1997 album
A Go Go
with the avant garde jazz trio
Medeski Martin & Wood. Also during this period, his relationship began with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. First as a soloist on Turnage's
Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy
, the two paired up to create
Scorched
, Turnage's orchestrations of Scofield compositions largely form the Blue Matter period.
Scorched
, a recording available on
Deutsche Grammophon, debuted in Frankfurt, Germany.
He released
Überjam
in 2002 and
Up All Night
in 2004, two albums on which he experiments with
drum n bass and other modern rhythms. John Scofield has also worked and recorded in Europe with
nu-fusionist Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz in 2001/2 and 2006. Late 2004 saw the release of
EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE
, which features the jazz trio of John Scofield, Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded live at
The Blue Note in NYC in December 2003. The next year, he released
That's What I Say - JS plays the music of Ray Charles
- Scofield with an all-star guest studded collection of
Ray Charles material. This led to a series of performances with
Mavis Staples, Gary Versace on organ, John Benitez on bass, and the venerable
Steve Hass on drums.
After filling in for guitarist
Larry Campbell for two engagements in December (3rd & 4th) of 2005 with
Phil Lesh & Friends, Scofield has since played numerous shows with the band. Most recently, on June 3 at Mountain Jam, which took place in Hunter, NY the first weekend of June 2007.
On September 26, 2006 he released
Out Louder
, his second collaborative effort album with
avant garde jazz trio
Medeski Martin & Wood. The group, known collectively as MSMW toured extensively worldwide in 2006 and 2007, with sporadic engagements planned through 2008. Scofield also performs as a duo with John Medeski - aptly named The Johns and another groove trio with Scofield, Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch.
September 18, 2007 saw
This Meets That
released on EmArcy Records - Universal Music's jazz label, a record featuring his trio with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart. This time John added a horn section to expand the sound of his trio. The touring unit for this record features the Sco Horns, a three piece horn section of Phil Grenadier on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tom Olin on tenor saxophone, flute and alto flute and Frank Vacin on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet.
Scofield is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member in the Jazz Department at
New York University's
Steinhardt School of Education. Married to Susan Scofield in 1978, they are the parents of music producer Jean Scofield b. 1981 and Evan Scofield b. 1987.
Equipment
Scofield endorses
Ibanez guitars. His signature guitar, the JSM100, is based on his longtime stage and recording guitar, a 1981
Ibanez AS200 which he believes to be one of the best semi-acoustics ever built. He gets his tone by running a
Pro Co RAT through either a
Vox AC-30 or
Mesa Boogie amplifier. Some of his effects include an Ibanez CS9 Analog Chorus, a Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, and a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler. Some of his additional effects include a
Digitech XP100 Whammy/Wah, a Boss EQ Pedal, a Boss Loop Station, and a Boomerang phrase sampler pedal. John Scofield uses Dunlop Delrin 2 mm picks.
Discography
As leader & co-leader
- John Scofield
(1977) - Trio Records
- John Scofield Live
(1977) - Enja Records
- East Meets West
(1977) - Black-Hawk Records, Bellophon Records
- Rough House
(1978) - Enja Records
- Who's Who?
(1979) - Arista/Novus
- Bar Talk
(1980) - Jive/Novus
- Out Like a Light
(1981) - Enja Records
- Shinola
(1981) - Enja Records
- Electric Outlet
(1984) - Gramavision
- Still Warm
(1985) - Gramavision
- Blue Matter
(1986) - Gramavision
- Loud Jazz
(1987) - Gramavision
- Pick Hits Live
(1987) - Gramavision
- Flat Out
(1988) - Gramavision
- Best of John Scofield
(1989) - Blue Note
- Time on My Hands
(1990) - Blue Note
- Slo Sco:The Best of the Ballads
(1990) - Gramavision
- Meant To Be
(1991) - Blue Note
- Grace Under Pressure
(1992) - Blue Note
- What We Do
(1993) - Blue Note
- I Can See Your House From Here
(1994) - w/Pat Metheny - Blue Note
- Hand Jive
(1994) - Blue Note
- Liquid Fire: The Best of John Scofield
(1994) - Gramavision
- Groove Elation
(1995) - Blue Note
- Quiet
(1996) - Verve
- A Go Go
with Medeski Martin & Wood(1998) - Verve
- Bump
(2000) - Verve
- Steady Groovin': The Blue Note Groove Sides
(2000) - Blue Note
- Works For Me
(2001) - Verve
- Überjam
(2002) - Verve
- Oh!
(2003) - as ScoLoHoFo - Blue Note
- Up All Night
(2003) - Verve
- Scorched
(2004) - w/Mark-Anthony Turnage - DG Deutsche Grammophon
- EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE
(2004) - Verve
- That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles
(2005) - Verve
- Saudades
(2006) - as Trio Beyond - ECM
- Out Louder
(2006) - as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood - Indirecto
- This Meets That
(2007) - Emarcy Records
- Piety Street
(2009) - Emarcy Records
As a sideman
With Teodross Avery
- My Generation
(1996) - Impulse!
With Billy Cobham
- A Funky Thide of Sings
(1975) - Atlantic
- Life & Times
(1976) - Wounded Bird Records
With Larry Coryell
- Tributaries
(1978) - Arista Novus
With Miles Davis
- You're Under Arrest
(1985) - Columbia
- Decoy
(1984) - Sony Music
- Star People
(1983) - Sony Music
'''With
John Ellis:
- One Foot In The Swamp
(2005) - Hyena
With David Friesen
- Two for the Show
(1994) - ITM Pacific
With Jon Gordon
- Possibilities
(2000) - Double-Time
With Herbie Hancock
- The New Standard
(1995) - Verve
With Jimmy Haslip
With Roy Haynes
- Love Letters
(2003) - Columbia
With Joe Henderson
- So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles)
(1993) - Verve
- Porgy & Bess
(1997) - Verve
With Ron Holloway
- Struttin
(1995) - Milestone Records
With Marc Johnson
- Shades of Jade
(2005) - ECM
- Second Sight
(1987) - ECM
- Bass Desires
(1986) - ECM
With Lee Konitz
- Rhapsody II
(1993) - Evidence
With Manhattan Jazz Quintet
- Manhattan Blues
(1990) – Sweet Basil
With Gary Marks
- Gathering
(1974) - Arewea Records
With Charles Mingus
- Three of Four Shades of Blue
(1977) - Collectables Records
With Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker
- Carnegie Hall Concert
(1974) - CTI Records
With John Patitucci
- Now
(1998) - Concord Jazz
With Phil Lesh and Friends
- Live at the Warfield
(2006) - Image
With Harvie Swartz
- In a Different Light
(1990) - Blue Moon
'''With
Tommy Smith:
- Blue Smith
(1999) - Linn Records
With Gary Thomas
- By Any Means Necessary
(1989) - JMT
With Bugge Wesseltoft
- New Conception Of Jazz Live
(2003) - Jazzland
With Lenny White
- Present Tense
(1995) - Hip Bop
With Jack DeJohnette
- Music for the fifth world
(1992) - Capitol
References
- AOL.com artist profile[1]
- All About Jazz Bio [1]
- Yahoo Music artist Bio [1]