One of the "big three" of current
jazz guitarists (along with
Pat Metheny and
Bill Frisell),
John Scofield's influence grew in the '90s. Possessor of a very distinctive
rock-oriented sound that is often a bit distorted,
Scofield is a masterful
jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between
post-bop,
fusion, and soul jazz. He started on guitar while at high school in Connecticut, and from 1970-1973
Scofield studied at Berklee and played in the Boston area.
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After recording with
Gerry Mulligan and
Chet Baker at Carnegie Hall,
Scofield was a member of the
Billy Cobham-
George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded with
Charles Mingus, and later joined the
Gary Burton quartet and
Dave Liebman's quintet. His own early sessions as a leader were
funk-oriented. During 1982-1985
Scofield toured the world and recorded with
Miles Davis. Since that time he has led his own groups, played with Bass Desires, and recorded frequently as a leader for Gramavision and Blue Note, using such major players as
Charlie Haden,
Jack DeJohnette,
Joe Lovano, and
Eddie Harris.
Scofield started a long-term relationship with the Verve label in 1996 with his acoustic album Quiet. He cut the funky
A Go Go with
Medeski, Martin & Wood in 1997 while 2000's Bump featured members of
Sex Mob,
Soul Coughing, and Deep Banana Blackout. 2001's
Works for Me featured a more traditional jazz sound, but for 2002's
Uberjam and 2003's Up All Night, he was back to playing fusion. Drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow rounded out the John Scofield Trio for 2004's cerebral and complex live album
EnRoute. In 2005,
Scofield paid tribute to legendary soul man
Ray Charles with
That's What I Say. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
