John Scofield

John Scofield

John Scofield is a US guitarist and composer from Dayton, Ohio, born in 1951. He works across jazz, jazz fusion, jazz-funk, post-bop, contemporary jazz and acid jazz, and is known for combining bebop playing with R&B and blues influences.

Career

Scofield records his first album, East Meets West, in 1977 after signing to Enja Records in 1976. In 1979 he forms a trio with Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. He records with Charles Mingus in 1976 and later replaces Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet. He also plays with Miles Davis and remains in Davis's group until 1985.

While still with Davis, he releases Electric Outlet in 1984, followed by Still Warm in 1985 after leaving the band. In the early 1990s he forms a quartet with Joe Lovano and records several albums for Blue Note Records. Time on My Hands brings together Lovano, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette and highlights Scofield's guitar playing and Mingus-influenced writing. Bill Stewart later becomes the group's drummer and appears on Meant to Be and What We Do.

In 1992 he releases Grace Under Pressure with Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden and Joey Baron. He follows with I Can See Your House from Here in 1994, a collaboration with Pat Metheny and Bill Stewart. In 1997 he records A Go Go with Medeski, Martin and Wood, a release associated with a strong funk influence. His later Blue Note-era work moves further towards funk and soul jazz, and this direction continues in much of his later output.

Collaborations and later projects

Scofield performs with various jam bands and records with DJ Logic on a version of Phish's "Cars Trucks Buses" for Sharin' in the Groove in 2001. He releases Überjam in 2002 and Up All Night in 2004, both of which use drum and bass and other modern rhythmic ideas. In 2004 he releases En Route, recorded live at The Blue Note in New York City in December 2003, with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart.

He later records Out Louder with Medeski Martin & Wood under shared billing. This Meets That follows in 2007 with his trio of Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart, expanded by a horn section known as the Sco Horns: Phil Grenadier on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tom Olin on tenor saxophone, flute and alto flute, and Frank Vacin on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet.

Teaching and roles

Scofield is a faculty member in the NYU/Steinhardt Jazz program in New York City.

Associated groups

He is associated with the John Scofield Trio, Trio Beyond, John Scofield Band, Scolohofo, Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Quartet, Hudson, Adams-Peterson All Stars, John Scofield Quartet, David Liebman Quintet and Gary Burton & Friends.