John Scofield, has been a living legend and an iconoclast of jazz guitar for over 50 years. No doubt, I would easily place John in the all-time Top 5 in jazz, if not Top 4.
Affectionately known as “Sco” to his admirers and fans, his work includes studio recordings and live performances with Miles Davis, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Steve Swallow, Scary Goldings, Gov’t Mule, and a host of other luminaries and world renowned orchestras. John has left his indelible stamp playing so masterfully across so many different genres that are not only totally epic, but it would take two lifetimes to cover his career in-depth.
John is a great guy and I’m proud to say he was my former guitar teacher decades ago. However, that is as close musically as we will ever be. I became so excited when I heard he was slated for a Thanksgiving residency at the Blue Note from last November 27 to December 1.
“Sco’s” Blue Note Show
When I watched “Sco” perform at the Blue Note with the John Scofield Quartet, consisting of long-time stalwart Bill Stewart on drums, Vicente Archer on bass, and the incredible Nicholas Payton on trumpet, I became instantly convinced. At 73, the great John Scofield isn’t losing any of his edge. If anything, he is picking up a renewed steam!
It was my greatest thrill going backstage after the show, and having the rarest chance to meet again and become reacquainted with the legend himself, my former mentor, for the first time in over 40 years.
John Scofield Can’t be Copied
Many great jazz musicians and historians agree. John is one of the most creative jazz improvisers of all-time, a true artist and “Ultimate Chameleon” of music. His natural nuanced style rooted in blues, folk, and jazz has a “Sco” feel that is simply uncopiable. Take for instance John’s guitar solo in Thelonius Monk’s Rhythm-A-Ning, where he improvised in his fabulous signature angular bebop playing style. It was at times atonal yet delicious, peppy, jumpy, and full of energy.
Something that brought great joy to me during that wonderful performance was listening to John’s arrangement and improvised solo during Airegin composed by the great Sonny Rollins. After this classic’s quite complex opening rhythmic pattern, its fast-swinging solo section was irresistible. John’s genius in creating lines working with silences falling within odd places in the measure is uncanny.
That guitar solo was so nuanced and delightfully quirky as ever! John’s phrasing was unexpected, with “inside/outside” playing bebop mixed with country blues. Once again, the way he uses space in between the notes he plays is magical — a trait he claims he learned from Miles Davis. John was Miles’ guitarist from 1982-1985 during his late fertile “pop star” period, but during that time they recorded three amazing albums, Star People, Decoy, and You’re Under Arrest.
A Jazz Artist Whose Heart is in the Blues
John grew up during the early ‘60s listening, learning, and loving the early blues, folk music, The Beatles, and rock ‘n’ roll! Undoubtedly, growing up listening to such a confluence of diverse musical styles shaped the great player in a radical way.
Born in 1951, he began playing guitar at the age of 11, the perfect age to witness a “perfect storm” of cultural music icons – namely the real original “Beatlemania” with the Beatles debut American performance on the Ed Sullivan show, the folk blues movement and ‘60s rock scene, e.g. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Albert King, the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix. Falling in this “sweet spot” as a 13-year old greatly influenced John’s affinity toward folk, blues, and rock – which would ultimately become a constant repeating undercurrent within his later bebop and jazz playing he is most noted for.
During one leg of a tour, John could be playing Sonny Rollins in New York, then playing with an elegant European orchestra, then during the final American leg, playing Grateful Dead music mixed with jazz! Few great musicians in any genre have ever conquered a world of diverse sonic landscapes while bringing great joy to others like “Sco” has!
In 2020 John had a concert with the Danish Radio Big Band Orchestra in Denmark where this large fantastic orchestra performed several beautiful arrangements of his compositions. John played his accompanying solos and rhythmic cadences. I’ve never seen a conductor and an orchestra so joyous in playing another artist’s works. Particularly memorable was how the front line reacted at the end of Boogie Stupid where John played this ending quasi-Celtic classical hybrid picking cadence, which had the main chairs in the orchestra “beaming” with joy at him. And the Japanese conductor Miho Hazama was simply beside herself.
John Scofield is like a fine wine or bourbon. He is truly one of the greats that gets even better with age. Next time this legend is in your town, RUN out and get tickets fast. Witnessing his live performance should be on every true music lover’s Bucket List.
Read this article on Jazz Legend John Scofield where I originally wrote it in The Village View:
John Scofield: Living Legend of Jazz Guitar’s Epic Performance at the Blue Note
Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.