John Scofield & WDR Big Band live in Köln 2011

John Scofield, gt

Michael Abene, cond, arr

WDR Big Band Köln:

Johan Hörlen, Karolina Strassmayer, Olivier Peters, Paul Heller, Jens Neufang: saxophones

Ludwig Nuss, Marshall Allan Gilkes, Hans-Jürgen Fink, Mattis Cederberg: trombones

Andy Haderer, John Marshall, Wim Both, Rob Bruynen, Klaus Osterloh: trumpets

Frank Chastenier, keys; John Goldsby, bass; Hans Dekker, drums

recorded live at Philharmonie, Köln, May 21, 2011

1. Let the Cat Out

Soloists: Karolina Strassmayer, as; Frank Chastenier, org; John Scofield, gt

2. Hive

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Andy Haderer, tp

3. Chicken Dog

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Marshall Gilkes, tb

4. Keep Me In Mind

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; John Marshall, tp

5. Introduction of the band by Michael Abene

6. Go Blow

Soloists: Johan Hörlen, as; John Scofield, gt

7. The Guiness Spot

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; John Goldsby, b

8. Still Warm

Soloists: John Scofield, gt;  Paul Heller, ts; Hans Dekker, dr

9. Easy For You

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Paul Heller, ts;

10. Sin And Misery

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Frank Chastenier, p; Johan Hörlen, as

11. Pigs And Pans

Soloists: John Scofield, gt; Ludwig Nuss, tb; Hans Dekker, dr

Even before it went steeply uphill for John Scofield in 1982, he was in great demand as a guitarist, whether with Charles Mingus or Gary Burton. Then Miles Davis took him into his band, and Scofield recorded for him his to the present day distinctive sound in legendary fusion records such as Decoy. Today we can no longer imagine the pool of the five worldwide most influential jazz guitarists without Scofield and his characteristic creaking single notes. It is an honor for the WDR Big Band that Scofield himself is coming to lend his most famous pieces orchestral pulse and groove. Bandleader Michael Abene contributed the new arrangements. 

Last year another great arranger (Vince Mendoza) with another fine big band (Metropole Orkest) released a record featuring John Scofield, entitled 54.

John Scofield Trio live at Leverkusener Jazztage 2010

John Scofield, guitar
Steve Swallow, bass
Bill Stewart, drums
recorded live at Forum Leverkusen, November 2010

1. How Deep
2. Chicken Dog
3. Everything I Love
4. Pretty Out
5. Trio Blues
6. Someone To Watch Over Me

And here´s another one from the tour Scofield´s trio did last fall. And another of Scofield´s albums, and this one is highly recommended, too: the 2007 release "this meets that".

John Scofield Trio live at Stadttheater Neuburg an der Donau 2010

John Scofield, guitar
Steve Swallow, bass
Bill Stewart, drums

recorded live at Stadttheater Neuburg an der Donau, November 12, 2010

1. "How deep" (John Scofield)
2. "Green tea" (John Scofield)
3. "Everything I love" (Cole Porter)
4. "Just a girl I used to know" (George Jones)
5. "Pretty out" (John Scofield)
6. "Chicken dog" (John Scofield)
7. "Someone to watch over me" (George Gershwin)
8. "The low road" (John Scofield)
9. "Lawns" (Carla Bley)

I introduced the last great trio recordings "This meets that" and "Enroute" earlier on this blog. The latest album featuring Sco was released by Vince Mendoza and the Metropole Orchestra. The collaboration heard on 54 had its origins back in the 90's when Vince Mendoza asked John Scofield to play on his first album. John has since been featured on two of Vince s records and his guitar sound and improvisational skills work well within Vince s concept. When Mendoza assumed directorship of The Metropole Orchestra, he and Scofield decided to collaborate again with a primary focus on Mendoza s arrangements of Scofield compositions as performed with The Metropole Orchestra.

John Scofield Trio live in Hamburg 2010

John Scofield, guitar
Steve Swallow, bass
Bill Stewart, drums

recorded live at Rolf-Liebermann-Studio, NDR, Hamburg, October 28, 2010

1. How Deep (Scofield)
2. Chicken Dog (Scofield)
3. A Girl I Used To Know (Jack H. Clement)
4. Plain Song (Scofield)
5. Someone To Watch Over Me (George Gershwin)
6. Trio Blues (Scofield)
7. Lawns (Carla Bley)

This here is a great set by Sco´s longtime working band featuring Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart. Following a series of coruscating servings of progressive uber funk for Verve, Scofield stripped down to a trio for the 2004 album "en route", a live session at New York's Blue Note club in December 2003. He hooked up with a pair of old friends, the terrific loose-limbed drummer Bill Stewart, and the tense, nimble bassist Steve Swallow, and the three go after each other in some often-furiously busy, driving, tangled interplay, defying the frigid New York weather of that period. 

John Scofield Quartet live at NDR Hamburg 1990

 

John Scofield, gt
Joe Lovano sax
Anthony Cox, b
John Riley, dr
recorded live at NDR Studio 10, Hamburg, October 8, 1990

1. Big Fan (John Scofield)
2. Let's Say We Did (John Scofield)
3. Evansville (John Scofield)
4. Chariots (John Scofield)
5. Mr. Coleman To You (John Scofield)
6. Wabash III (John Scofield)

"Meant To Be features guitarist John Scofield's 1990 pianoless quartet on eleven of his compositions. During the best selections (such as "Big Fun" and "Mr. Coleman To You") one can hear the influence of not just the original Ornette Coleman Quartet but the Keith Jarrett/Dewey Redman Quintet. Joe Lovano's increasingly original tenor sound (mixing together John Coltrane, Dewey Redman and even Eddie Harris on this set) works well with Scofield, and the tight but loose rhythm section (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart). "Eisenhower" (a slightly tongue-in-cheek, boppish romp) and "Some Nerve" (which uses New Orleans parade rhythms) are also memorable performances. The colorful and enjoyable set is modern mainstrem music of the 1990s, stretching ahead while holding on to the roots of hard bop, funk and fusion." - Scott Yanow, allmusicguide.com about the 1990 record "Meant To Be", released on Blue Note.

John Scofield Quartet live at Onkel Pö´s Carnegie Hall, Hamburg 1978

John Scofield, guitar
Hal Galper, piano

Stafford James, bass
Adam Nussbaum, drums

recorded live at Onkel Pö's Carnegie Hall, October 10, 1978

1. Gray And Visceral (Scofield)
2. Aileron (Scofield)

This quartet released "Rough House" on enja. Down Beat:
»It’s seldom that an album combines fine tunes, inspired blowing, and creative and dynamic interaction to the extent these sides do. They satisfy my emotional cravings and at the same time keep me intellectually involved... Scofield should be applauded for putting it together.«

John Scofield Piety Street Band live at Jazzfest Berlin 2009

John Scofield · guitar

Jon Cleary · vocals, Hammond B3
George Porter, Jr. · bass
Terence Higgins · drums

recorded live at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Main Stage, November 8, 2009

1. Introduction by Ulf Drechsel (German)
2. That's Enough
3. Motherless Child
4. Untitled (II-V Jam)
5. Something's Got A Hold On Me
6. Walk With Me
7. Let The Good Times Roll
8. The Angel of Death (H.Williams)
9. It´s a Big Army
10. I Don´t Need No Doctor

Not just a modern jazz guitar hero, John Scofield is a guru of the groove. Boasting one of the most distinctive sounds in jazz, he’s also hailed for bringing fresh concepts to every new project over a 30+ year career. Delving back into Crescent City beats, Scofield is touring with his latest group, The Piety Street Band with whom he recorded his latest CD Piety Street, a very bluesy new album with an old-time gospel repertoire that satisfied Scofield's quest for material that would allow a blues project to go beyond the standard 12 bar blues. With Scofield the band includes solid blues musicians Jon Cleary on piano, organ and vocals, George Porter Jr. (of the Meters) on bass and Terence Higgins (of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on drums – all legends in their domains.

John Scofield Trio live in Leipzig 2001

John Scofield, guitar

Steve Swallow, bass
Bill Stewart, drums

recorded live at Leipziger Jazztage, Leipzig, Germany, November 4, 2001

Tracklist:
1. Eiderdown
2. Loose Canon
3. Radio
4. Everbody´s Party
5. Gone With The Wind

Mor music by this trio on the album "En Route"

John Scofield Band live at Stadtgarten, Köln 2000

John Scofield, guitar

Avi Bortnik, guitars, electronics
Jesse Murphy, bass
Ben Perowsky, drums, electronics

recorded live at Stadtgarten Köln, May 31, 2000

Tracklist:
1. Drop and Roll
2. Groan Man
3. Beep Beep
4. Jungle


This music was origially recorded for the album "Bump", here played by the "Überjam"-Band