John Scofield has performed with Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and plenty of extra over the 100 or so albums he is recorded as a sideman and bandleader. He says that selecting 10 tracks from that illustrious catalog felt “overwhelming.”
Jonathan Chimene/Courtesy of the artist
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Jonathan Chimene/Courtesy of the artist
Say the title ‘John Scofield,’ and followers from throughout the musical spectrum — whether or not jazz, blues, rock or funk — will nod in approval. Affectionately often called “Sco,” the guitarist is revered for his distinctive sound and mendacity down razor-sharp grooves alongside legends like Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Chet Baker and Phil Lesh, to call a couple of.
This November, the legendary guitarist and composer celebrates 50 years of recorded music. To mark this milestone, Jazz Night time in America gave Scofield a novel problem: choose 10 life-defining tracks from his intensive discography and share the tales behind them.
With a profession spanning over 100 albums as each a sideman and bandleader, narrowing down his alternatives was no straightforward activity. As Scofield himself admits, selecting the best tracks felt “overwhelming.” In the end, he selected to focus solely on his personal recordings, providing listeners a private glimpse into his musical journey.
This episode of Jazz Night time in America captures the essence of Scofield’s multi-decade affect on the music world, his love of collaboration and his skill to repeatedly push the boundaries of what jazz guitar may be.
“Once I was an adolescent, I used to be prepared to only work in a guitar retailer. I simply needed to do something to be round it,” Scofield says. “I had no concept that it could be as great because it has been.”
Set Record:
(All songs composed by John Scofield except in any other case famous)
- “Blue Matter” from the album Blue Matter (Gramavision, 1986)
- “Eiderdown” (Steve Swallow), from the album Swallow Tales (ECM, 2020)
- “Hottentot” from the album A Go Go (Verve, 1998)
- “Away with Phrases”, from the album Quiet (Verve, 1996)
- “Since You Requested”, from the album Time on My Arms (Blue Notice, 1990)
- “Simply Do not Need to Be Lonely” (Vinnie Barrett, Bobby Eli, John Freeman), from the album Überjam Deux (EmArcy, 2013)
- “I Do not Want No Physician” (Jo Armstead, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson), from the album That is What I Say: John Scofield Performs the Music of Ray Charles (Verve, 2005)
- “Sincere I Do” from the album Grace Below Stress (Blue Notice, 1992)
- “Mrs. Scofield’s Waltz” from the album Works for Me (Verve, 2001)
- “I’m So Lonesome I May Cry” (Hank Williams), from the album Nation For Previous Males (Impulse!, 2016)
Credit: Sarah Geledi, author and producer; Trevor Smith, consulting producer; Christian McBride, host; Ron Scalzo, episode combine; Nikki Birch and Mitra Arthur, video producers; Steven A. Williams, govt producer; Suraya Mohamed, govt producer of NPR Music; Keith Jenkins, vp of visuals and music technique at NPR.
Particular due to Susan Scofield and Don Lucoff.
