2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951),[2] often referred to as "Sco",
John Scofield
is an American jazz-rock guitarist and composer whose playing spans
bebop, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and rock.[1]

He has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe
Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey DeFrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat
Metheny, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil
Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, George Duke, Jaco
Pastorius, John Mayer, Robert Glasper, and Gov't Mule.[3]

John Scofield, Moers Festival,

Germany, 2006
Contents Background information
Biography Born December 26, 1951
Equipment Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Discography Genres Jazz, jazz fusion,
As leader and co-leader acid jazz[1]
Compilations
Occupation(s) Musician, composer
As a sideman
Awards
Instruments Guitar

References Years active 1970s–present

External links Labels Enja, Gramavision,
Blue Note, Verve,
EmArcy
Biography Associated acts Miles Davis, Billy
Cobham, Pat
Scofield's family left Ohio and relocated to the small, then mostly rural
Metheny, Steve
town of Wilton, Connecticut; it was here that he discovered his interest
Swallow, Marc
in music.[4]
Johnson, Joe
Educated at the Berklee College of Music, Scofield eventually left school Henderson, Joe
to record with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. He joined the Billy Lovano, Medeski
Cobham/George Duke Band soon after and spent two years playing, Martin & Wood, Trio
recording and touring with them. He recorded with Charles Mingus in Beyond
1976, and replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet.[5] Scofield Website www.johnscofield
received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee in 1997. .com (http://www.joh
nscofield.com)
In 1976 Scofield signed with Enja Records and released his first album,
John Scofield, in 1977. He recorded with pianist Hal Galper, first on his own solo album Rough House in 1978, and
then on Galper's album Ivory Forest (1980), where he played a solo rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood".[6]

In 1979 he formed a trio with his mentor Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum which, with drummer Bill Stewart
replacing Nussbaum, has become the signature group of Scofield's career.[7] In 1982, he joined Miles Davis, with
whom he remained for three and a half years. He contributed tunes and guitar work to three of Davis's albums, Star
People, Decoy, and You're Under Arrest.[8] After he left Miles Davis, he released Electric Outlet (1984) and Still Warm
(1985)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 1/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

He started what is now referred to as his Blue Matter Band, with Dennis Chambers on drums, Gary Grainger on bass,
and Mitchel Forman, Robert Aries, or Jim Beard on keyboards. The band released the albums Blue Matter, Loud Jazz
and Pick Hits Live. Marc Johnson formed Bass Desires with Peter Erskine, and Bill Frisell. This "most auspicious
[pairing] since John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana"[9] was only transitory and recorded just two records, the self-
titled Bass Desires and Second Sight (1986 and 1987).

At the beginning of the 1990s, Scofield formed a quartet that

included Joe Lovano with whom he recorded several albums for
Blue Note Records.[10] Time on My Hands (1990), with Joe Lovano,
Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette, showcased Scofield's guitar
and Mingus-influenced writing. Bill Stewart became the group's
drummer and played on Meant to Be (1991) and What We Do
(1993). In 1992, Scofield released Grace Under Pressure, featuring
fellow guitarist Bill Frisell, with Charlie Haden on bass and Joey
Baron on drums. Stewart rejoined with Scofield and bassist Steve
Swallow for the 1994 collaboration with Pat Metheny, I Can See
Your House from Here.

Towards the end of his tenure with Blue Note, Scofield returned to a
more funk and soul jazz-oriented sound, a direction which has
dominated much of his subsequent output. In 1994 and 1995, he
formed a group that included organist/pianist Larry Goldings,
bassist Dennis Irwin, and alternately drummers, Bill Stewart and
Onstage in 2004
Idris Muhammad. The group toured extensively, and the albums
Hand Jive and Groove Elation feature this funk/groove/soul-jazz
dimension in Scofield's music, bringing in tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris, percussionist Don Alias, trumpeter Randy
Brecker, and others. He recorded the acclaimed 1997 album A Go Go with the avant-garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin &
Wood. Also during this period, his relationship began with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. First as a soloist
on Turnage's Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy, the two paired up to create Scorched, Turnage's orchestrations of
Scofield compositions largely form the Blue Matter period. Scorched, a recording available on Deutsche
Grammophon, debuted in Frankfurt, Germany.

He released Überjam in 2002 and Up All Night in 2004, two albums on which he experiments with drum n bass and
other modern rhythms. John Scofield has also worked and recorded in Europe with nu-fusionist Bugge Wesseltoft
New Conception of Jazz in 2001/2 and 2006. Late 2004 saw the release of EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE, which
features the jazz trio of John Scofield, the venerable Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded
live at The Blue Note in NYC in December 2003. The next year, he released That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the
Music of Ray Charles - Scofield with an all-star guest studded collection of Ray Charles material. This led to a series of
performances with Mavis Staples, Gary Versace on organ, John Benitez on bass, and Steve Hass on drums.

After sitting in for two engagements in December (3rd & 4th) of 2005 with Phil Lesh and Friends, Scofield has since
played numerous shows with the band.

On September 26, 2006 he released Out Louder, his second collaborative effort album with avant garde jazz trio
Medeski, Martin & Wood.[11] The group, known collectively as MSMW toured extensively worldwide in 2006 and
2007, with sporadic engagements planned in the future. Scofield also performs as a duo with John Medeski - aptly
named The Johns and another groove trio with Scofield, Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch.

September 18, 2007 saw This Meets That released on EmArcy Records - Universal Music's jazz label, a record
featuring Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart and a horn trio.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 2/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

Scofield has also recorded music inspired by gospel music, notably

on the 2009 release Piety Street with bassist George Porter, Jr. and
singer/keyboardist Jon Cleary.

Scofield's 2010 release 54 had its origins in the 1990s when Vince
Mendoza asked John Scofield to play on his first album. Scofield has
since been featured on two of Mendoza's records. When Mendoza
assumed directorship of The Metropole Orchestra, he and Scofield
collaborated on a series of Mendoza's arrangements of Scofield
compositions performed with The Metropole Orchestra.

In April 2010, Scofield was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts
et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

In January 2011 he released A Moment's Peace with

pianist/organist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley and drummer
Brian Blade on EmArcy Records.

Scofield is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member in the

At the International Jazz Festival
Jazz Department at New York University's Steinhardt School of
Enschede, 2007
Education.[12]

He married Susan Scofield in 1978. They are the parents of music

producer Jean Scofield (born 1981) and Evan Scofield (1987–2013).

Equipment
Scofield endorses Ibanez guitars. His signature guitar, the JSM100, is based on his longtime stage and recording
guitar, a 1981 Ibanez AS200. He uses either a Vox AC30 or Mesa Boogie amplifier. Some of his effects include a Pro Co
RAT distortion pedal, an Ibanez CS9 Analog Chorus, a Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, a
DigiTech XP100 Whammy/Wah, a Boss EQ Pedal, a Boss Loop Station, and a Boomerang phrase sampler pedal. He
uses Dunlop Delrin 2 mm picks.[13]

Discography

As leader and co-leader

John Scofield (Trio (J), 1978), re-released as East Meets West (Black Hawk, 1987)
John Scofield Live (Enja, 1977)
Rough House (Enja, 1978)
Who's Who? (Arista Novus, 1979)
Four Keys with Martial Solal, Lee Konitz and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (MPS, 1979)
Bar Talk (Arista Novus, 1980)
Shinola (Enja, 1981)
Out Like a Light (Enja, 1981)
Electric Outlet (Gramavision, 1984)
Solar with John Abercrombie
Still Warm (Gramavision, 1985)
Blue Matter (Gramavision, 1986)
All Strings Attached with Tal Farlow, J. Abercrombie, L. Carlton and L. Coryell (Verve, 1986)
Loud Jazz (Gramavision, 1987)
Pick Hits Live (Gramavision, 1987)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 3/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

Flat Out (Gramavision, 1989)

Time on My Hands (Blue Note, 1990)
Meant to Be (Blue Note, 1991)
Grace Under Pressure (Blue Note, 1992)
What We Do (Blue Note, 1993)
Hand Jive (Blue Note, 1994)
I Can See Your House from Here, with Pat Metheny (Blue Note, 1994)
Groove Elation (Blue Note, 1995)
Quiet (Verve, 1996)
A Go Go with Medeski Martin & Wood (Verve, 1998)
Old Folks with Kenny Garrett, Michael Brecker and David Friesen (West Wind, 1999)
Shortcuts - Jazzpar Combo 1999 with Hans Ulrik, Lars Danielsson and Peter Erskine (Stunt, 1999)
Bump (Verve, 2000)
Works for Me (Verve, 2001)
Überjam (Verve, 2002)
Oh! as ScoLoHoFo (Blue Note, 2003)
Up All Night (Verve, 2003)
Scorched with Mark-Anthony Turnage (Deutsche Grammophon, 2004)
John Scofield Trio LIVE EnRoute (Verve, 2004)
That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles (Verve, 2005)
Saudades as Trio Beyond (ECM, 2006)
Out Louder as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (Indirecto, 2006)
This Meets That (EmArcy, 2007)
Piety Street (EmArcy, 2009)
54 with Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orchestra (EmArcy, 2010)
A Moment's Peace (EmArcy, 2011)
MSMW Live: In Case the World Changes Its Mind as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (EmArcy, 2011)
Überjam Deux (EmArcy, 2013)
Juice as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (Indirecto, 2014)
Sco-Mule as Gov't Mule feat. John Scofield (Mascot, 2015)
Past Present (Impulse!, 2015)
Country for Old Men (Impulse!, 2016)
Hudson with Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, and John Medeski (Motema Music, 2017)

Compilations
Slo Sco: The Best of the Ballads (Gramavision, 1990)
Liquid Fire: The Best of John Scofield (Gramavision, 1994)
Best of John Scofield (Blue Note, 1996)
Steady Groovin': The Blue Note Groove Sides (Blue Note, 2000)

As a sideman
Albums listed alphabetically by group or artist's last name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 4/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

Date Artist Album title Label Notes

1984 George Adams More Sightings Enja
George Adams-Don
1985 Live at Montmartre Timeless
Pullen Quartet
1987 Franco Ambrosetti Movies Enja
1988 Franco Ambrosetti Movies Too Enja
1988 Ray Anderson Blues Bred in the Bone Enja
1996 Teodross Avery My Generation Impulse!
1977 Chet Baker You Can't Go Home Again Horizon
1977 Chet Baker The Best Thing for You A&M
Joe Beck & Larry
1979 Tributaries Arista Novus
Coryell
1989 Richie Beirach Some Other Time Triloka
1985 Paul Bley Hot Soul Note
1988 Gary Burton Times Like These GRP
1992 Gary Burton Six Pack GRP
1997 Gary Burton Departure Concord
1989 Terri Lyne Carrington Real Life Story Verve Forecast
Glass
1991 Dennis Chambers Getting Even House/Pioneer
(Japan)
1975 Billy Cobham A Funky Thide of Sings Atlantic
1976 Billy Cobham Life & Times Atlantic
J. S. on two
1978 Billy Cobham Inner Conflicts Atlantic
tracks
Billy Cobham &
1976 Live on Tour in Europe Atlantic
George Duke
1979 Larry Coryell Tributaries RCA/Novus
1990 Bill Cosby & Friends Where You Lay Your Head Verve
1991 Lars Danielsson Fresh Enough L+R
1985 Miles Davis You're Under Arrest Columbia
1984 Miles Davis Decoy Columbia
1983 Miles Davis Star People Columbia
The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux Warner
2002 Miles Davis
1973–1991 Switzerland
1990 Joey DeFrancesco Where Were You? Columbia
1992 Jack DeJohnette Music for the Fifth World Capitol
2005 John Ellis One Foot in the Swamp Hyena
1991 Peter Erskine Sweet Soul Arista Novus
1994 David Friesen Two for the Show ITM Pacific
1979 Hal Galper Ivory Forest Enja
1987 Roberto Gatto Ask Inak

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 5/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

Date Artist Album title Label Notes

Mike Gibbs
1988 Big Time Venture
Orchestra
1990 Benny Golson Rhythmstick CTI
Omni Sound
1981 Bill Goodwin Solar Energy
Jazz
2000 Jon Gordon Possibilities Double-Time
Gov't Mule Featuring Released
1999 Sco-Mule Provogue
J. S. 2015
1977 Urbie Green Señor Blues CTI
1995 Herbie Hancock The New Standard Verve
1988 Tom Harrell Stories Contemporary
1993 Jimmy Haslip ARC UMG
2003 Roy Haynes Love Letters Columbia
2010 Eddie Henderson For All We Know Furthermore
1993 Joe Henderson So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles) Verve
1997 Joe Henderson Porgy & Bess Verve
J. S. on two
1999 Joe Henderson Quiet Now: Lovesome Thing Verve
tracks
1977 Terumasa Hino May Dance Flying Disk
1989 Terumasa Hino Bluestruck Blue Note
1995 Ron Holloway Struttin Milestone
1986 Marc Johnson Bass Desires ECM
1987 Marc Johnson Second Sight ECM
2005 Marc Johnson Shades of Jade ECM
1991 Eero Koivistoinen Altered Things Timeless
1993 Lee Konitz Rhapsody II Evidence
1988 Niels Lan Doky Daybreak Storyville
Phil Lesh and
2006 Live at the Warfield Image
Friends
1979 Dave Liebman Doin' It Again Timeless
1980 Dave Liebman If They Only Knew Timeless
1980 Dave Liebman What It Is Columbia
Manhattan Jazz
1990 Manhattan Blues Sweet Basil
Quintet
1974 Gary Marks Gathering Arewea
1980 Ron McClure Descendants Ken
1987 Ron McClure Home Base ODE
1979 Jim McNeely The Plot Thickens Muse
Jim McNeely with the
1989 East Coast Blow Out Lipstick
WDR Big Band
1971 Jay McShann Big Apple Bash New World
2001 Metalwood The Recline Verve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 6/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

Date Artist Album title Label Notes

1977 Charles Mingus Three or Four Shades of Blues Atlantic
Gerry Mulligan and
1974 Carnegie Hall Concert CTI
Chet Baker
Scofield on
1988 Missing Links Groovin MCA
two tracks
L'Orchestre National
1986 Orchestre National du Jazz '86 Label Bleu
du Jazz
Niels-Henning
1979 Dancing on the Tables SteepleChase
Ørsted Pedersen
1998 John Patitucci Now Concord Jazz
1983 Jim Pepper Comin' and Goin' Antilles
1997 Chris Potter Unspoken Concord
2002 Chris Potter Traveling Mercies Verve
Knut Riisnæs & Jon Knut Riisnæs – Jon Christensen Featuring
1992 Odin
Christensen John Scofield – Palle Danielsson
1979 Zbigniew Seifert Passion Capitol
1988 Tommy Smith Step by Step Blue Note
1999 Tommy Smith Blue Smith Linn
1977 Jeremy Steig Firefly CTI
1991 Steve Swallow Swallow XtraWATT
1990 Harvie Swartz In a Different Light Blue Moon
1989 Gary Thomas By Any Means Necessary JMT
Mark-Anthony
1998 Blood on the Floor Decca
Turnage
1989 McCoy Tyner Things Ain't What They Used to Be Blue Note
1978 Miroslav Vitous Guardian Angels Trio (Japan)
1984 Bennie Wallace Sweeping Through the City Enja
1985 Bennie Wallace Twilight Time Blue Note
1987 Bennie Wallace Art of the Saxophone Denon
1987 Bennie Wallace Border Town Blue Note
1979 Jack Walrath Demons in Pursuit Gatemouth
1982 Peter Warren Solidarity JAPO
2003 Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz Live Jazzland
1995 Lenny White Present Tense Hip Bop
2007 Keller Williams Dream SCI Fidelity

Awards
1998: Miles Davis Award, Montreal International Jazz Festival
2016: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Past Present
2017: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Country for Old Men
2017: Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 7/8
2/6/2018 John Scofield - Wikipedia

References
1. Stern, Chip (March 2001). "John Scofield: Will the Real John Scofield Please Stand Up?" (http://jazztimes.com/art
icles/20357-john-scofield-will-the-real-john-scofield-please-stand-up). JazzTimes. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
2. "John Scofield Music, News and Photos - AOL Music" (https://archive.is/20121202112337/http://music.aol.com/art
ist/john-scofield/). Music.aol.com. Archived from the original (http://music.aol.com/artist/john-scofield/) on 2012-
12-02. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
3. Small, Mark. "BERKLEE | Berklee College of Music" (http://www.berklee.edu/bt/172/coverstory.html). Berklee.edu.
Retrieved 2011-10-18.
4. "All About Jazz Bio" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080905083432/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/artists/scofield.ht
m). Allaboutjazz.com. Archived from the original (http://www.allaboutjazz.com/artists/scofield.htm) on 2008-09-05.
Retrieved 2011-10-18.
5. Yanow, Scott. "Yahoo Music artist Bio" (http://music.yahoo.com/ar-262946-bio--John-Scofield). Music.yahoo.com.
Retrieved 2011-10-18.
6. Yanow, Scott. "Ivory Forest - Hal Galper, Hal Galper Quartet" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/ivory-forest-mw000
0082903). AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
7. "John Scofield Trio featuring Steve Swallow & Bill Stewart" (http://www.jazzstl.org/experience/artists/john-scofield-
trio-featuring-steve-swallow-bill-stewart/). Jazz St. Louis. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
8. Cf. John Scofield in an interview (http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40431&page=1#4) with John
Kelman in 2011 for AllAboutJazz. Retrieved August 10, 2013
9. Bass Desires (https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000188234) at AllMusic. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
10. Cole, Tom (27 December 2015). "For John Scofield, Everything Old Is New Again — Even The Hard Parts" (http://
www.npr.org/2015/12/27/460960071/for-john-scofield-everything-old-is-new-again-even-the-hard-parts). NPR.
Retrieved 19 September 2016.
11. Tamarkin, Jeff. "Out Louder - Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/out-louder-mw0
000738853). AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
12. "Jazz Faculty: John Scofield" (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/jazz/people/faculty/scofield). Steinhardt School of
Education. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
13. "John Scofield - Jazz Guitarist & Composer" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120208033529/http://www.johnscofiel
d.com/equipment.html). Johnscofield.com. Archived from the original (http://www.johnscofield.com/equipment.htm
l) on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-23.

External links
Official site (http://www.johnscofield.com/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Scofield&oldid=823762464"

This page was last edited on 3 February 2018, at 07:02.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scofield 8/8