Music Review: John Scofield - This Meets That

The rise and fall of jazz legends, both in artistic talent and popularity, is an inevitability that continues into the 21st Century. And jazz in the 21st Century is much different than it was in the classic days of Coltrane and Parker; for one, it's harder to find original work, and a lot of modern jazz musicians stick to tried and tested jazz formulas and cliched riffs instead of stepping out and trying new, exciting things.

John Scofield, however, has never been a musician that sticks to a formula. Even when he borrows from his past to supplement his new musical styles, it comes out sounding like something completely new. You can call Scofield restless, prolific, eclectic, or whatever word you feel describes him best, but one thing is for sure: he's willing to break through genre barriers while allowing for some beautiful jazz improvisation.

This Meets That finds Scofield reaching out to borrow from his past, while trying out new guitar work and horn compositions. The first sign that Scofield is using nostalgia to create something new is by bringing bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart (who last recorded with Scofield on 2004's EnRoute) back to his lineup. He is also backed up by a four part horn section that rounds out the album on some of the more classic sounding Scofield tracks.

The album kicks off with "The Low Road," and Scofield shows us why he's not sticking to the tried and true jazz formulas for very long. The opening guitar riffs conjure the spirit of Sonic Youth and some of their post-punk counterparts, which comes at you unexpectedly with its dissonance and harmonics. As soon as he takes a turn in a totally unexpected direction, the band jumps in, horns and all. Stewart's drum work is subtly layered while Scofield jams through several improvisational guitar solos that are complemented by the horns. There's also a bit of distortion in the background that gives "The Low Road" an eerie feeling, and it's a truly excellent start to a promising album.

Scofield continues his blend of guitars and horns on songs like "Down D" and "Trio Blues." In "Down D," Scofield starts off with some reverberating guitars on top of Stewart's counterpointed drum beats; the song has a down home, Americana feel to it, and it's certainly a return to Scofield's signature guitar sound. "Down D" shows that Scofield isn't as interested in his jam band qualities that have appeared on his more recent albums; in fact, the closest we get to true jam band jazz is on "Trio Blues," where Scofield swings beats with a warm, fuzzy (and yet classic) guitar tone.

Article Author: Kevin Eagan

Kevin Eagan is a Blogcritics Books Editor and (occasional) freelance writer based in the Greater St. Louis, MO area. He also writes at There There Kid, a blog that focuses on literature, culture, and music.

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