`QUIET' TIME FOR JAZZER SCOFIELD : LARGER GROUP, NEW APPROACH FOR GUITARIST.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer Jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitar players who play jazz music using an approach to playing chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has a long history in jazz music, both as an ensemble instrument performing chordal accompaniment, and as John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26 1951 in Dayton, Ohio)[1] is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who played and eventually collaborated with Miles Davis, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, Dennis Chambers, George Duke and other important artists. was so unsure of his plan to cut an album using only acoustic guitar that he brought his electric model to the studio in case he changed his mind. The resulting disc, ``Quiet'' (Verve), is considered an unqualified success by critics. On the album, Scofield, acting as orchestrator and leader, uses nylon-string guitar and is joined by saxophonist Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25 1933) is an American jazz composer and saxophonist, commonly regarded as one of the more important American jazz sax players and composers since the 1960s. and bassist Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (b. October 4, 1940) is a jazz bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. As a child, Swallow studied piano and trumpet before turning to the double bass at age 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. . ``I had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to do an album of lyrical music,'' Scofield said. ``The acoustic guitar idea developed slowly. I never really thought I'd ever make an all-acoustic record. But it's really more of a quiet record.'' Scofield, previously known for edgy, scorched-earth jazz-fusion fret shredding, is among the best-known contemporary jazz guitarists See also
One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is and Bill Frisell William Richard "Bill" Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is a North American jazz guitarist, progressive folk musician and composer. Frisell uses a wide range of effects (delay, distortion, reverb, octave shifters, and volume pedals, to name a few) to create unique sounds from his . His big break came when he joined Miles Davis Noun 1. Miles Davis - United States jazz musician; noted for his trumpet style (1926-1991) Miles Dewey Davis Jr., Davis in 1982 for three years of touring and recording. ``I love playing live,'' Scofield said. ``Jazz musicians This is a list of jazz musicians on whom Wikipedia has articles. Some of the most notable jazz musicians
The Scofield quintet appears Tuesday through Dec. 8 at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. The lineup includes Seamus Blake (sax), Kevin Hays (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass) and Bill Stewart (drums). ``It's a very young band,'' said Scofield, who turns 45 on Dec. 26. ``They're all in their 20s or early 30s. They play with a great deal of energy.'' Scofield studied at Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music and gigged around the city before working with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker at Carnegie Hall. Later, he joined the Billy Cobham-George Duke band and in 1977 recorded with Charles Mingus. He was also a member of vibraphonist Gary Burton's rock-jazz quartet before striking out on his own to record almost two dozen albums as leader. On ``Quiet,'' Scofield - voted best guitarist and leader of the best electric jazz group in the latest Down Beat Readers' Poll - composed and arranged for a 10-piece group. Until a 1993 duo date with Metheny, ``I Can See Your House From Here'' (Blue Note), Scofield did not even own an acoustic guitar. But his new album isn't merely ``Scofield Unplugged.'' It's also his first album for Verve, his first as orchestrator and his first sessions with Shorter, who plays on three tunes. The French horns, flutes and tubas
Tubas (Arabic: طوباس on the track ``Away With Words,'' for example, suggest Scofield has been studying the arranging technique of Gil Evans. ``I always thought you needed to know some special stuff to arrange for horns,'' Scofield said from his New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of home. ``I took a lot of time on that track. I've listened to big bands all my life, but at one point I sat down and worked on one bar of music for two weeks. I realized the possibilities are endless. Now I have new respect for real arrangers.'' At Catalina's next week, Scofield will play both electric and acoustic guitars. Some of the horn parts will be covered by Hays' synthesizer synthesizer Machine that electronically generates and modifies sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer, for use in the composition of electronic music and in live performance. in conjunction with the very real saxophone of Blake, who has cut albums with drummer Victor Lewis and trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti. ``I can't afford to take six horns on the road,'' Scofield explained. ``I have no choice. The economics of the world are different from the '60s, when the cover charge would be a few bucks and bands would play five sets a night to packed houses. Now, it's a whole different thing. I'd like to do multiple nights, but that's also a thing of the past. I'm happy playing clubs because if the concert hall is too big, I think jazz gets swallowed up. Even if you're the Smashing Pumpkins, these stadiums are just too big to communicate music. To me, a 500-seater or less is the perfect place.'' In making ``Quiet,'' Scofield was especially pleased to record with Shorter, who in 1964 filled John Coltrane's chair in Davis' group and helped create the groundbreaking jazz-fusion band Weather Report with Joe Zawinul in the early '70s. ``I was just thrilled to have Wayne on this record,'' the guitarist said. ``He played so beautifully and the way he approached the music thrilled me. What surprised me was how well he learned the music. Musicians of his stature usually come in, play it through once and leave. Wayne approached each number with the care and detail of a composer.'' THE FACTS Who: John Scofield Quintet. Where: Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. When: 8:45 and 10:45 p.m. Tuesday through Dec. 8. Tickets: $14 to $17 depending on day. Information: (213) 466-2210. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: On ``Quiet,'' his first release for Verve, John Scofield plays nylon-string guitar on his compositions and arrangements for a 10-piece group. |
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