John Scofield Trio plays Beaver Creek Saturday
Courtesy photo
John Scofield, one of the primary innovators of modern jazz guitar, brings his trio, featuring Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart, to the Vilar Performing Arts Center April 6.
Since the late 1970s, Scofield’s guitar playing has influenced the jazz world with its signature sounds and stylistic diversity. Throughout his career, the triple Grammy award winner has easily crossed genres from bebop and blues to jazz-funk, electronic groove music, jamming and orchestral music.
“I started out at a particularly good time because fusion jazz was getting a lot of attention, and guitar was becoming more popular in jazz. When I joined the Billy Cobham band and later joined with Miles Davis, we played to huge, enthusiastic audiences, and it was quite exciting. I think that kind of jazz rock scene is not quite the same today, although it maybe has morphed into the jam band scene,” he said.
He points out how the world of jazz has mostly remained the same, as niche music with fans and musicians who are deeply dedicated to the art form. Yet, many of his early heroes from the ’50s were still on the scene in the ’70s, when he began.
“I was lucky to get more firsthand exposure to those from the bebop era than some younger people have had,” he said.
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From 1982-85, he toured and recorded with the legendary Miles Davis.
“I loved Miles’ music long before I ever played with him, and I still do. Like every jazz musician I know, I tried to learn from his records and was a huge fan. It was amazing to get to know him. I gained a lot of confidence knowing that he liked what I was doing. It was also wonderful to hear his ideas about music in general. The greatest thing, though, was hearing that trumpet next to you on stage and having to play a solo after he had played his because you really had to come up with something. He was special — unique,” he said. “I also learned that it’s probably best practice to be nice to people in the business and the audience and keep the vibe good with the musicians you are performing with. Miles wasn’t always skilled in that area.”
Since performing with Davis, he has mostly led his own groups within the international jazz scene. In addition to touring throughout the world approximately 200 days annually and being a husband and a father, he is an adjunct professor of music at New York University.
Through his teaching, which he describes as spontaneous, he shares his ideas about music and plays along with students, demonstrating by example.
“I suppose what I hope to instill in them is the need to work hard, learn from others, play as much as they can and express themselves originally,” he said.
In terms of his trio, Archer and Stewart share a similar jazz perspective as Scofield.
“I think that’s why our music works out well as a group,” he said. “Both Bill and Vicente play at the highest level of jazz performance, and they certainly inspire me to play my best. I hope I can do somewhat the same for them. As I’ve grown older, I have learned to trust the excellent musicians that I play with and let every song go its own way. We discover the music together differently each night.”
Their show at the Vilar will feature songs mostly from their double album, “Uncle John’s Band,” though the tunes will sound different, since improvisation is such an essential element on stage. Named after the Grateful Dead song, the album takes on songs ranging from Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Neil Young’s “Old Man” to Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” and Davis’ “Budo.” Jazz standards also add to seven of Scofield’s originals. He chose songs that he loves and that work well for him on the guitar, as well as for the group.
“I certainly can’t say that I have improved any of the covers here, but we have made them answer to the jazz identity,” he said. “We had to be able to turn them into jazz. The songs must be vehicles for improvisation. Without the improvisation, they would just be instrumental versions of pop tunes, and the world has plenty of that already.”
The covers add an element not always present in his shows, meaning, they’re songs people already know.
“(Regarding) ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ I was 13 when the Byrd’s version of this Bob Dylan tune was a hit, and that’s the version that inspired me. I couldn’t wait ‘for my boot heels to go wandering.’ When we improvise, we don’t follow a form but play freely,” he said. “As for ‘Old Man,’ I always liked Neil Young’s hit, and I can really relate to it now. His tune includes a six-bar intro figure that we stretch out on for solos. Everyone seems to know ‘Uncle John’s Band,’ which is one of my favorites of the Garcia/Hunter Grateful Dead tunes. I learned it from Phil Lesh. Again, the improvisation is free. I love playing this way with Vicente — he knows what to do, as does Bill. I feel like we can go anywhere, bootheels or not.”
