John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz,

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the band of Miles Davis, and has toured and recorded with many prominent jazz artists, including saxophonists

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

, Dave Liebman,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and Joe Lovano; keyboardists

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

, Joey DeFrancesco,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

, Larry Goldings and Robert Glasper; fellow guitarists Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, Pat Martino and Bill Frisell; bassists

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and Jaco Pastorius; and drummer Billy Cobham and Dennis Chambers. Outside the world of jazz, he has collaborated with

Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...

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John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

, Medeski Martin & Wood, and

Gov’t Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

Biography

Scofield was born in Ohio but, when he was still a baby, his family moved to Wilton, Connecticut, where he discovered his interest in music. Educated at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

, Scofield left school to record with

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and Gerry Mulligan. He joined the Billy Cobham/

Band soon after and spent two years playing, recording, and touring with them. He recorded with

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

in 1976 and replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet. In 1976 Scofield signed with

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and ...

, which released his first album, '' John Scofield'', in 1977. He recorded with pianist Hal Galper on '' Rough House'' in 1978 and then on Galper's album ''

Ivory Forest ''Ivory Forest'' is a recording by a quartet led by pianist Hal Galper. It was released on the Enja Label in 1980. It features a 28-year-old John Scofield, whose 1979 Enja album Rough House featured Galper and drummer Adam Nussbaum in a similar q ...

'' (1980), where he played a solo rendition of "Monk's Mood" by Thelonious Monk. In 1979 he formed a trio with his mentor Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum which, with drummer Bill Stewart replacing Nussbaum, became the signature group of Scofield's career. In 1982, he joined Miles Davis, with whom he remained for three and a half years. He contributed tunes and guitar to three of Davis's albums, '' Star People'', '' Decoy'', and '' You're Under Arrest''. After he left Davis, he released '' Electric Outlet'' (1984) and ''

Still Warm ''Still Warm'' is a studio album by jazz guitarist John Scofield. It features keyboardist Don Grolnick, bass guitarist Darryl Jones and drummer Omar Hakim. The album was his second for Gramavision Records, Gramavision and was recorded right aft ...

'' (1985) He started what is 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''.

formed Bass Desires with Peter Erskine, Bill Frisell, and Scofield. This "most auspicious airingsince John McLaughlin and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

" recorded two albums, ''

Bass Desires ''Bass Desires'' is a studio album by jazz acoustic bassist Marc Johnson (musician), Marc Johnson released in 1985 on the ECM Records, ECM label.Second Sight'' (1987). John scofield 2004-07-23

At the beginning of the 1990s, Scofield formed a quartet that included Joe Lovano with whom he recorded several albums for Blue Note. '' Time on My Hands'' (1990), with Joe Lovano, Charlie Haden, and

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, ...

, 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 guitarist Bill Frisell, with Charlie Haden on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Stewart rejoined Scofield and Steve Swallow for '' I Can See Your House from Here'', a collaboration with Pat Metheny. Near the end of his time with Blue Note, Scofield returned to a sound that included more

and soul jazz. In 1994 and 1995, he formed a group with organist/pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Dennis Irwin, and alternately drummers, Bill Stewart and

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians such a ...

. The group toured extensively, and the albums '' Hand Jive'' and '' Groove Elation'' feature this funk/ groove/soul-jazz dimension in Scofield's music with tenor saxophonist

, percussionist Don Alias, and trumpeter Randy Brecker. He recorded the 1997 album ''A Go Go'' with avant-garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. Also during this period he began to work with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. He appeared as a soloist on Turnage's ''Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy''. They collaborated on ''Scorched'', an album of Turnage's orchestrations of Scofield's compositions, largely from the ''Blue Matter'' period. John Patitucci and Peter Erskine performed at the live premiere of ''Scorched'' at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt in September 2002 with the Radio-Symphony-Orchestra Frankfurt and the hr-Bigband. The performance was recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon. Scofield released ''

Überjam ''Überjam'' is an album by jazz guitarist John Scofield which was released by Verve on January 29, 2002. Track listing Personnel *John Scofield – electric guitar *Karl Denson – flute, saxophone *John Medeski – B3 organ, clavinet, mello ...

'' in 2002 and '' Up All Night'' in 2003, two albums on which he experimented with

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

. He recorded in Europe with the Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz in 2001–2002 and 2006. In 2004 '' EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE'' was released with Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded live at the

Blue Note Jazz Club Blue Note Jazz Club is a jazz club and restaurant located at 131 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the Nat Adderley Quintet being the featured ...

in New York City in December 2003. This was followed the next year by '' That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles''. This led to performances with

, Gary Versace on organ, John Benitez on bass, and

Steve Hass Steve Hass (born May 11, 1975) is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Island Park, New York, born to Greek immigrant parents from Athens. He is notable for his technical skill, time feel, and his musical versatility, hav ...

on drums. After sitting in for two engagements in December 2005 with Phil Lesh and Friends, Scofield has since played numerous shows with the band. John Scofield International Jazz Festival Enschede

John Scofield International Jazz Festival Enschede

On September 26, 2006 he released ''

Out Louder ''Out Louder'' is an album produced as a collaboration between Medeski Martin & Wood and John Scofield. It is the first album released under the name " Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood," since 1998's '' A Go Go'' was released under Scofield's name ...

'', his second collaboration with Medeski, Martin & Wood. The group, known collectively as MSMW, toured worldwide in 2006 and 2007. Scofield performed in a duo with John Medeski named The Johns and in a trio with Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch. He recorded music inspired by gospel on the 2009 album ''

Piety Street ''Piety Street'' is a 2009 studio album by jazz guitarist John Scofield. It was recorded in New Orleans with Meters bassist George Porter Jr. and keyboardist/vocalist Jon Cleary. The album features gospel music with Cleary singing most of the s ...

'' with Jon Cleary and

George Porter Jr. George Porter Jr. (born December 26, 1947) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 1960s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of fun ...

On September 18, 2007 EmArcy released ''

This Meets That This Meets That is a studio album by jazz musician John Scofield. Featuring longtime collaborators Steve Swallow on bass guitar and drummer Bill Stewart, along with a four piece horn section. Fellow guitarist Bill Frisell appears on one tra ...

'', an album recorded with Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart, and a horn trio. In 2011 EmArcy released ''A Moment's Peace'', recorded with pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer

Brian Blade Brian Blade (born July 25, 1970) is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter. Early life Blade was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. The first music he experienced was gospel and songs of praise at ...

. Scofield's 2010 album ''54'' had its origin in the 1990s when Vince Mendoza asked him to play on his first album. As director of the Metropole Orchestra, Mendoza collaborated with Scofield on arrangements of Scofield's compositions that were performed by the orchestra. Scofield has been an adjunct faculty member in the Jazz Department in the

Steinhardt School of Education The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as Steinhardt) is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of i ...

at New York University. With ''Inside Scofield'' by Jörg Steineck, the first feature-length documentary film about the master musician John Scofield was released in 2022.

Awards and honors

* 1997: Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee * 1998: Miles Davis Award, Montreal International Jazz Festival * 2002: Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album: ''

'' * 2004: Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album: '' Scorched'', and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for "Wee" * 2006: Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Trio Beyond - '' Saudades'' * 2010: Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: '' 54'' featured with

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest (Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Com ...

conducted by Vince Mendoza * 2010:

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

, French Ministry of Culture * 2016: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album: '' Past Present'', and nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Past Present" * 2017: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album: ''

Country for Old Men ''Country for Old Men'' is an album by American jazz guitarist John Scofield. It earned Scofield a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. It features longtime Scofield collaborators Larry Goldings on piano & organ, bass guitarist Steve Sw ...

'' * 2017: Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo: " I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

Discography

As leader and co-leader

John Scofield Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (190550)

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) *'' Sco-Mule'' (Evil Teen Records, 2015)

As a sideman

Albums listed by year of release. (Links to artists and labels on first appearance.)

References

External links

Official siteInside Scofield (2022), documentary on John Scofield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scofield, John 1951 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century American guitarists American jazz guitarists Grammy Award winners Jazz-funk guitarists Jazz fusion guitarists Lead guitarists American jazz composers American male jazz composers Miles Davis Berklee College of Music alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development faculty People from Wilton, Connecticut Guitarists from Connecticut Musicians from Dayton, Ohio Living people Guitarists from Ohio American male guitarists Trio Beyond members Manhattan Jazz Quintet members Motéma Music artists Verve Records artists Blue Note Records artists Gramavision Records artists African-American guitarists