John Scofield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Scofield
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Scofield at the Moers Festival in 2021
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 26, 1951 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, acid jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Labels | Enja, Gramavision, Blue Note, Verve, EmArcy ECM |
| Associated acts | Miles Davis, Billy Cobham, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Marc Johnson, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Medeski Martin & Wood, Trio Beyond |
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) is an American guitarist and composer famous for his unique sound. Over his long career, he has mixed different styles of music, including jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, and rock.
He became widely known when he played with the legendary trumpeter Miles Davis. Scofield has also worked with many other famous musicians. These include guitarists like Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell, and drummers like Billy Cobham and Dennis Chambers. He has even played with artists outside of jazz, such as Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead and the singer John Mayer.
Contents
Life and Music Career
Early Years
John Scofield was born in Dayton, Ohio. His family later moved to Wilton, Connecticut, which is where he first became interested in music. He studied at the famous Berklee College of Music.
Scofield left college to start his professional career. He began recording with jazz legends Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. Soon after, he joined a band led by drummer Billy Cobham and keyboardist George Duke. He toured and recorded with them for two years. In 1976, he recorded with the famous bassist Charles Mingus.
Becoming a Bandleader
In 1976, Scofield signed with Enja Records and released his first album, John Scofield, in 1977. In 1979, he formed his own trio with his mentor, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Adam Nussbaum. This group became a key part of his career for many years.
In 1982, Scofield's career took a huge step forward when he joined Miles Davis's band. He played with Davis for three and a half years. He contributed his guitar playing and some of his own songs to three of Davis's albums: Star People, Decoy, and You're Under Arrest.
After leaving Davis's band, he started his own group called the Blue Matter Band. This band played a mix of jazz and funk music.
Exploring New Sounds
In the early 1990s, Scofield formed a new quartet that included saxophone player Joe Lovano. They recorded several popular albums for Blue Note, including Time on My Hands and What We Do. He also recorded an album with fellow guitarist Pat Metheny called I Can See Your House from Here.
Later in the 1990s, Scofield returned to playing music with more funk and soul jazz sounds. He formed a new group and released albums like Hand Jive and Groove Elation. In 1997, he recorded the popular album A Go Go with the band Medeski Martin & Wood.
21st Century Projects
In the 2000s, Scofield continued to experiment. He released albums like Überjam (2002) and Up All Night (2003), where he explored electronic styles like drum and bass.
He also released a live album, EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE, in 2004. The next year, he released an album of Ray Charles's music called That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles.
Scofield has continued to tour and record with many different musicians. In 2016 and 2017, he won Grammy Awards for his albums Past Present and Country for Old Men. In 2022, he released his first-ever solo album, titled John Scofield.
Besides performing, Scofield has also taught music at New York University. A documentary film about his life and music, called Inside Scofield, was released in 2022.
Guitars
Scofield's main guitar, which he has used for many years, is an Ibanez AS200 model from 1982. He officially endorses Ibanez guitars, and the company even created a special line of guitars named after him.
Awards and Honors
- 1997: Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music
- 1998: Miles Davis Award, Montreal International Jazz Festival
- 2002: Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for Überjam
- 2010: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an award from the French Ministry of Culture
- 2016: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Past Present
- 2017: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Country for Old Men
- 2017: Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
Selected Albums
Here are some of John Scofield's most important albums as a bandleader:
- John Scofield (1978)
- Blue Matter (1987)
- Time on My Hands (1990)
- I Can See Your House from Here (with Pat Metheny, 1994)
- A Go Go (with Medeski Martin & Wood, 1998)
- Überjam (2002)
- That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles (2005)
- Past Present (2015)
- Country for Old Men (2016)
- Swallow Tales (2020)
- John Scofield (2022)
Images for kids
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John Scofield in 2017
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See also
In Spanish: John Scofield para niños
