Jazz guitarist John Scofield, who helped influence Miles Davis’ 80s fusion era, will be popping into the Dakota for four shows over two days Nov. 11 and 12.
Billed as John Scofield’s Electrospective, the quartet also includes an unreal lineup in Lettuce drummer (and producer) Adam Deitch, bassist Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers, Dead & Company, Aquarium Rescue Unit), and organist Larry Goldings (Scary Goldings, James Taylor).
Scofield is one of the baddest and most experienced active jazz guitarists. He played in Davis’ band for three and a half years from 1982 to 1985.
Like Davis, he hasn’t shied away from reaching across genres and collaborating beyond the confines of jazz for the purpose of getting funky.
One of his important such collaborations (to me) was with Medeski, Martin and Wood, which produced three studio albums, beginning with 1998’s A Go Go.
Scofield continues to keep the lines of jazz blurred.
Electrospective “will look back at many of his now classic fusion groove compositions,” according to the tour’s press kit. “Not intending to replicate earlier fan favorites, he plans instead to revisit them with the seasoned perspective of several decades; culling tunes from his Blue Matter, Uberjam and A Go Go projects - each responsible for a few recordings – as well as new material in the same vein.”
Blue Matter is Scofield’s 1986 jazz fusion album that featured drummer Dennis Chambers and bassist Gary Grainger, and Uberjam is a 2002 LP originally credited to “John Scofield Band.” That lineup included Deitch, saxophonist Karl Denson, Medeski and guitarist Avi Bortnick.
As a lover of the jam bands, I can’t tell you how happy Scofield has made me lending his talents to projects likes these, and specifically the MMW projects. Jam bands can be polarizing, but regardless of your music taste, Scofield’s willingness to engage has lent legitimacy to the musicianship and highlighted the common ground of funky, psychedelic improvisation.
Get tickets here.
