(New York, NY) – A bona fide guitar hero and masterful improviser, John Scofield has covered a wide spectrum of musical styles with rare authority over the last four decades. From funk & fusion to swinging jazz, rock jams, orchestral collaborations, earthy blues and old-time gospel music, Scofield has imbued each style with his distinctive sound, earning accolades for his triumphs along the way.
Scofield’s will tour the US beginning at Catalina’s in Los Angeles on October 18 through a week at the Blue Note in New York starting November 29. Scofield’s touring group will feature Michael Eckroth on piano, Ben Street on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Here are the dates:
10/18-20 Catalina’s Los Angeles, CA
10/21-23 Yoshi’s Oakland, CA
10/24 Kuumbwa Santa Cruz, CA
10/26 The Shedd Eugene, OR
10/27-30 Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
11/01 The Dakota Minneapolis, MN
11/02-05 Jazz at the Bistro St. Louis, MO
11/06 “We Always Swing” Jazz Series at The Blue Note Club Columbia, MO
11/10 Stoughton Opera House Stoughton, WI
11/11 CSO / with Michael Eckroth, piano Chicago, IL
11/12 Bear Creek Music Festival – Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood Live Oak, FL
11/13 Bear Creek Music Festival – John Scofield and The Piety Street Band Live Oak, FL
11/17 Palais Montcalm Quebec City, Quebec
11/18-19 Regattabar Cambridge, MA
11/29-12/04 The Blue Note New York City
On A Moment’s Peace (EmArcy), his follow-up to 2009’s gospel-drenched Piety Street, Scofield and his all-star crew of pianist/organist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade luxuriate in ballads associated with such legendary interpreters of song as Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone and John Coltrane. Included in the collection, Scofield’s third outing on EmArcy, are five new originals by the guitar great, along with soulful interpretations of the lyrical Lennon-McCartney number “I Will” and Carla Bley’s serene “Lawns.”
The New York Times raved “Low-key and temperate…”A Moment’s Peace”…simmers with intent. The album has its hooks in, and there’s nothing to do but play it again.” Relix Magazine called A Moment’s Peace “sublime” and “exquisitely touching”; All About Jazz said: “A Moment’s Peace may not exactly be a ballads album by conventional definition, but it’s the most relaxed album the guitarist has ever released;” and Vintage Guitar stated: “Scofield’s emotive playing is a perfect fit for this batch of songs.”
“It’s an album of slow, gentle music,” says the perennial poll-winning guitarist. “But at the same time, we didn’t want it to be easy listening. We tried to really play on all the tunes. For me, no matter what kind of music, it’s really important that it be fresh and that we’re really playing something.”
From sublime renderings of “I Want to Talk About You” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is” to “Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You” and “I Loves You Porgy,” Scofield fills each of these timeless gems with an uncommonly expressive approach to his instrument while stretching out in the tradition of the great melodic improvisers. And his highly interactive rhythm section, marked by Colley’s formidable presence on bass, Goldings’ thoughtful orchestrations on both piano and organ and Blade’s sensitive, intuitive touch on the kit, helps make all of these tunes come alive in the moment.
