|
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with more of Sco's music. After research, I purchased this one. As an amateur jazz guitarist and enthusiast, I purchased McCoy Tyner's CD/DVD "Guitars", and I was hooked. I wanted the most straight ahead Sco CD. Works for me. I just wish I had the lead sheets.
Scofield is that artist of rare compositional integrity that, whether indulging his experimental side or paying homage to his classic influences, puts out album after album of general deep-digging quality and the comparatively straight-laced release of WFM should be no exception for jazz guitar enthusiasts.
The other members are just as impressive with Kenny Garrett and Brad Mehldau being the standouts. I happened to chance upon this cd in the library and noticed that it was one of the late Billy Higgins' last dates (the other being Charles Lloyd's "The water is wide" on ECM). The tunes are varied and well written by Sco (as Miles called him). I've always dug John Scofield from the time he joined Miles in his electric period but I had never heard him in a "groove" or straight-ahead session. This really floored me and convinced me of his versatility. And of course the great late Billy Higgins provides the juice for this whole enterprise to groove. But it is Scofield's date and one can understand why Miles fired Mike Stern in his group and kept Scofield since as he calls it, "he played enough guitar for two players".
If you like jazz guitar you'll love the music on this cd. I love his tones and his melodic vocabulary seems to be endless. He's also an extremely dynamic player with big ears. Cheers, Matt
There's even a thinly disguised version of the standard "There Will Never Be Another You" called "Not You Again" (in true Lee Konitz fashion). The resulting album is one of the finest in either one of their formidable catalogs, and it keeps bubbling up to the top of this pile of Blue Notes and Ornette discs that I keep handy for remembering Billy with. You want to mess around with a swarm of bees - there's "Hive". You want to harmonize parts with a Kenny Garrett solo. It's like he's setting it up for you. You want to kick back to a finger-snappin' groove - there's "Big J". OK It's always a different line-up for each album when you're at the top of the jazz free-agency game, as Scofield is, but his adaptable songwriting remains *crucial* every time out, with something good for every mood.
You want to slink around to some fat bootie-shakin' stuff - go with "Loose Canon". You want driving, up-tempo propulsion - try "Do I Crazy.". Talking with John Scofield after his JS Band set at the 2001 Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, the guitarist acknowledged how great it was to have finally made some sessions with drum hero Billy Higgins just before Hig left us too soon (May 3, 2001). Sco's Waltz" into a repeat loop. You'll get tired of it, but she won't. I can't resist *every* time at the end of his turn on "Six And Eight". At 70+ minutes, this disc was my hands-down pick for the DownBeat Readers Poll Jazz Album of the Year, 2001. Sco knows what to do.
The rest of the crew here is none too shabby either, namely Kenny Garrett, Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride. Everybody looks handsome. You want to go out for a walk - pick "Heel To Toe". You want to have a quiet evening with the little lady - put "Love You Long Time" and "Mrs. Whether it's a jam band like the one he brought to A2, or this straight-ahead studio gem band, all that matters for the audience is: one, two. Now if we could just get Billy Higgins into the DB Hall of Fame, where there's been a special place of honor waiting for him for quite some time.
|
