Biography

Early in his life, Scofield's family left Ohio and relocated to the small, then mostly rural location of Wilton, Connecticut; it was here that he discovered his interest in music.

Educated at the Berklee College of Music, John Scofield eventually left school to record with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. He joined the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band soon after and spent two years playing, recording and touring with them. Scofield recorded with Charles Mingus in 1976, and replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet. In autumn 1976 he signed a contract with Enja Records, and he released his first album, John Scofield, in 1977. Around this time, he toured and recorded with Pianist Hal Galper, first on his own solo album Rough House in 1978, and Galper's album Ivory Forest (1980), where he is heard playing a solo rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood". In 1979 he formed a trio with his mentor Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum which, with drummer Bill Stewart replacing Nussbaum, has become 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 work to three Davis recordings, Star People, Decoy and You're Under Arrest.

While still with Miles Davis, he released the first of his Gramavision recordings Electric Outlet (1984). Still Warm (1985) followed after he left Davis's group. At the end of the Davis tenure, he started what is now referred to as his Blue Matter Band - with Dennis Chambers on drums, Gary Grainger on bass and at times either Mitchel Forman, Robert Aries or Jim Beard on keyboards - releasing Blue Matter, Loud Jazz and Pick Hits Live. The mid-80's were also the time, when Marc Johnson assembled his first own ensemble Bass Desires with Peter Erskine on drums, and Bill Frisell beside Scofield as two guitarists of distinctive but complementing styles. This “most auspicious since John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana” was only transitory and recorded just two records, the self-titled Bass Desires and Second Sight (1986 and 1987).

At the beginning of the 1990s, John Scofield formed his quartet that included Joe Lovano with whom he recorded several important albums for Blue Note Records. Time on My Hands (1990), with Joe Lovano, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette, showcased John Scofield's guitar and Mingus-influenced writing. Bill Stewart subsequently 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 fellow guitarist Bill Frisell, with Charlie Haden on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Stewart rejoined with Scofield and bassist Steve Swallow for the 1994 collaboration with Pat Metheny, I Can See Your House from Here.

Towards the end of his tenure with Blue Note, John Scofield returned to a more funk and soul jazz-oriented sound, a direction which has dominated much of his subsequent output. In 1994 and 1995, Scofield formed a core group that included organist/pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Dennis Irwin, and alternately drummers, Bill Stewart and Idris Muhammad. The group toured extensively, and the albums Hand Jive and Groove Elation feature this funk/groove/soul-jazz dimension in Scofield's music, bringing in tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris, percussionist Don Alias, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and others. He recorded the acclaimed 1997 album A Go Go with the avant garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. Also during this period, his relationship began with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. First as a soloist on Turnage's Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy, the two paired up to create Scorched, Turnage's orchestrations of Scofield compositions largely form the Blue Matter period. Scorched, a recording available on Deutsche Grammophon, debuted in Frankfurt, Germany.

He released Überjam in 2002 and Up All Night in 2004, two albums on which he experiments with drum n bass and other modern rhythms. John Scofield has also worked and recorded in Europe with nu-fusionist Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz in 2001/2 and 2006. Late 2004 saw the release of EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE, which features the jazz trio of John Scofield, the venerable Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded live at The Blue Note in NYC in December 2003. The next year, he released That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles - Scofield with an all-star guest studded collection of Ray Charles material. This led to a series of performances with Mavis Staples, Gary Versace on organ, John Benitez on bass, and Steve Hass on drums.

After sitting in for two engagements in December (3rd & 4th) of 2005 with Phil Lesh and Friends, Scofield has since played numerous shows with the band.

On September 26, 2006 he released Out Louder, his second collaborative effort album with avant garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. The group, known collectively as MSMW toured extensively worldwide in 2006 and 2007, with sporadic engagements planned in the future. Scofield also performs as a duo with John Medeski - aptly named The Johns and another groove trio with Scofield, Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch.

September 18, 2007 saw This Meets That released on EmArcy Records - Universal Music's jazz label, a record featuring his trio with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart. This time John added a horn section to expand the sound of his trio.

Never one to follow an expected path, in recent years Scofield launched a personal search for musical inspiration beyond the standard 12-bar blues and found it in "old time gospel music - the closest relative to and inspiration for the R&B.” His 2009 release Piety Street with bass legend George Porter, Jr. and singer/keyboardist Jon Cleary. The collaboration heard on the 2010 release 54 had its origins back in the 1990s when Vince Mendoza asked John Scofield to play on his first album. John has since been featured on two of Vince’s records and his guitar sound and improvisational skills work well within Mendoza's concept. When Mendoza assumed directorship of The Metropole Orchestra, he and Scofield decided to collaborate again with a primary focus on Mendoza’s arrangements of Scofield compositions as performed with The Metropole Orchestra.

In a return to Scofieldesque "straight ahead" jazz, he went to the studio in January 2011 with pianist/organist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade, laying the tracks for a ballads album titled A Moment's Peace scheduled for a May 2011 release on EmArcy Records.

In April 2010, Scofield was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

Scofield is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member in the Jazz Department at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education.

He married Susan Scofield in 1978. They are the parents of music producer Jean Scofield (born 1981) and Evan Scofield (1987-2013).

Equipment

Scofield endorses Ibanez guitars. His signature guitar, the JSM100, is based on his longtime stage and recording guitar, a 1981 Ibanez AS200 which he believes to be one of the best semi-acoustics ever built. He gets his tone by running a Pro Co RAT through either a Vox AC30 or Mesa Boogie amplifier. Some of his effects include an Ibanez CS9 Analog Chorus, a Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, and a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler. Some of his additional effects include a DigiTech XP100 Whammy/Wah, a Boss EQ Pedal, a Boss Loop Station, and a Boomerang phrase sampler pedal. John Scofield uses Dunlop Delrin 2 mm picks.

Discography

As leader and co-leader

• John Scofield (Trio (J), 1978), re-released as East Meets West (Black Hawk, 1987)
• John Scofield Live (Enja, 1977)
• Rough House (Enja, 1978)
• Who's Who? (Arista Novus, 1979)
• Four Keys with Martial Solal, Lee Konitz and N.-H. Ørsted Pedersen (MPS, 1979)
• Bar Talk (Arista Novus, 1980)
• Shinola (Enja, 1981)
• Out Like a Light (Enja, 1981)
• Electric Outlet (Gramavision, 1984)
• Still Warm (Gramavision, 1985)
• Blue Matter (Gramavision, 1986)
• All Strings Attached with Tal Farlow, J. Abercrombie, L. Carlton and L. Coryell (Verve, 1986)
• Loud Jazz (Gramavision, 1987)
• Pick Hits Live (Gramavision, 1987)
• Flat Out (Gramavision, 1989)
• Time on My Hands (Blue Note, 1990)
• Meant to Be (Blue Note, 1991)
• Grace Under Pressure (Blue Note, 1992)
• What We Do (Blue Note, 1993)
• Hand Jive (Blue Note, 1994)
• I Can See Your House from Here, with Pat Metheny (Blue Note, 1994)
• Groove Elation (Blue Note, 1995)
• Quiet (Verve, 1996)
• A Go Go with Medeski Martin & Wood (Verve, 1998)
• Old Folks with Kenny Garrett, Michael Brecker and David Friesen (West Wind, 1999)
• Shortcuts - Jazzpar Combo 1999 with Hans Ulrik, Lars Danielsson and Peter Erskine (Stunt, 1999)
• Bump (Verve, 2000)
• Works for Me (Verve, 2001)
• Überjam (Verve, 2002)
• Oh! as ScoLoHoFo (Blue Note, 2003)
• Up All Night (Verve, 2003)
• Scorched with Mark-Anthony Turnage (DG (Deutsche Grammophon), 2004)
• John Scofield Trio LIVE EnRoute (Verve, 2004)
• That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles (Verve, 2005)
• Saudades as Trio Beyond (ECM, 2006)
• Out Louder as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (Indirecto, 2006)
• This Meets That (EmArcy, 2007)
• Piety Street (EmArcy, 2009)
• 54 with Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orchestra (EmArcy, 2010)
• A Moment's Peace (EmArcy, 2011)
• MSMW Live: In Case the World Changes Its Mind as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (EmArcy, 2011)
• Überjam Deux (EmArcy, 2013)
• Juice as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood (Indirecto, 2014)
• Past Present (Impulse!, 2015)
• Sco-Mule as Gov't Mule feat. John Scofield (Mascot, 2015)

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)

As a sideman

Albums listed alphabetically by group or artist's last name.

Date	Artist	Album title	Label	Notes
1984	George Adams	More Sightings	Enja
1985	George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet	Live at Montmartre	Timeless
1987	Franco Ambrosetti	Movies	Enja
1988	Franco Ambrosetti	Movies Too	Enja
1988	Ray Anderson	Blues Bred in the Bone	Enja
1996	Teodross Avery	My Generation	Impulse!
1977	Chet Baker	You Can't Go Home Again	A&M
1977	Chet Baker	The Best Thing for You	A&M
1979	Joe Beck & Larry Coryell	Tributaries	Arista Novus
1989	Richie Beirach	Some Other Time	Triloka
1985	Paul Bley	Hot	Soul Note
1988	Gary Burton	Times Like These	GRP
1992	Gary Burton	Six Pack	GRP
1997	Gary Burton	Departure	Concord
1989	Terri Lyne Carrington	Real Life Story	Verve Forecast
1991	Dennis Chambers	Getting Even	Glass House/Pioneer (Japan)
1975	Billy Cobham	A Funky Thide of Sings	Atlantic
1976	Billy Cobham	Life & Times	Atlantic
1978	Billy Cobham	Inner Conflicts	Atlantic	J. S. on two tracks
1976	Billy Cobham & George Duke	Live on Tour in Europe"	Atlantic
1979	Larry Coryell	Tributaries	RCA/Novus
1990	Bill Cosby & Friends	Where You Lay Your Head	Verve
1991	Lars Danielsson	Fresh Enough	L+R
1985	Miles Davis	You're Under Arrest	Columbia
1984	Miles Davis	Decoy	Columbia
1983	Miles Davis	Star People	Columbia
2002	Miles Davis	The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973-1991	Warner Switzerland
1990	Joey DeFrancesco	Where Were You?	Columbia
1992	Jack DeJohnette	Music for the Fifth World	Capitol
2005	John Ellis	One Foot in the Swamp	Hyena
1991	Peter Erskine	Sweet Soul	Arista Novus
1994	David Friesen	Two for the Show	ITM Pacific
1979	Hal Galper	Ivory Forest	Enja
1987	Roberto Gatto	Ask	Inak
1988	Mike Gibbs Orchestra	Big Time	Venture
1990	Benny Golson	Rhythmstick	CTI
1981	Bill Goodwin	Solar Energy	Omni Sound Jazz
2000	Jon Gordon	Possibilities	Double-Time
1999	Gov't Mule Featuring J. S.	Sco-Mule	Provogue	Released 2015
1977	Urbie Green	Señor Blues	CTI
1995	Herbie Hancock	The New Standard	Verve
1988	Tom Harrell	Stories	Contemporary
1993	Jimmy Haslip	A R C	UMG
2003	Roy Haynes	Love Letters	Columbia
2010	Eddie Henderson	For All We Know	Furthermore
1993	Joe Henderson	So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles)	Verve
1997	Joe Henderson	Porgy & Bess	Verve
1999	Joe Henderson	Quiet Now: Lovesome Thing	Verve	J. S. on two tracks
1977	Terumasa Hino	May Dance	Flying Disk
1989	Terumasa Hino	Bluestruck	Blue Note
1995	Ron Holloway	Struttin	Milestone
1986	Marc Johnson	Bass Desires	ECM
1987	Marc Johnson	Second Sight	ECM
2005	Marc Johnson	Shades of Jade	ECM
1991	Eero Koivistoinen	Altered Things	Timeless
1993	Lee Konitz	Rhapsody II	Evidence
1988	Niels Lan Doky	Daybreak	Storyville
2006	Phil Lesh and Friends	Live at the Warfield	Image
1979	Dave Liebman	Don't Do It Again	Timeless
1980	Dave Liebman	If They Only Knew	Timeless
1980	Dave Liebman	What It Is	Columbia
1990	Manhattan Jazz Quintet	Manhattan Blues	Sweet Basil
1974	Gary Marks	Gathering	Arewea
1980	Ron McClure	Descendants	Ken
1987	Ron McClure	Home Base	ODE
1979	Jim McNeely	The Plot Thickens	Muse
1989	Jim McNeely with the WDR Big Band	East Coast Blow Out	Lipstick
1971	Jay McShann	Big Apple Bash	New World
2001	Metalwood	The Recline	Verve
1977	Charles Mingus	Three or Four Shades of Blues	Atlantic
1974	Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker	Carnegie Hall Concert	CTI
1988	Missing Links	Groovin	MCA	J. S. on two tracks
1986	L'Orchestre National du Jazz	Orchestre National du Jazz '86	Label Bleu
1979	Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen	Dancing on the Tables	Steeple Chase
1998	John Patitucci	Now	Concord Jazz
1983	Jim Pepper	Comin' and Goin'	Antilles
1992	Knut Riisnæs & Jon Christensen	Knut Riisnæs - Jon Christensen Featuring John Scofield - Palle Danielsson	Odin
1979	Zbigniew Seifert	Passion	Capitol
1988	Tommy Smith	Step by Step	Blue Note
1999	Tommy Smith	Blue Smith	Linn
1977	Jeremy Steig	Firefly	CTI
1991	Steve Swallow	Swallow	XtraWATT
1990	Harvie Swartz	In a Different Light	Blue Moon
1989	Gary Thomas	By Any Means Necessary	JMT
1998	Mark-Anthony Turnage	Blood on the Floor	Decca
1989	McCoy Tyner	Things Ain't What They Used to Be	Blue Note
1978	Miroslav Vitous	Guardian Angels	Trio (Japan)
1984	Bennie Wallace	Sweeping Through the City	Enja
1985	Bennie Wallace	Twilight Time	Blue Note
1987	Bennie Wallace	Art of the Saxphone	Denon
1987	Bennie Wallace	Border Town	Blue Note
1979	Jack Walrath	Demons in Pursuit	Gatemouth
1982	Peter Warren	Solidarity	JAPO
2003	Bugge Wesseltoft	New Conception of Jazz Live	Jazzland
1995	Lenny White	Present Tense	Hip Bop
2007	Keller Williams	Dream	SCI Fidelity

Awards

• In 1998, John Scofield was granted the Miles Davis Award by the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
• In 2016, he won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Past Present.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]