CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
John Scofield Trio
and the ScoHorns

Zankel Hall
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 8:30 PM

John Scofield, Guitar
Bill Stewart, Drums
Matt Penman, Bass
Philip Grenadier, Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Frank Vacin, Bass Clarinet and Baritone Saxophone
Tom Olin, Alto/Tenor Saxophones and Flute

John Scofield, a principal innovator of modern jazz guitar leads his “A-Team” trio along with a 3-part horn section performing material from his latest recording, and beyond.

Program Notes:

Bob Golden on
JOHN SCOFIELD

In a luminous career remarkable for its versatile achievements and affiliations, master jazz guitarist John Scofield truly started at the top of his profession and never since needed a rear-mirror view.

The year 1974 marked two firsts for the then 23-year-old Scofield: his first major concert appearance (coincidentally at Carnegie Hall) alongside such jazz giants as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Ron Carter, and Bob James; and his first inclusion on a major-label album, a live recording of that same Carnegie Hall debut. An in-demand soloist soon after that occasion, Scofield embarked on a series of indelible associations with such jazz, blues, and rock icons, including Charles Mingus, Gary Burton, Mavis Staples, Jay McShann, Phil Lesh, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter and, most notably, Miles Davis (with whom he toured the world and recorded several watershed albums between 1982 and 1985), permanently establishing John Scofield as a pinnacle multi-genre guitarist.

Equally fluent in all categories of jazz, urban, blues, and rock-fusion, Scofield has now aggregated a richly distinctive discography of over 30 self-led album accomplishments, each celebrating another facet of his restlessly diverse musical outlook. More than several of these works, such as Time On My Hands (1989) and Meant To Be (1990), are Scofield-composed quartet explorations. His featured collaborations have included jazz saxophone legend Eddie Harris (Hand Jive, 1993), and the popular and innovative Bill Martin–John Medeski–Chris Wood trio (A Go Go, 1997). In addition, Works For Me, an inspired all-star 2001 collection of Scofield post-bop compositions, and That’s What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles (2005) are acclaimed as some of the more significant and influential jazz recordings of recent decades.

Scofield’s 2007 album This Meets That, which he states is “My best attempt yet to synthesize the wide variety of musical idioms that excite me,” forms the basis for his return to Carnegie Hall after his debut 35 years ago. The core Scofield Trio with whom he tours over 200 days each year will be joined by the three-member “ScoHorns” to achieve an even more expansive coalescence of instrumentation. All of the music is arranged by Scofield, who explains, “When I compose, I increasingly hear more parts than I end up playing on the guitar, so I’ve added the horns. We still keep our ’trio thing’ intact, but the sound is now extended and more deeply shaded.”

Scofield is undeniably a singularly extraordinary and inexhaustibly adventurous musician whose continued embrace of the possibilities offered by jazz and blues has compelled one of the most invaluable and enduring careers in contemporary music.

—Bob Golden is a music industry veteran who is the current Vice President of Marketing at Carlin America, a major multinational music publishing corporation.

© 2009 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

John Scofield, Guitar
Bill Stewart, Drums
Matt Penman, Bass
Well established in the last two decades, the interplay between the instruments in the John Scofield Trio is intricate, personal, and complex. The music—compositions written mainly by Scofield—is formed with the essences of jazz, jazz-rock, and even occasional hints of folk and country. The Trio currently features a repertoire of Scofield originals and jazz standards, punctuated by surprise interpretations of other popular classics.

By augmenting the more linear trio style with a three-piece horn section, the music is arranged to create a wider scope, adding an orchestral timbre to Scofield’s music. Scofield has coaxed some of New York’s best session and pit musicians out on tour, labeling them “ScoHorns.” With guests Phil Grenadier (brother of bassist Larry Grenadier) on trumpet and flugelhorn; Frank Vacin on bass clarinet and baritone saxophone; and Tom Olin on tenor saxophone, flute, and alto flute, the horns offer a broad palette for the musical arrangements. Their parts—written and arranged by Scofield—add depth and texture to the material, while also remaining true to the expected character of the Scofield Trio’s artistic expression.

Scofield explains, “It’s rewarding to have a bigger sound on many of these tunes while we retain the intimate trio format. When I write a tune, I always hear it in my head with more orchestral parts. This is a form of my music that rarely materializes for public consumption. The sextet grouping allows me to explore a compositional expansion without sacrificing the interplay and intimacy of the Trio.”

Philip Grenadier, Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Frank Vacin, Bass Clarinet and Baritone Saxophone
Tom Olin, Alto/Tenor Saxophones and Flute