On the evening of April 10, the sounds of sailing guitar notes, slinky drumbeats and sonorous plucks of a bass guitar reverberated off the walls of Dana Auditorium. The John Scofield Trio, comprised of guitarist John Scofield, drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow, illuminated the stage with their chemistry and musicianship. Over the course of the two-hour performance, the band led the audience through a set of original compositions, jazz standards and rock-and-roll covers.
The concert was sponsored by the UNCG Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program as part of the annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival.
The UNCG Jazz Ensemble opened for the John Scofield Trio, delivering a remarkable performance of tunes by famous jazz artists like Neal Hefti, Benny Carter and Duke Ellington. Under the direction of Steve Haines, the 18-member company, despite their young appearance, exhibited mature talent.
After a brief intermission, the trio, who are longtime friends and musical colleagues, took the stage starting their performance with a strong, vibrant tone. The interplay among the threesome was evident. Scofield’s elongating style, Swallow’s gentle, melodic manner and Stewart’s adventurous, playful approach blended together into powerful unison.
“(The John Scofield Trio) has a lot of history, so they’ve developed a band sound whose overall sound is greater than the sum of the individual parts,” said Haines, director of the Miles Davis Program in Jazz Studies at UNCG.
Playing the guitar since age 11, Scofield first broke into the jazz scene when he joined the Miles Davis Band in 1983. Since, he has recorded over 24 albums and has collaborated with other jazz talents such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and Medeski Martin & Wood.
Throughout his career, Scofield has never been one to stay within the boundaries of musical genres. He has stirred jazz, funk, rock, soul and blues into a musical cocktail of his own.
“I started with jazz-rock 30 years ago and the great thing about this music is that it’s still evolving,” Scofield said on his Web site, www.johnscofield.com. “When confronted with the ‘Who is John Scofield’ question, I like to oversimplify it by saying that ‘I like rock and jazz.'”
Scofield certainly explored a variety of music throughout his performance with the trio. The band transitioned from grooves, to foot-tapping jazz classics, to serenades, to avant-garde improvisations, without a blink of an eye.
The evening’s highlights were the funky “Green Tea” from Scofield’s album, “A Go Go,” the classic Miles Davis/Bud Powell piece, “Budo,” and a swanky rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.”
“I’m taking Jazz Appreciation this semester, so I was particularly excited to see the show,” said junior Chelsea Simpson. “The opportunity to see such an amazing jazz artist in the same building where I’ve been taking the class was pretty spectacular.”
Overall, the John Scofield Trio treated its audience with the visceral experience of live music, which embodies the very essence of jazz.
“More and more, we as human beings are encountering more challenges in life,” Haines said. “I hope live music, even the arts in general, is a way for people to experience joy and beauty in their lives.