“Thanks for coming, John!”
An unidentified audience member enthusiastically summed up the evening’s performance even before the first song was under way.
“You’re welcome, and thanks for having me,” Scofield replied.
It was our pleasure, Mr. Scofield.
Monday night, John Scofield and his electric guitar were a-go-go, as the crowd in the EMU Ballroom swayed to luscious grooves drawn heavily from his most recent album.
Scofield opened the set with four songs from his new album “Bump,” a collection of beat-heavy tracks that put the crowd in a dancing mood, and filled the ballroom with eclectic energy. Scofield and his band responded well to the crowd, who became more animated with each successive number. The opening number began with Scofield picking at seemingly random notes on his guitar. Over several minutes, the song evolved into a tour de force that appropriately set the tone for the next two hours.
From there, Scofield revisited songs from his extensive catalogue that spans over two decades and twice as many albums.
For close to thirty years, Scofield has been dazzling listeners with his wide array of influences and guitar techniques. Most recently, Scofield reinstated his influence with young jazz fans by collaborating with the trio Medeski, Martin & Wood on his 1996 release “A-Go-Go.””Bump” is a continuation of that effort, providing extended jams and further funky collaborations with the hot jazz trio.
The crowd at the ballroom was as diverse as Scofield’s playing style. College freshmen danced side-by-side with middle-aged men and women, and the entire crowd seemed thoroughly pleased with the show’s festivites.
His band was also full of diverse styles, featuring Avi Bortnick on rhythm guitar, Jesse Murphy on bass, and Eric Kalb on drums. Scofield paused throughout the performance, allowing his bandmates to highlight their skills before a receptive crowd.
Overall, it was a rare opportunity for students to see one of the music world’s most skilled performers in top form.