John Scofield (guitar) | Gerald Clayton (piano, organ)

John Scofield (born December 26, 1951, in Dayton, Ohio) is, alongside Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, and Pat Metheny, considered one of the most important guitarists in U.S. jazz. In 1982, he began a three-and-a-half-year collaboration with Miles Davis, marked by an improvisational and funky jazz style. After signing with Blue Note Records in 1989 (a contract that lasted until 1996, followed by Verve), Scofield formed a band with saxophonist Joe Lovano, usually performing as a quartet or quintet, which became one of the leading representatives of funk-jazz.

Since 1998, Scofield has played in a quartet with Joe Lovano (tenor sax), Dave Holland (bass), and Al Foster (drums), but he has also performed with Medeski, Martin & Wood and, in 2012, with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart. According to jazz journalist Richard Cook, Scofield ranks alongside Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny as one of the most significant and influential jazz guitarists since Wes Montgomery. In 1994, Scofield recorded a duo album with Metheny.

In 2016, he won a Grammy for Past Present as Best Jazz Instrumental Album. The following year, his album Country for Old Men earned him another Grammy in the same category; additionally, his solo on “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” received the Grammy for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.

Scofield’s distinctive tone is characterized by a slightly overdriven sound. He often strikes the strings unusually close to the bridge. Another hallmark of his playing is his impeccable timing and pronounced laid-back feel, creating flowing melodic lines through a legato technique.