John Scofield

John Scofield exists in a class of his own creation that merges mastery of diverse guitar styles from funk to swing, bebop to Latin, blues to rock dynamics. Increasingly he fashions music with restraint and refinement, a sophisticated approach that trades in the opportunity to showboat for music of real depth and substance. You can hear it in the comic spirit that informs the cartoon collage of "Beep Beep." Here Scofield creates a zany mix of acoustic and wah-wah guitar motifs. Yet rather than evoke Roadrunner's manic energy, the piece proceeds at a sedate groove, as Scofield's wacked-out character moves with a lazy strut. Bump abounds with such inspired creativity. While there's little flash, there's abundant substance to music that entices the listener to come back for more and more. Groovy!