John Scofield was born on December 26, 1951. He is an American guitarist and composer. His music combines jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and rock. He first gained wider recognition as a member of the band led by Miles Davis.

He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has won three. He also received the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

John Scofield has performed and recorded with many musicians. These include jazz saxophonists Eddie Harris, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, and Joe Lovano; keyboardists George Duke, Joey DeFrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Larry Goldings, and Robert Glasper; guitarists Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, Pat Martino, and Bill Frisell; bassists Marc Johnson and Jaco Pastorius; and drummers Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, and Dennis Chambers. In addition to jazz, he has worked with artists such as Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, John Mayer, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Gov't Mule.

Biography

John Scofield was born in Dayton, Ohio. His family later moved to Wilton, Connecticut. He studied at Berklee College of Music but left school to record with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. Soon after, he joined the Billy Cobham and George Duke Band. He played, recorded, and toured with them for two years. In 1976, he recorded with Charles Mingus and later replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet.

In 1976, Scofield signed with Enja, a record label. Enja released his first album, John Scofield, in 1977. He recorded with pianist Hal Galper on Rough House in 1978 and again on Galper's album Ivory Forest (1980). On Ivory Forest, Scofield played a solo version of "Monk's Mood" by Thelonious Monk. In 1979, he formed a trio with his mentor Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum. Later, Bill Stewart replaced Nussbaum, and the group became Scofield's most well-known band.

In 1982, Scofield joined Miles Davis. He stayed with Davis for three and a half years. He contributed guitar and songs to three of Davis's albums: Star People, Decoy, and You're Under Arrest. After leaving Davis, Scofield released Electric Outlet (1984) and Still Warm (1985).

He formed the Blue Matter Band with drummer Dennis Chambers, bassist Gary Grainger, and keyboardists Mitchel Forman, Robert Aries, or Jim Beard. The band released Blue Matter, Loud Jazz, and Pick Hits Live. Scofield also joined Bass Desires, a group with Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, Bill Frisell, and others. They recorded Bass Desires (1986) and Second Sight (1987).

At the start of the 1990s, Scofield formed a quartet with Joe Lovano. They recorded several albums for Blue Note, including Time on My Hands (1990), which featured Joe Lovano, Charlie Haden, and Jack DeJohnette. Bill Stewart became the group's drummer and played on Meant to Be (1991) and What We Do (1993). In 1992, Scofield released Grace Under Pressure, which included guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Joey Baron. Stewart and Steve Swallow later joined Scofield for I Can See Your House from Here, a collaboration with Pat Metheny.

In the late 1990s, Scofield returned to a style that included more funk and soul jazz. Between 1994 and 1995, he formed a group with organist/pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Dennis Irwin, and drummers Bill Stewart and Idris Muhammad. The group toured widely and released Hand Jive and Groove Elation. These albums highlighted Scofield's use of funk and soul-jazz styles with musicians like Eddie Harris, Don Alias, and Randy Brecker. In 1997, Scofield recorded A Go Go with Medeski, Martin & Wood.

During this time, Scofield also worked with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. He performed as a soloist on Turnage's Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy. Scofield and Turnage later collaborated on Scorched, an album featuring orchestral arrangements of Scofield's compositions from the Blue Matter period. John Patitucci and Peter Erskine performed at the live premiere of Scorched in Frankfurt in 2002. The performance was recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon.

Scofield released Überjam (2002) and Up All Night (2003), albums where he explored drum and bass music. He recorded with the Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz in 2001–2002 and 2006. In 2004, EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE was released, featuring Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. The album was recorded live at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City in December 2003. The following year, Scofield released That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles, leading to performances with Mavis Staples, Gary Versace, John Benitez, and Steve Hass. After joining Phil Lesh and Friends in 2005, Scofield continued to perform with the band.

On September 26, 2006, Scofield released Out Louder, his second album with Medeski, Martin & Wood. The group, known as MSMW, toured globally in 2006 and 2007. Scofield also performed in a duo with John Medeski called The Johns and in a trio with Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch. In 2009, he released Piety Street, an album inspired by gospel music, with Jon Cleary and George Porter Jr.

In 2007, EmArcy released This Meets That, an album with Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart, and a horn trio. In 2011, EmArcy released A Moment's Peace, featuring pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade. Scofield's 2010 album 54 originated in the 1990s when Vince Mendoza asked him to play on Mendoza's first album. As director of the Metropole Orchestra, Mendoza worked with Scofield to arrange Scofield's compositions for the orchestra.

Scofield has taught as an adjunct faculty member in the Jazz Department at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education. A documentary film titled Inside Scofield, directed by Joerg Steineck, was released in 2022.

Guitars

Scofield's first electric guitar was a Hagstrom. His main guitar is an Ibanez AS200 made in 1982. He supports Ibanez, and the company created a series of semi-hollow bodied guitars named after him. Steve Vai uses one of these guitars during performances for a song from the album Inviolate.

Awards and honors

• 1997: Received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee
• 1998: Won the Miles Davis Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival
• 2002: Nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Überjam
• 2004: Nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Scorched, and for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for "Wee"
• 2006: Nominated for a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Trio Beyond – Saudades
• 2010: Nominated for a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: 54 featuring Metropole Orkest conducted by Vince Mendoza
• 2010: Received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture
• 2016: Won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Past Present, and was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Past Present"
• 2017: Won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Country for Old Men
• 2017: Won a Grammy for Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

Discography

• Slo Sco: The Best of the Ballads (Gramavision, 1990)
• Liquid Fire: The Best of John Scofield (Gramavision, 1994)
• Best of John Scofield (Blue Note, 1996)
• Steady Groovin': The Blue Note Groove Sides (Blue Note, 2000)

These albums are listed in the order they were released.