Customer Reviews

EnRoute

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is pure, brilliant jazz: live improvization by three virtuosi. Mr. Scofield puts aside his funk-rap experimentation (what a relief) and just swings hard and deep--and in very good company.

Scofield's phrasing, tone, and attack are unique, making him recongizable instantly. He makes every note count, never revelling in speed for speed's sake. I have never heard him play any better.

Steve Swallow might be called the Bill Evans of jazz bass guitar. He gently supports the group in a deeply melodic, gentle (and often tender) manner--swinging all the while. That may sound like a strange description for a bass player, but it all works perfectly.

Bill Stewart has a telepathic connection with Scofield, as he did with Pat Metheny in the lastest incarnation of The Pat Metheny Trio. (Those recordings are highly recommended.) The interplay with Scofield is uncanny and aggressive, yet the beat never fades. Steward has amazing capacities dynamically (those quick swells on the snare are most pleasing) and a displays a very active left hand. He, too, is in a class by himself. He takes chances and comes out on top: never safe, but always good.

This is hearty music. Savor it, and be thankful for these gentleman's musical endowments and their collective chemistry--or should I say alchemy?

Douglas Groothuis

Jazz is a high wire act.

Especially live. As here.

No net beneath. If you slip, you go splat.

These guys don't go splat.

One supposes it helps to have played together for many years, as these three friends (Sco, guitar; Steve Swallow, e-bass; Bill Stewart, drums) and jazz warriors have. Indeed, as Sco says in his brief liner notes: "The music on this CD was recorded live and I think that's the way jazz is played and heard best. Somehow, we rarely get to these places in the studio." They get to "these places," which are, in short, amazing, because of their individual brilliance and collective knowledge of each other's moves.

The most amazing place they get to is "Hammock Soliloquy," nearly ten minutes of bloozy, junk-yard-dog, shifting rhythms stitched together with some very sophisticated free-boppish passages. Somehow, it all hangs together. The intuitive band interaction combined with killer solos from both Sco and Swallow make for some might tasty listening. Swallow, although perhaps not quite as declamatory as on his recent Damage in Transit disc (but it's not his gig here, is it?), nevertheless provides nearly the perfect foil, becoming, at times, almost like "one big guitar together," as Sco puts it in his liner notes.

Other highlights include the pretty straightforward blues, "Bag," on which Sco proves he's among the greatest jazz interpreter of this music ever, helped, enormously, one must admit, by the walking brilliance of Swallow and the crazy rhythm of Stewart, who's all over his kit; "Wee," a Denzel Best standard given a way skanky treatment (which makes me wish for some more interpretations of jazz standards); and a wistfully atmospheric reading of "Alfie," where Sco proves he knows his way around a ballad by giving it a heartfelt, if slightly wackily idiosyncratic, treatment.

Over the past decade, John Scofield has proved himself to be among the greatest jazz guitarist ever. This disc, catching him in rare form on a live gig, goes a long way toward solidifying that well-deserved reputation.

For jazz buffs, the live trio record stands as one of the purest representations of the art form. A Jazz trio in a live setting is very challenging, and there's no lifejacket or safety net involved. The John Scofield Trio which consists of John Scofield (Guitar), old friends and longtime musical partners Steve Swallow (Bass) and Bill Stewart (Drums), recorded "EnRoute" live at the legendary "Blue Note" in N.Y.C. For you Scofield fans who get dispirited when his solos are over, you'll take pleasure in this recording, him being the only lead player. It's Scofield galore! And this setting allows him to really display his "chops".
If you're a guitarist looking for some schooling, you'll wear out your rewind button just on track one. Scofield's harmonic and rhythmic versatility from verse to verse stands out. He shows that he has the musical vocabulary to hold his audience captive for a duration of time, while cookin' at burning tempos. It seems to me that Scofield's been "whittling away at his axe", because he's playin' stuff I've never heard him play before. Yet, it's recognizably him...slightly funky with lots of "Montgomery-esque" octaves and dripping chord solos. Bass player Swallow and drummer Stewart are right on target! Any more and they would "step on toes"; any less and they would've needed a 4th person for a quartet.
For you jazz purists, and even those with the jazz bug, this is a "necessity" to add to your "Bop" collection! And for those of you that just discovered John Scofield with Medeski, Martin & Wood and think this may be another "Funk/Hip Hop" album like "A Go-Go" or "Uberjam", don't waste your money, this may be over your head. This is JAZZ, pure and simple. There's nothing really cutting-edge about this recording, but the live trio setting does set it apart as something special. This album should become a "must have" among Jazz Purists.

This is one of the best Scofield cd's I've heard in a while. Be aware though that this is more straight ahead jazz than some of his previous stuff, i.e. Up All Night. So hear goes the description.

The cd is over all good, but there are some high points which I would like to point out. On the songs Hammock Soliloquy and Alfie, there are equal points for all of the band members to shine, and boy does it sure show. This cd is equally peaceful with songs like Alfie and equally powerful with songs like Name That Tune.

Here is the down side that I have to point out. John's solo's tend to sound the same after the first couple listen thru's, but then your ear gets tuned into the sounds and picks up the more subtle details. Another thing that i wish they would have done is put the bass frequencies louder. Steve Swallow has some awesome bass solo's and lines, but you usually can't here it because it tends to be a bit in the back. I would also like to point out that the drums are equallym good .

Thanks for reading my review and I hope it is helpful to you.

I've been a Scofield fan for as long as I can remember and see him live as often as possible. That said, and much as I've enjoyed his funk outings, this is the best thing he's released since his days with Joe Lovano in the band. This is a telepathically tight trio, and Scofield's solos here make it clear he's one of the greatest jazz guitarists ever. Lots of risk-taking, tremendous creativity and chops, with a range that moves from Bop to blues to New Orleans funk - often all in the same song. Truly a master at the top of his game.

Jazz is a high wire act.

Especially live. As here.

No net beneath. If you slip, you go splat.

These guys don't go splat.

One supposes it helps to have played together for many years, as these three friends (Sco, guitar; Steve Swallow, e-bass; Bill Stewart, drums) and jazz warriors have. Indeed, as Sco says in his brief liner notes: "The music on this CD was recorded live and I think that's the way jazz is played and heard best. Somehow, we rarely get to these places in the studio." They get to "these places," which are, in short, amazing, because of their individual brilliance and collective knowledge of each other's moves.

The most amazing place they get to is "Hammock Soliloquy," nearly ten minutes of bloozy, junk-yard-dog, shifting rhythms stitched together with some very sophisticated free-boppish passages. Somehow, it all hangs together. The intuitive band interaction combined with killer solos from both Sco and Swallow make for some might tasty listening. Swallow, although perhaps not quite as declamatory as on his recent Damage in Transit disc (but it's not his gig here, is it?), nevertheless provides nearly the perfect foil, becoming, at times, almost like "one big guitar together," as Sco puts it in his liner notes.

Other highlights include the pretty straightforward blues, "Bag," on which Sco proves he's among the greatest jazz interpreter of this music ever, helped, enormously, one must admit, by the walking brilliance of Swallow and the crazy rhythm of Stewart, who's all over his kit; "Wee," a Denzel Best standard given a way skanky treatment (which makes me wish for some more interpretations of jazz standards); and a wistfully atmospheric reading of "Alfie," where Sco proves he knows his way around a ballad by giving it a heartfelt, if slightly wackily idiosyncratic, treatment.

Over the past decade, John Scofield has proved himself to be among the greatest jazz guitarist ever. This disc, catching him in rare form on a live gig, goes a long way toward solidifying that well-deserved reputation.

This is definately the best Scofield album I have ever heard. It's dips into the more hardcore jazz which is very refreshing after his stint in the jam band world with his work with MMW. Tunes like "Hammock Soliloquy" and "Toogs" are some of the finest guitar playing i have ever heard. I could listen to this all day...every day. Definately a MUST HAVE! :)

As much as I'd like to pretend it was, this is definitely not something that all newer fans of Scofield will enjoy. There are definately moments on this cd that amaze me every time I hear them, but there are also moments where Mr. Scofield goes a little too far outside the lines for too long for my tastes. This cd gets four stars for all the amazing moments and for the fact that the groove is a constant that Scofield has made his trademark. If you are new to straight ahead trio work or come to Scofield by way of his funkier cds, you might want to take this cd into consideration with caution. Make no mistake that at times this album has hard bop written all over it, but make no mistake that Scofield is one of the best guitarists that has ever graced jazz/fusion.

John has so much to say on his guitar! It's amazing! Besides that the music is very well put together, tight in harmonies, very logical...However, John's guitar work always brings something to the table. Always new, refreshing... How a man can create new melodies over and over again on the 4 chord progression? He's a special kind of guitarist - been put here, just to piss every guitarist off! Like th work! Good, very good!

I saw the later show both nights, and couldn't believe what I was hearing. Scofield truely took it to a new level for me. I had been into his work with MMW and jamabands but I didn't know he had it in him. This show prooves he does, Scofield is truely a jazz musician.