Quiet

John Scofield

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 1996)
• Original Release Date: September 24, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000004753
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,366 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
John Scofield didn't even own an acoustic guitar when Pat Metheny brought along a pair of them for the guitarists' 1993 duo session, "I Can See Your House From Here." Scofield was so intrigued by the experience that he went out and bought his own nylon-string instrument, spent hours playing it and ultimately composed eight pieces especially for his new plaything. Those eight tunes (plus a ninth by producer Steve Swallow) comprise Scofield's new album, aptly entitled "Quiet." Scofield was too smart to simply transplant his electric-guitar techniques--which rely so heavily on distortion and attack--to the acoustic instrument. Instead, he took advantage of the nylon strings' intimacy and responsiveness to compose romantic melodies and play them in a clean, understated style. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Orchestration, orchestration., May 16, 2000

By	Jazzmountain "jazzmountain" - See all my reviews

Arranger Sco's master class. I seldom hear chords like these. Reminds me of Debussy's surreal harmonic spheres. Yet it swings when it has to. A Scofield fan friend of mine said while listening: 'It is surprising how a pyro-heavy can calm down so swingingly'.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Journey, October 22, 2003

By	Randall Klein (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This album is an exquisite little gem, which seamlessly bridges Jazz and Classical. To my ears it is one piece of music with 8 or 9 movements, (Steve Sallow wrote the last piece on the album.) In the liner notes John writes that he worked several months on the compositions and arrangements, which in my opinion are inseparable. The heads and solos flow together so smoothly as to be almost indistinguishable from each other, with their long arching melodies weaving a tapestry from beginning to end which is lovely and captivating. I invariably find the melodies stuck in my head hours, or sometimes even days after hearing them. For me, Steve Sallow's solo on "After the Fact" is magnificent, his command in the upper registers being so impressive and his line so melodic that when he finally dives down into the lower register the listener may be caught off guard by the surprise that he is listening to a bass solo. The arrangements and instrumentations, which coax lovely textures from the group at times hearken back to the French school. Some of the movements at times bring to mind Darius Milhoud's "Le Creation Du Monde", which is somewhat ironic, being that the French masters Milhoud, Ravel and Debussy were highly influenced by Jazz, and so we come full circle with the their influence on Mr. Scofield. For me however, the most astounding and wonderful aspect of this music is that the distinction between the written arrangements and the improvisations is blurred to such an extent that they become one, and in their own way transcend some of the limitations of both mediums. If you are in the mood for a relaxing and undulating melodic journey, then I can't imagine not enjoying this music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars scofield's finest hour, February 25, 2000

By	Erik Werkman (Utrecht, Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This is an amazingly beautiful album, as already stated in the other reviews below. I only would like to add that the beauty also comes from the delicate drumming of both Bill Stewart and Duduka Da Fonseca (the last one is featured on three of the more bossa nova oriented tracks) and the brilliant bass figures of Steve Swallow. They supply Sco with the perfect rhythmical foundation for this album that begs for repeated listenings. Even non-Sco lovers should love this album!