Concert Review
Edmonton International Jazz Festival (www.edmontonjazz.com)
Act: John Scofield Trio
When: June 23, 2008 7:30
Where: MacLab Theatre 

Reviewed By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

If you are into jazz guitarists, it would be hard not to know of John Scofield. For the jazz beginner, his status as one of the "big three" jazz guitarists may not mean much on paper, but once you are planted in your seat at his concert he will definitely show you why. 

A simple assembly, the John Scofield Trio is a seasoned act that plays more for each other than for the crowd. The drummer, Bill Stuart, taps the drums with one eye half opened and the other closed while the bass player, Steve Swallow, is a seasoned veteran on his bass guitar and Scofield completes the enthralling performance on his electric bass.

A little bit of everything is what comes your way as they opened with some of Scofield's classic tracks which span from his more than thirty albums. 

The second song in the set, titled 'Green Tea' from the album A Go Go, was a funky tune that showcased Scofield's ability to platform his talents across many different genres of jazz from funk, R&B and post-bop, never mind his ability to pick cool names for tracks and albums. 

The first two songs of the set displayed the synchronicity of the Trio, while the rest of the set allowed them to diverge into impressive solos that had many complex layers but that maintained the rhythm of the song when it started.

Most of the songs featured solos by all three members of the trio. Each member had their own unique sounds to showcase, while Scofield likes to experiment with the effects pedal, Swallow was more of a traditional jazz guitarist who had well practised intricate abilities on the bass. The drummer, Bill Stuart, had a range of techniques using the brushes in one solo and the drumsticks on the cymbals in another. 

Renditions of classic jazz tracks such as 'Everything I Love', a famous composition by Cole Porter and 'You Don't Know Me' by Ray Charles switched up the musical style of the show and showed off the Trio's ability to play slower and more mellow songs.