Jazz

Rather than contempt, familiarity breeds a comfortable groove on Swallow Tales, a shared vision for a group of notable tunes written by the venerable bass veteran Steve Swallow. This straight-ahead conversation between old friends and musical partners was recorded in a brief four hours; the result is a flavorful snapshot of a long and fruitful relationship now over 40 years old between guitarist John Scofield and his mentor Swallow. The pair is accompanied by Scofield's go-to drummer, the versatile Bill Stewart, whom the guitarist has played with in a number of different musical contexts. Energized by the easy charm of musical instinct, this session opens with one of Swallow's most beautiful ballads, "She Was Young," before shifting to "Falling Grace," where Stewart's natural and infallible rhythms support Swallow who sweeps into his signature broken time bass style. Scofield stretches out and shows his sense of invention and flair for concise solos in a fast take "Portsmouth Figurations," a tune he first heard on one of his earliest album influences, Gary Burton's Duster. The most famous number "Eiderdown," (also the first tune Swallow ever wrote and has been covered by the likes of Chick Corea, Bill Evans and Phil Woods), receives a spirited run through with Scofield, who says he once struggled to master these changes. He deftly travels up and down the guitar neck, preferring high notes, while Stewart takes an orderly, articulate solo. Another oft-recorded tune, the waltzy "Hullo Bolinas," is taken at a brisk pace while the bassist's playful borrowing from Cole Porter—"In F"—also features another measured, tasteful solo from Stewart. A reunion more interested in bringing fresh insights to well-known repertoire than pushing envelopes, Swallow Tales is the sound of masters at work. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

Rather than contempt, familiarity breeds a comfortable groove on Swallow Tales, a shared vision for a group of notable tunes written by the venerable bass veteran Steve Swallow. This straight-ahead conversation between old friends and musical partners was recorded in a brief four hours; the result is a flavorful snapshot of a long and fruitful relationship now over 40 years old between guitarist John Scofield and his mentor Swallow. The pair is accompanied by Scofield's go-to drummer, the versatile Bill Stewart, whom the guitarist has played with in a number of different musical contexts.  Energized by the easy charm of musical instinct, this session opens with one of Swallow's most beautiful ballads, "She Was Young," before shifting to "Falling Grace," where Stewart's natural and infallible rhythms support Swallow who sweeps into his signature broken time bass style. Scofield stretches out and shows his sense of invention and flair for concise solos in a fast take "Portsmouth Figurations," a tune he first heard on one of his earliest album influences, Gary Burton's Duster.  The most famous number "Eiderdown," (also the first tune Swallow ever wrote and has been covered by the likes of Chick Corea, Bill Evans and Phil Woods), receives a spirited run through with Scofield, who says he once struggled to master these changes. He deftly travels up and down the guitar neck, preferring high notes, while Stewart takes an orderly, articulate solo. Another oft-recorded tune, the waltzy "Hullo Bolinas," is taken at a brisk pace while the bassist's playful borrowing from Cole Porter—"In F"—also features another measured, tasteful solo from Stewart. A reunion more interested in bringing fresh insights to well-known repertoire than pushing envelopes, Swallow Tales is the sound of masters at work. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

At 66 years old, Sco remains fascinating. With about fifty albums as either the lead artist or under a shared credit, the guitarist from Ohio always finds interesting stories to tell. This time he uses a four piece including his old friend and drummer Bill Stewart (with whom he’s been playing since 1992!), bassist Vincente Archer (a member of Robert Glasper’s trio), and organist and pianist (keyboard) Gerald Clayton. “Guitar and keyboard are not always the easiest mix. Because of its percussive nature, the piano is relatively similar to the guitar. But Gerald has a beautiful touch and though he is quite modern, his style reminds me of Hank Jones or Tommy Flanagan, and that really is a beautiful legato sound that works well with the guitar.”Armed with his Ibanez AS200, John Scofield, aware of the guitar/keyboard clash, carefully delivers progressions and improvisations that perfectly complement Clayton’s playing style. Their back-and-forths send sparks flying on the up-tempo tracks such as Willa Jean and New Waltzo. The real success of this album is found in the way it puts the emphasis on swing, an eternal swing, like on King of Belgium. The track that closes Combo 66 is a homage to the Belgian harmonica master, Toots Thielemans, a man full of humanity and gifted with a wonderful sense of humour, a quality he shared with John Scofield. “If you can’t have fun playing music, go home! I always take jazz very seriously, but the fact is that it only works if you are relaxed and you don’t worry. If you try too hard, it simply doesn’t work. Humour really helps me find a better place with music.” © Max Dembo/Qobuz

At 66 years old, Sco remains fascinating. With about fifty albums as either the lead artist or under a shared credit, the guitarist from Ohio always finds interesting stories to tell. This time he uses a four piece including his old friend and drummer Bill Stewart (with whom he’s been playing since 1992!), bassist Vincente Archer (a member of Robert Glasper’s trio), and organist and pianist (keyboard) Gerald Clayton. “Guitar and keyboard are not always the easiest mix. Because of its percussive nature, the piano is relatively similar to the guitar. But Gerald has a beautiful touch and though he is quite modern, his style reminds me of Hank Jones or Tommy Flanagan, and that really is a beautiful legato sound that works well with the guitar.”Armed with his Ibanez AS200, John Scofield, aware of the guitar/keyboard clash, carefully delivers progressions and improvisations that perfectly complement Clayton’s playing style. Their back-and-forths send sparks flying on the up-tempo tracks such as Willa Jean and New Waltzo. The real success of this album is found in the way it puts the emphasis on swing, an eternal swing, like on King of Belgium. The track that closes Combo 66 is a homage to the Belgian harmonica master, Toots Thielemans, a man full of humanity and gifted with a wonderful sense of humour, a quality he shared with John Scofield. “If you can’t have fun playing music, go home! I always take jazz very seriously, but the fact is that it only works if you are relaxed and you don’t worry. If you try too hard, it simply doesn’t work. Humour really helps me find a better place with music.” © Max Dembo/Qobuz