Search - John Scofield :: Bump

Another great Scofield record

Daniel Read | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first listen, this sounded a lot to me like A-Go-Go, and I wondered why Scofield would have repeated himself. But then, on subsequent listens, I realized that the similarities to A-Go-Go are deceiving. This is a much different album.What's different here is the textures happening underneath Scofield's familiar guitar sound. The mood is much different. Funky, yes, but more soulful, more spacy. Gone are John Medeski's organ riffs and solos. A-Go-Go had a big happy grin on the face of it, as if Scofield had discovered something totally new, and was having a blast with it. It was bright, full of light. Bump has more of a lounge feel. Kick back and relax, it says. This is not to say that some of A-Go-Go's funkiness is not here. It's just not right out front.I came to John Scofield because he worked with Medeski, Martin, and Wood on A-Go-Go, and MMW are a favorite band of mine (the best jazz band working, if you ask me). I have not had a chance to go back and explore his earlier works. Therefore, I am not qualified to place this in the context of Scofield's extensive pre-A-Go-Go catalog. But I'm already in love with Bump, and I don't think that fans of A-Go-Go will be dissappointed either."

Great funk but is this jazz?

g-man, | the ridiculously vanilla midwest | 03/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most fun albums I've picked up in a long time. The guy is amazing, he literally speaks through his instrument. There's no doubt that Scofield, Frisell, and Metheny are going to be(or already are)the jazz guitar influence of the future. But, this album like Bill's "Nashville" and Pat's "Map of the World" has very little to do with jazz. That is not a bad thing! Jazz snobs should remember, good music is good music, and this is great stuff. If you want to hear soulful grooves and some incredibly funky guitar then pick this up now! If you're after Sco playing jazz then you may want to check out "Time on my Hands" or Joe Henderson's "Musings for Miles" Both albums are Sco at his best in a "jazz" context."

An extension of 'A Go Go'. An improvement over it, too.

g-man, | 06/28/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the video portion of the CD, John Scofield calls 'Bump' an "extension" of 'A Go Go'". Like his 1998 predecessor, he draws heavily on the music of early funksters like James Brown, Sly Stone and the Meters to concoct a brand of music nowadays called acid jazz. But the removal of John Medeski's sometimes-overboard organ and much of the quirkiness that diminished Sco's union with MMW seem to have made all the difference in the world. With no other soloist with whom to dual, JS treats his fans to some of his most economical playing in years, perhaps ever. His lean, patient solos are testaments to the subtle power of timing and phrasing. The one on "Chicon", for example, is less than one minute long in a seven minute song, yet still plenty sufficient and memorable.Scofield employs some rarely used tricks like a wah-wah pedal ("Kelpers", "Blackout") a nice Alan Holdsworth imitation ("Fez"), octaves laid over a funk rhythm ("Blackout" again) and significant guitar overdubs throughout. The keyboard sampler is not intrusive as such things can sometimes be, but it's hardly essential to the music, either. Kenny Wolleson's unusual counter-beat on "We Are Not Alone" makes Scofield's best composition on the album even better. A few songs might give you a sense of déjà vu, but at least the mood is pretty consistent throughout. 'Bump' will never go down as one of John Scofield's great artistic statements, but neither was that his intent; he just wanted a good groove album. On that level he succeeds, with the creativity, subtlety and great musicianship that is his stock in trade. Jazz snobs who disagree can take heart, however. Scofield's next release, scheduled for early 2001, has the likes of Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Billy Higgins on it. Should be a good one."