John Scofield Touring – Supporting His Latest Album, “Uncle John’s Band”

“Uncle John’s Band” (double album) includes songs by The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Miles Davis, Leonard Bernstein, and more.

John Scofield, Vicente Archer, and Bill Stewart 2024 North American Tour Dates

04/02/24: Minneapolis, MN, The Dakota 

04/03/24: Evanston, IL, SPACE (sold out)

04/04/24: Denver, CO, Dazzle (sold out)

04/05/24: Denver, CO, Dazzle (sold out)

04/06/24: Beaver Creek, Colorado, Vilar Performing Arts Center

04/07/24: Los Angeles, CA, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz

04/08/24: Santa Cruz, CA, Kuumbwa 

04/09/24: Kirkland, Washington, Kirkland Performance Center

04/10/24: Bend, Oregon, Tower Theatre

04/11/24: Portland, Oregon, Aladdin Theater

04/12/24: Phoenix, AZ, Musical Instrument Museum

04/25/24: San Francisco, CA, SFJAZZ (Trio with Vicente Archer & Nasheet Waits)

04/26/24: San Francisco, CA, SFJAZZ (Trio with Vicente Archer & Nasheet Waits)

Named for the Grateful Dead song that concludes this double album, Uncle John’s Band features masterful guitarist John Scofield at his most freewheeling. Wide-ranging repertoire finds his trio with Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart tackling material from Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” to Neil Young’s “Old Man”, from Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” to the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool classic “Budo”. And jazz standards including “Stairway to the Stars” and “Ray’s Idea” rub shoulders with seven far-reaching Scofield originals that are variously swing, funk, and folk-inflected. The red thread through the program is the trio’s improvisational verve. “I feel like we can go anywhere,” says John Scofield of the group’s multi-directional versatility, and they do. The opening “Tambourine Man” for instance begins almost in the spirit of raga, before the theme emerges, lilting and country-flavored, and the improvisation opens up a new space where “we don’t follow a form but play freely,” with Vicente Archer’s heartfelt solo an early highlight. From moment to moment, the group embraces the structures of the pieces it plays, then stretches and liberates them. “All the compositions are vehicles for us to improvise on,” Scofield told rock magazine Relix recently. “All are equally important to me.”

Uncle John’s Band was recorded at Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, New York, in August 2022. The album includes liner notes, with commentary on each track, by John Scofield. 

John talks to Jazz Guitar Today (audio podcast)

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