John Scofield

Aside from being one of the principal innovators of modern jazz guitar, John Scofield is a creative artist of an even rarer sort: a stylistic chameleon who has forged a consistent, rock-solid aesthetic identity. Looking to commemorate his 66th year, Scofield penned twelve original compositions and formed a swinging new group to record and tour the music. Rising star Gerald Clayton was an obvious choice on piano, an instrument central to the new tunes. The connection between Scofield and drummer Bill Stewart strengthens as the decades pass. It was Stewart who introduced bassist Vicente Archer to the project, having worked with him on a Nicholas Payton recording. Scofield is thrilled with the group and in addition to the musical combustion, especially enjoys the inter-generational quality – sixties, fifties, forties and thirties represented! Scofield will tour with the following group through 2019, his most recent Verve recording, COMBO 66, released in September 2018 to great critical acclaim. Over the course of a nearly five-decade career, bassist and composer Dave Holland has never stopped evolving, reinventing his concept and approach with each new project while constantly honing his instantly identifiable voice. From the electric whirlwind of Miles Davis’ electric band to the pioneering avant-garde quartet Circle to his own acclaimed big band, Holland has been at the forefront of jazz in many of its forms since his earliest days. The Boston Globe praises Holland as “a master bassist and bandleader, one of the most sophisticated composers and arrangers in the jazz world.”