John Scofield is a bit of classic choice among guitarists in the jazz world. He lays in a bit of a jazz rock fusion style, and has touched upon the world of acid jazz in this one. I’m incredibly intrigued by the notion of this album, as I’ve never really listened to acid jazz, I think. John Scofield still makes music to this day as a lead and as a sideman occasionally, even plays with some jam bands at times like Phil Lesh and Friends or Gov’t Mule. The cover art for this one is pretty overtly psychedelic as well, and I dig it. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Acidhead” starts out psychedelic in nature right away with a sitar that seems to move gently in and out of the soundscape. Oh wow, I really dig the tone of the guitar – it’s super punchy like a jazz guitar reminiscent of Grant Green, but a sort sensation like it was washed in the same washing machine as a bunch of acid rock guitar. Oh wow, the is sweet. It almost reminds me of Goose a bit, a sort of up and coming jam band. Oh wow, these synth (?) effects are awesome as they loop throughout the soundscape, though they could be guitars, keyboards, or even effect-laden sitars for all I know particular – what I do know is it sounds super sweet. There are faint sort of raga-inflected moans that seemingly leak into the soundscape that bring a great, light flavor to this. Oh wow, this is sweet. It’s nearly like EOTO meets jazz at the moment, and the jams are getting brought out into unexplored territory super nicely. Great track.
“Ideofunk” starts out with some super tasty funky flavors with a great foundation in the swing from the drums, with a nearly galloping acoustic guitar chord progression that nearly eases the funky staccato’d playing from the organs into the soundscape, while the bass comes in to sort of bounce and round out the groove, with all of the instruments bouncing and feeding off one another. Holy smokes, this track is super tasty. Those lead guitar lines from Scofield are absolutely delicious, and seem to take the track to new directions. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar has a bit of an earthier quality when it plays some nearly bluesy lines in this sweet song. Holy smokes, I got lost in the soundscape a bit in that one. Really great tune.
“Jungle Fiction” starts out in a bit of an exploratory nature, with the rhythm guitar (? <- not even sure if it's another guitar or not) seemingly having a sort of washing sound throughout the soundscape as the lead playing from Scofield entrances you with the awesome licks. There's a super interesting drum section in this one, which gets nearly primal during the little drum break and then sort of builds on that feeling after said break. Oh wow, the ever changing effects on the guitar continually keeps the listener on their toes. Oh, this section is super interesting - it's like some sort of psychedelic experimental jazz raga rock fusion mix - awesome. Holy smokes, this is sweet. Another great track.
"I Brake 4 Monster Booty" has a super groovy sort of funk jazz rock fusion between the bass, drums, and guitar right at the onset of the tune, which gradually weaves in some keyboards/synths of more of an overt psychedelic nature into the soundscape. The guitars has some super groovy and tasty lines, and range from a sort of dripping psychedelic wah guitar sound to a bit of a brighter tone reminiscent of a mixture between a punchy jazz guitar and the twang of a country rock guitar - super sweet. Holy smokes, there's actually a rap in this one that took me totally by surprise. Wow, this is sweet. I really dig the fat bass tone the grooves in the outro as well, super tasty. Great tune.
"Animal Farm" has an almost relaxed sort of funky, nearly dark jazz rock sort of sound that reminds me a ton of Phish at the moment, with some other instruments sort of lightly and tastily peppered into the soundscape. Oh wow, this tune gets taken out there fro a moment, and sounds like nearly a different song as the soundscape changes up with some tasty raga lines before going back to the regularly scheduled programming of the initial melody. Oh wow, this is sweet - the track really does remind a bit of an exploratory jam in a Phish show. Super sweet track, with tons of great exploratory flavor.
Oh wow, "Offspring" starts out with some super tasty grooving acoustic guitar that almost sounds like something out of a Country Joe McDonald song, which serves as a sort of anchor to some semblance of reality until the rest of the instrumentation seemingly takes this track into experimental territory with different electronics sounds while Scofield continually jams out and takes this tune into a different exploratory area with some super tasty jazz guitar playing. I really dig the bass in this one, which connects the drums and lead guitar really nicely while furthering the jam with some improvisatory input from its own playing - super sweet. Oh wow, the drums really get rockin' with some crashing of cymbals that sort of seem to signal the changing of the different styles throughout the track to a more of a jazz rock feel while the playing from Scofield is steers the playing from the band. Oh wow - this is sweet. I really dig the integration of all the psychedelic experimental sounds with the sort of jazz rock that's prevalent throughout. Sweet tune.
Oh wow, "Tomorrow Land" starts out with some super flavorful guitar lines that have more of traditional, clean and punchy jazz sound to my ears, which really have an easy-going feel as different lines seem to nearly fold into one another while the drums gently keep the tune grooving and the bass softly connects the guitar work to the drums with some tasty, improvisatory-inflected playing that seems to add a fair deal to the possible direction in which the guitars are traveling. I really dig the guitar work in this track, which seem to weave together throughout the soundscape to create a comforting air in the soundscape. Great track.
"uberjam" starts out incredibly experimental in sound, with a number of instruments that almost have an electronic nature with the different effects used to gradually introduce the more traditional instruments in the soundscape. There's some really quick, tight, repeating wah-pedal'd rhythm guitar that sort of drips into the soundscape and intensify the flavor and jamming of this groovy jam by a ton, especially as the lead guitar seems to weave super tasty full lines around the tight wah-pedal'd playing of said rhythm guitar. Oh wow, this is super sweet. I really dig how the experimental electronic sounds are weaved into the fabric of the jam in this track. Oh wow, the tune switches up to a super tasty funky jazz rock jam reminiscent of Goose, while still retaining a bit of that electronic air in the rhythm section for a moment. Oh wow, all different movements within this song are super sweet, and the playing segues from one movement to the next super smoothly. Oh wow, the outro of this track nearly descends into chaos for a moment - this is sweet. Great jam track.
Oh wow, "Polo towers" starts out with some super tasty nearly psychedelic blues rock sounding guitar, before the track evolves to a bit more of a paced-out exploratory psychedelic funk jazz track that reminds me of a mix between Phish and Goose. Oh wow, the track comes a mini sort of crescendo before seemingly rolling back to some easy-going psychedelic funk grooves. These grooves seem to build on themselves as the track progresses forward more, which create a very natural sounding conclusory feel to the track as things build up to the end of the groove. Great tune.
"Snap Crackle Pop" starts out with some super groovy electronic infused percussion sounds alongside the traditional drum kit, which is promptly joined by some seemingly easy-going playing from the rest of the band as they seem to settle into the jam before taking it out there when the playing picks up. Oh wow, this is sweet. I really dig the sort of experimental nature of these electronic funk jazz rock jams, which seem to take the tune pretty far out before resolving to some super tasty jazz guitar on a tight, quick rhythm section comprised of both electronic and traditional percussion instrumentation. Oh wow, this is sweet - there's some raga stuff getting worked in with what nearly sound to be a sort of reverse effect on the guitar playing at nearly the same time some gentle acoustic guitar joins the foray to add some earthy elements to the epic jam. Oh wow, this outro is absolutely lovely. Great track.
"Lucky for Her" starts out with a sort of bubbling and bopping of electronic sounds, while Scofield's jazz guitar seems to be introduced with some reverse effects at first, and then loses said reverse effects as his guitar's presence is established in the soundscape. Oh wow, the playing on this one seems to be gradually tying together a lot of the elements from earlier in the album while bringing this album in for a landing after getting pretty far out. Super sweet tune and great way to wrap up this album.
Wow, this album is pretty awesome. I'd never really listened to much John Scofield before, but I'm incredibly intrigued and interested in checking out more of his work at the moment. The album nearly felt like that of a jam band of sorts, touching elements of psychedelic funk rock, jazz rock, and experimental electronic sounds from bands like Phish, Goose, and EOTO, while bringing a lot of other psychedelic stylings, raga-inflections, and jazz flavor of its own feel to the table. This was one super interesting listening experience, and if you enjoy jam bands like those mentioned above, you might want to consider checking out this album. As always, if you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A