Review from All About Jazz (by John Kelman):
In a career just entering its fifth decade, John Scofield may have covered a lot of stylistic territory -- from the burning modality of Rough House (Enja, 1978), funkified fusion of Blue Matter (Gramavision, 1987) and N'awlins leanings of Piety Street (EmArcy, 2009), to jamband workouts like A Go Go (Verve, 1998), burning modern mainstream on Time On My Hands (Blue Note, 1990) and the contemporary classicized Scorched (Deutsche Grammophon, 2004) -- but if a single word had to be chosen to describe the guitarist, it would have to be: incendiary. Magically combining inside and outside playing from one of his first recordings -- trumpeter Chet Baker and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's 1974 recording, Carnegie Hall Concert (CTI, 1976) -- Scofield has brought fire to whatever he touches, regardless of the context, and if unfettered burning won't do, then, at the very least, he simmers at a slow boll, his sophisticated vernacular still informed, with its gritty tone and predilection for greasy bends, by an early love of blues and R&B.
That's not to say Scofield can't nail a ballad, as he does on most of his thirty-plus recordings as a leader; but even when he covers an iconic one like "Georgia on My Mind," on Pick Hits Live (Gramavision, 1990), it's with a kind of understated energy that creates its own delicious tension and release. Most artists inevitably find themselves doing a ballads recording, but while Quiet (Verve, 1997) presented a different side to Scofield -- relegated exclusively to acoustic guitar on a set of originals that also featured a five-to-seven-piece brass section and guest appearances by saxophonist Wayne Shorter on three tracks -- it was more about reduced volume than tempo, and still, despite Scofield's cleaner tone and lower decibel level, imbued with some of his characteristic fire. Less overtly ambitious in its scope, perhaps, with a fixed quartet lineup and generally simpler arrangements -- but with the guitarist back on his trusty Ibanez hollow-body electric -- A Moment's Peace may not exactly be a ballads album by conventional definition, but it's the most relaxed album the guitarist has ever released, as he approaches his sixtieth birthday later this year.
That A Moment's Peace manages to never break a sweat is all the more remarkable given the group Scofield has assembled. That the ever-versatile Brian Blade -- a drummer as capable of unconstrained freedom in Wayne Shorter's decade-old quartet as he is delivering rock-steady grooves with Black Dub -- is still, like Scofield, so instantly recognizable is equally surprising, given the largely restrained nature of the material. Only a soulful, occasionally reggae-ified version of "You Don't Know What Love Is" approaches any kind of real heat, with Scofield letting loose rapid-fire flurries and cathartic bends, over Blade's periodic (and more characteristic) sharp punctuations, all the while grooving viscerally, thanks to the drummer's in-the-pocket lock with unshakable bassist Scott Colley.
Something of a sleeper that grows substantially with every listen, A Moment's Peace is also defined by Scofield's choice of material. His five originals run the gamut from the slightly countrified "Plain Song" -- another tune that kicks into a little higher gear during his solo -- to the ambling "Simply Put" and a mid-set trifecta of down-tempo tunes (the soft "Johan," swinging "Mood Returns" and change-heavy "Already September") that blur the boundaries between the guitarist's own material and his eclectic selection of covers.
And it's A Moment's Peace's seven covers that deliver the biggest surprises. The Beatles' "I Will," one of the more overlooked tracks from The Beatles (The White Album) (Apple, 1968), featuring Larry Goldings' cushiony, upper-harmonics organ, is the most literal arrangement of the set, though its just-over-three-minute duration still leaves room for concise, note-perfect solos from Scofield and Goldings. A Moment's Peace also represents a reunion of sorts, at least on record, for Scofield and Goldings, having last recorded together in 2004 (for Saudades (ECM, 2006), their Tony Williams Lifetime tribute project with drummer Jack DeJohnette, Trio Beyond), though they've continued to work together live in the ensuing years, including some recent duet shows in Italy.
Less direct is Scofield's arrangement of "Lawns"; having received the chart from Carla Bley a number of years ago, Scofield has never actually heard the keyboardist/composer's version. Here, Blade and Colley swing with conviction, as Goldings (again on organ) and Scofield solo over an arrangement taken at a slightly brighter clip than the original on Sextet (WATT, 1987). A dark reading of Abbey Lincoln's "Throw It Away," one of six tracks where Goldings economically trades his Hammond for grand piano, contrasts with a straight-ahead look at Billy Eckstine's "I Want to Talk About You" and a slow-grooving, blues-drenched version of Don Redman's 1929 classic, "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You."
But it's the set-closer that's A Moment's Peace's most esoteric choice and clear indicator that, while the album may be considered one of Scofield's most centrist projects, it's not without its risks. George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" has been covered hundreds of times on record -- and the live count is likely orders of magnitude greater -- but few have turned it into a rubato tone poem, with Colley sitting out and Blade building a soft tumult of mallet-driven toms and cymbals from the bottom up and top down. Goldings' organ descends in a series of cascading notes that gradually settle into the song's familiar changes, as Scofield delivers the equally familiar melody peppered with low-end harmonies, in a reading that stays close to form but is as freely expressed as the fieriest free improv, the album fading on an unexpectedly abstruse note that should belie any suggestion that, with A Moment's Peace, Scofield has chosen a safe or easy route.
A Moment's Peace might be perceived by some, at least on the surface, as an album of little risk -- without Scofield's usual fire and grease, a set that might appear to coast when it ought to soar -- but it may well be Scofield's biggest gamble. Those prepared to accept the album on face value, as an hour's respite from life's normal hustle and bustle -- or, who are patient enough to dig deeper for its beyond-the-norm look at a handful of potentially worn-out standards, here reinvigorated; a quintet of perfectly dovetailing originals; and a couple of truly surprising song choices -- will find plenty to love about A Moment's Peace -- an album whose greatest charms are revealed not after one or two listens, but after ten or twenty.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-scofield-a-moments-peace-by-john-kelman
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Resena de All About Jazz (por John Kelman):
En una carrera que entra en su quinta decada, John Scofield ha recorrido mucho territorio estilistico -- desde la modalidad ardiente de Rough House (Enja, 1978), la fusion funkificada de Blue Matter (Gramavision, 1987) y las inclinaciones de Nueva Orleans de Piety Street (EmArcy, 2009), hasta los workouts de jam band como A Go Go (Verve, 1998), el moderno mainstream ardiente de Time On My Hands (Blue Note, 1990) y el clasicismo contemporaneo de Scorched (Deutsche Grammophon, 2004) -- pero si hubiera que elegir una sola palabra para describir al guitarrista, seria: incendiario. Combinando magicamente el tocar dentro y fuera desde una de sus primeras grabaciones -- la grabacion de 1974 del trompetista Chet Baker y el saxofonista baritono Gerry Mulligan, Carnegie Hall Concert (CTI, 1976) -- Scofield ha traido fuego a todo lo que toca, independientemente del contexto, y si el ardor sin freno no es el camino, al menos simera a fuego lento, su sofisticado vocabulario aun informado, con su timbre aspero y su predileccion por los bends grasos, por un amor temprano por el blues y el R&B.
Eso no quiere decir que Scofield no pueda clavar una balada, como lo hace en la mayoria de sus mas de treinta grabaciones como lider; pero incluso cuando versiona una iconica como "Georgia on My Mind", en Pick Hits Live (Gramavision, 1990), lo hace con un tipo de energia discreta que crea su propia deliciosa tension y liberacion. La mayoria de los artistas inevitablemente terminan haciendo un disco de baladas, pero si bien Quiet (Verve, 1997) presento un lado diferente de Scofield -- relegado exclusivamente a la guitarra acustica en un set de originales que tambien contaba con una seccion de bronces de cinco a siete piezas y apariciones especiales del saxofonista Wayne Shorter en tres temas -- era mas sobre volumen reducido que tempo, y aun asi, a pesar del tono mas limpio de Scofield y el menor nivel de decibelios, imbuido de parte de su fuego caracteristico. Menos ambicioso en su alcance, quizas, con una formacion fija de cuarteto y arreglos generalmente mas simples -- pero con el guitarrista de vuelta en su confiable guitarra electrica hueca Ibanez -- A Moment's Peace puede no ser exactamente un album de baladas por definicion convencional, pero es el album mas relajado que el guitarrista haya publicado jamas, cuando se acerca a su sesenta cumpleanos.
Que A Moment's Peace logre nunca sudar la gota gorda es tanto mas notable dado el grupo que Scofield ha reunido. Que el versatil Brian Blade -- un baterista tan capaz de libertad sin restricciones en el cuarteto de decadas de Wayne Shorter como de entregar grooves solidisimos con Black Dub -- siga siendo, como Scofield, tan instantaneamente reconocible es igualmente sorprendente, dada la naturaleza en gran medida contenida del material. Solo una version llena de alma, ocasionalmente reggaeficada, de "You Don't Know What Love Is" se aproxima a algun tipo de calor real, con Scofield soltando rafagas de notas rapidas y bends catarticos, sobre las puntuaciones periodicas (y mas caracteristicas) afiladas de Blade, mientras groovea visceralmente, gracias al lock en el beat del baterista con el inamovible bajista Scott Colley.
Una suerte de sleeper que crece sustancialmente con cada escucha, A Moment's Peace tambien se define por la eleccion de material de Scofield. Sus cinco originales van desde el ligeramente countrificado "Plain Song" -- otro tema que sube un poco el gear durante su solo -- hasta el tranquilo "Simply Put" y una trifecta de temas lentos a mitad del disco (el suave "Johan", el swingueante "Mood Returns" y el cambiante "Already September") que difuminan los limites entre el material propio del guitarrista y su eclectica seleccion de versiones.
Y son las siete versiones de A Moment's Peace las que ofrecen las mayores sorpresas. "I Will" de los Beatles, una de las canciones menos advertidas de The Beatles (The White Album) (Apple, 1968), con el organo acolchado de armonicos agudos de Larry Goldings, es el arreglo mas literal del set, aunque su duracion de poco mas de tres minutos aun deja lugar para solos concisos y de notas perfectas de Scofield y Goldings. A Moment's Peace tambien representa un reencuentro de alguna manera, al menos en disco, para Scofield y Goldings, habiendo grabado juntos por ultima vez en 2004 (para Saudades (ECM, 2006), su proyecto tributo a Tony Williams Lifetime con el baterista Jack DeJohnette, Trio Beyond), aunque han seguido trabajando juntos en vivo en los anos siguientes, incluyendo algunos recientes shows en duo en Italia.
Menos directa es la version de "Lawns" de Scofield; habiendo recibido la partitura de Carla Bley hace algunos anos, Scofield en realidad nunca ha escuchado la version de la tecladista/compositora. Aqui, Blade y Colley swingean con conviccion, mientras Goldings (de nuevo en organo) y Scofield improvisan sobre un arreglo tomado a un ritmo ligeramente mas vivo que el original en Sextet (WATT, 1987). Una oscura lectura del "Throw It Away" de Abbey Lincoln, uno de los seis temas donde Goldings cambia economicamente su Hammond por piano de cola, contrasta con una mirada directa al "I Want to Talk About You" de Billy Eckstine y una version de groove lento, empapada en blues, del clasico de 1929 de Don Redman, "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You."
Pero es el cierre del disco el que representa la eleccion mas esoterica de A Moment's Peace y el indicador claro de que, si bien el album puede ser considerado uno de los proyectos mas centrados de Scofield, no carece de riesgos. "I Loves You Porgy" de George Gershwin e Ira Gershwin ha sido versionado cientos de veces en disco -- y el conteo en vivo es probablemente ordenes de magnitud mayor -- pero pocos lo han convertido en un poema tonico rubato, con Colley haciendose a un lado y Blade construyendo una suave tumultuosidad de tom-toms y platillos impulsados con mazas de arriba abajo. El organo de Goldings desciende en una serie de notas en cascada que gradualmente se asientan en los cambios familiares del tema, mientras Scofield entrega la melodia igualmente familiar salpicada de armonias en el registro grave, en una lectura que se mantiene fiel a la forma pero se expresa tan libremente como la improvisacion libre mas ardiente, el album desvaneciendose en una nota inesperadamente abstru-sa que desmiente cualquier sugerencia de que, con A Moment's Peace, Scofield haya elegido un camino seguro o facil.
A Moment's Peace podria ser percibido por algunos, al menos en la superficie, como un album de poco riesgo -- sin el fuego y la grasa habituales de Scofield, un set que podria parecer que costea cuando deberia elevarse -- pero bien podria ser la mayor apuesta de Scofield. Quienes esten dispuestos a aceptar el album por su valor superficial, como una hora de respiro del ajetreo cotidiano -- o que tengan la paciencia de profundizar en su mirada mas alla de lo comun a un punado de standards potencialmente gastados, aqui reinvigorados; un quinteto de originales que encajan perfectamente; y un par de elecciones de canciones verdaderamente sorprendentes -- encontraran mucho que amar en A Moment's Peace -- un album cuyos mayores encantos se revelan no despues de una o dos escuchas, sino despues de diez o veinte.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-scofield-a-moments-peace-by-john-kelman
1 - Simply Put
2 - I Will
3 - Lawns
4 - Throw It Away
5 - I Want to Talk About You
6 - Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
7 - Johan
8 - Mood Returns
9 - Already September
10 - You Don't Know What Love Is
11 - Plain Song
12 - I Loves You Porgy
Credits:
John Scofield - Guitar
Larry Goldings - Piano (tracks 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Hammond B3 Organ (tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 12)
Scott Colley - Upright Bass
Brian Blade - Drums
Compositions:
Simply Put - John Scofield
I Will - John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Lawns - Carla Bley
Throw It Away - Abbey Lincoln
I Want to Talk About You - Billy Eckstine
Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You - Don Redman / Andy Razaf
Johan - John Scofield
Mood Returns - John Scofield
Already September - John Scofield
You Don't Know What Love Is - Don Raye / Gene de Paul
Plain Song - John Scofield
I Loves You Porgy - George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
Production:
Produced by John Scofield
Engineered and Mixed at Sear Sound, New York City, January 2011
Mastered at Sterling Sound, January 2011
Label: EmArcy Records 0602527642482
Country: US
Released: September 27, 2011
Genre: Jazz
Style: Post-Bop, Guitar Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Duration: 1:00:47
Sources:
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-scofield-a-moments-peace-by-john-kelman
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-moments-peace-mw0002125892
https://www.discogs.com/master/413980-John-Scofield-A-Moments-Peace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Moment%27s_Peace
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