John Scofield: "My guitar can truly scream"

On July 29, at the Jazz Manor festival in St. Petersburg, the only concert of John Scofield in Russia will be held - one of the most famous and titled jazz guitarists in the world. During his more than 40-year career, John Skofild spoke and recorded with Miles Davis and Charlie Mingus, Jaco Pastorius and Jerry Malligan. There are more than 40 albums in his discography, including the Jazz mainstream, and joint records with the famous Avant Dzhazov trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, and the experiments with electronic sound in the Uberjam project, with which he will come to Petersburg.

John Scofield and Uberjam (Live)

-Last year, you released the Country Pesen album in jazz arrangements “Country for Old Men” and received two Grammy awards for it: in the nomination “Best Instrumental Jazz Recording” and for the Best Solo. Why did you decide to turn to country and a folk?

-I always liked country, and I often thought about writing down jazz versions of classic country-bird. Generally speaking, when I started playing the guitar, Folk was very popular, it could be heard on the radio and TV. I began to master the instrument with simple folk Pesen, as, I think, most. Then, when I was a teenager, I was playing a blues and rhythm-n-blouse, and when I was about sixteen, I fell in love with jazz-and he had not changed him.

“Why didn't you become a rock musician?” Your youth fell on the sixties when all the teenagers with guitars are fans from The Beatles , Rolling Stones , Jimi Hendrix .

“I also listened to them and continue to love Rock.” But jazz seemed to me deeper music, more serious, or something. It was just more interesting for me to play him: improvise, swing and so on.

John Scofield - "Jolene"

“You once said that vocalists have more influenced your style than guitarists.” Who exactly?

- All the well -known performers of the blues and Soul. Arita Franklin. Ray Charles. All who have a good voice. In fact, it seems to me that I just play so that my guitar sounds like a voice-especially since she can truly wall or scream.

-Until the 1960s, the guitar was not such a common tool as during the mass popularity of rock and roll. How did you manage to stand out from a huge number of other talented guitarists? Did you have some kind of strategy?

- There was no strategy, there was a crazy passion for music. Indeed, when I graduated from school, every second one had a guitar. I don’t know if I thought about how to stand out for me-rather, I always liked musicians who have something of their own, some kind of special, own style. It seems to me that this is in a jazz tradition: if you picked up the instrument, try to play so that you can immediately say that it is you.

Being always free, ready for cheap work is what helps in a career.

Everyone should have their own sound. Even if you copy some kind of music, it turns out completely different. I made my way because I was constantly on stage. He played any concerts that they offered to me. At first they began to notice me in Boston, where I studied at Berklee College of Music . Then they began to be invited to New York, since the connections between these cities are very close. So little by little, I met Billy Cobem, the most famous fusion-drummer, other musicians. Being always free, ready for cheap work is what helps in a career.

“Someone is improving his technique all his life, like John Mclaflin.” Someone does not have to do for hours, because he has phenomenal memory, hearing and musicality-they said that such a trumpeter was a clear baker. Have you spent a lot of time on exercises to reach your level?

- I am still constantly engaged. To be honest, I do not know a single good musician who would not spend a fantastic amount of time on classes. I can say to myself that I devoted my whole life to the guitar.

Miles Davis, John Scofield and Bob Berg in Montreal

- How did you get to the Miles Davis group?

-Miles was constantly interested in young musicians, asked his friends to recommend someone. I was recommended by the saxophonist Bill Evans (not to be confused with the pianist. - Ed. ), Who played with him at that time. I played with his group for three years.

- What did you learn from him?

- I became a more advanced musician, watching him. I loved how he plays, his style before he met him. Miles never told you what to do - but he always said what should not be done. The music that we played then was born from improvisations, but Davis himself always led everything at concerts. Of course, a lot came away with him - it was Miles, we idolized him. If I, like the band-leader, behaved like this with my musicians, I would be left without a group. Everyone would have dispersed.

“You played with Charlie Mingus, Jerry Malligan, Miles Davis and even managed to meet and play with Jaco Pastorius, who did not live long.”

- I played little with him. Pat Matini told me when I still lived in Boston that this is the best bass player, whom he had heard in his whole life, and he usually did not say such things. At first I listened to the plate of Pastorius, and she just demolished my roof - he really influenced me like a guitarist. Then I met him. He could tell you: "I am the best bass player in the world." And you thought: "Well, what a idiot!" But then Pastorius began to play, and you understood that it was true. And the point is not only in any techniques, technology. He was incredibly musical.

- Tell us who is now playing in your Uberjam project and will go on stage with you in St. Petersburg.

-The rhythm guitarist Avi Bortnik plays on the rhythm gitar, and also is responsible for samples and lups. He is a very important part of Uberjam , we wrote a lot of compositions for the project with him. Andy Hess has long been playing the bass-he used to work in several famous rock groups like GOV 'T Mule and The Black Crows . He is a real master of second and fink music. We were incredibly lucky to cooperate with the drummer Dennis Chambers. He played in my group from 1986 to 1989 - so for us this is a kind of reunion. It could also be seen on stage with Parliament Funkadelic , Carlos Santana and many more famous musicians. Many talk about him as one of the best Fuzhn and Fank-attendants of all time. We enjoy the game together - we hope that the audience of the Jazz Manor in St. Petersburg will receive it!

In addition to John Scofield, the Guinean group BA Cissoko, Brazilian singer Ju Moraes, a project of virtuosos of traditional Arab music Amina and Hamza M'raih The Band Beond Borders and Auktsyon group, will perform at the festival. The full program of the festival can be found here .