A Go Go

Artist: John Scofield
Label: Polygram Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 731453997929
EAN: 0731453997929
ASIN: B0000069NM

Release Date: 1998-04-07

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Tracks:

A Go Go
Chank
Boozer
Southern Pacific
Jeep On 35
Kubrick
Green Tea
Hottentot
Chicken Dog
Deadzy

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Customer Reviews:

One of My New Favorites! .......2007-01-16

I have always liked Medeski, Martin, and Wood but am quite sensitive to two downsides of them: (a) they often go way too "out there"; and (b) they often seem to jam for jams sake - no structure. As for Scofield - well - I've never really liked him. His style is generally too "noodly" and not driving enough for me.

All of these flaws are amply erased - and all members' strongpoints are intensified - with this recording. MMW makes Scofield "hip" and Scofield reins MMW in. The combination sounds not like a trio +1, but like a quartet who has been together for ages.

The dlisc starts off strong. The first few tracks balance grooviness and melodicism very well (check out tracks 1 and 5 particularly). This is not to say that the rest of them are not good as well, but that these are the particular standouts.

Really, the only complaint I have about the disc is that it can be monotonous as there is not much stylistic variation (especially in the drums and bass). But a few listens will lessen the monotony as the ear picks up the subtle differences in the tunes and enjoys Medeski and Sco's outstanding soloing.

Just this year, the quartet released an album AS a quartet - Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood. While this album has Scofield's name on it, I prefer to see them as a quartet that cannot be reduced to 3+1. These guys should play together more often!

Taming the MMW beast. I recommend this cd. .......2006-10-06

Although I like much of what MMW do, I sometimes feel they "miss the point" by getting too hashed-out or weird for weird's sake. So it's good to see them "tamed" on this release. Maybe Scofield demands they behave...? I like much of this cd because there are pieces that likely could be played "live" in pretty much their current form, as opposed to either drastically stripping them down or needing looping/extra players/computers because they rely too heavily on heavy studio/computer treatments. This seems more like what Booker T and the MGs might have sounded like if they had to survive in today's market as a jazz act instead of r & b... The samples of their newer cd sound just as good.

A Go Go.......2006-07-31

John Scofield, along with Medeski, Martin, & Wood, offers a great combination to produce excellent jazz. The upbeat tempos and funk-based bass lines are all wonderful, however, I found the CD at times to be monotonous in tone and often lacking in the variety part of it. Though great as it might be, and as much skill as it takes (as a guitarist I would know), I'd have to give this a 3.5 star because it lacks in variety and development in the songs. Perhaps the first 4 songs are original and wonderful, it truly impressed me, after that it gets kind of old...until you get to Hottentot. This is perhaps the best song of the album, the solos are unpredictable, original, and great. It develops from the funk based rhythm to a more fusion and harder beat song. Overall a pretty good album.

Old Meets New.......2006-05-19

Legend John Scofeild playing with Medeski, Martin and Wood? Whats not too like? I guess the argument about it being a bit repetitive from track-to-track and leaning too [...] the sharp nine is valid. But so what? If you're in the mood for some guitar driven jazz/funk this will suit you just fine. As for calling the tracks on this album "throw aways" and then comparing them to "Kind of Blue" (one of the most prolific albums in jazz history) -- that is sheer [...].

Can't take it out of my player!.......2006-05-03

Scofield sounds totally at home in so many musical settings, whether its the (relatively) straightahead live jazz on 2003's "EnRoute" with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart, or this rollicking funky (and fun) ride from 1998. Here, just when the funk grooves reach meltdown point, Sco and his tighter than tight collaborators Medeski Martin and Wood take it down a few notches and its more of a slow burn. Tunes range in style from the hook-laden, melodic "Jeep on 35" (one member of the band in fact can be heard whistling the melody at a certain point) to the faintly menacing and furiously climactic "Hottentot", which most of my neighbours will also be familiar with by now. Scofield is in a class of his own when it comes to sounding soulful and laid-back and angular and unpredictable all at once (I like to think he'd have hit it off with Thelonious Monk had they belonged to the same era); I think that comes also from the fact that he's not an out-and-out speed demon, trying to bludgeon you into submission with a flurry of notes. If he were a boxer, he'd be one of those ones that wear down their opponent by circling them and picking them off with well-timed, unpredictable combinations and the occasional sneaky blow below the belt. In total control. Great stuff, though definitely a "grower" - I wasn't totally blown away at first myself, so give it a few spins!

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