I was really upset when around the 2000s, John Scofield seemed to largely abandon the 'Ratt-driven & Chorused' tone he was known for throughout the late-1980s into the 1990s. When I discovered this footage earlier this year, I understood. Sco didn't CHANGE his sound; he just came back 'full circle'. #respect
@@jamesscott8468 no worries. I wish that there was more footage and live recordings of this band; it's the best! You can hear a lot of Sco's early lines that he still plays today albiet more refined.
This trio blew me away when I first heard it, it was my introduction into jazz. I think this live raw young Sco is still my favourite time. Amazing to see it on video. Big thanks.
I have always enjoyed Stave Swallow's playing but had no idea he rocked as hard as he does on this first tune. His solo just keeps getting bigger and bigger until it just thunders at the end. Holy smokes. This trio is a power trio on the level of Metheny's Bright Size Life band.
Yes mate.! Completely agree with you.. I know the Jaco/ Pat/ Moses trio very well indeed.. and my thoughts even before seeing you’re comment radiated the same feeling as you, for me…. All the best brother x
This is one of the most underrated guitar trios. I recently met Adam Nussbaum at a gig he was playing with the late, great Jeff Andrews and I got a chance to ask him about the amazing records he made with this trio. :-)
Steve Swallow's tone and soloing in this group are for me the best he's ever been captured. Nussbaum is one of those drummers like Philly Joe that, if you aren't a drummer yourself, but you listen to jazz for 20 or 30 years, you kind of start to realize "oh...this cat is not just swinging hard, but kind of a genius." I like the hook up John and Adam had, and wish John had reunited with him somewhere along the way. Nothing against Bill Stewart--they each create magic.
If there were any justice in this world, any existing taped or filmed performances of this trio would be coming out on Resonance Records. I mean, if we can buy every gig Chet Baker ever played at a dive bar in Europe in the 1980s, we ought to be able to have a couple of more albums by this group.
@@jimdixon3470 Luckily, there is the lost studio album they did (Bar Talk), and some pretty good sounding live tapes out there of shows from 80 and 81. Bar Talk is now on streaming services but was never released on CD. Glad people can hear it again. With the advent of RU-vid I think there is basically no market whatsoever for archival video releases.
@@functusian Er, no. In fact, Bar Talk HAS indeed been reissued on CD. It's currently available at Amazon (at least as of 1/23, but I got my copy, umm... 15 yrs ago, IIRC). (I still have my old vinyl copy!) It is definitely my VERY favorite Scofield album of all (and I have lots of them-AFAICT, most!). Hope this helps!
This concert was just about the time I was 21 and flipping through records in Third Street Jazz in Philly when I started really listening to what the store guy had been playing as I browsed. I became transfixed, and had to ask him what it was. Scofield Trio's "Bar Talk." Bought that right there, and then every other damn thing he's done. So brilliant, and such a nice guy.
that's allmost my story. I heard parts of Out like a light on the radio, I was 18, started to learn to play guitar and saw him live near Amsterdam. His lightly distorted sound in combination with jazz, was like 'oh, jazz can sound cool.
Can't quite put my finger on it, but something about that first tune (Holidays) reminds me of Pat Me off Grace Under Pressure. MrMartinfg: You are 'da fuckin' man for uploading this. Bless you :)
I read somewhere that Scofield had a lot of trouble getting gigs for this group. Then again, people talked through the gig at the Village Vanguard when the Bill Evans Trio with Scott LaFaro was making history in 1961. The world isn't fair. I still hope more live music from this group gets released before I die.
Thanx a lot for the post. Program List: 1981-11-05 Jazzfest Berlin 01-Holidays 9:54 02-Hullo Bolinas 18:14 03-The Feelies (end) >complete set list of the show : Why'd You Do It Holidays Hullo Bolinas The Feelies Jean the Bean Dr Jekyll Shinola Gray and Visceral
@@edcherry9282 Although I don't have the video, [rockpalastarchiv.de] shows this set list. The detail is as below. JOHN SCOFIELD TRIO - Metropol Berlin 05.11.1981 Jazz Fest Berlin John Scofield Musicians: John Scofield (g) Steve Swallow (b) Adam Nussbaum (dr) Setlist: 01 Why'd You Do It (10'26'') 02 Holidays (9'58'') 03 Hullo Bolinas (7'08'') 04 The Feelies (7'48'') 05 Jean The Bean (7'03'') 06 Dr Jekyll (8'18'') 07 Shinola (2'43'') 08 Gray And Visceral (10'15'')
Thanks for sharing, this is the very first footage I've seen of this trio, I have 'Out Like A Light' and 'Shinola' (have yet to listen to/get 'Bar Talk'), they really had great chemistry.
Holidays is one of Sco's greatest unes, and the version on "Out Like a Light" is one of the greatest jazz guitar trio performances I've ever heard. But, thanks SO much for posting this. It's the only time I've ever been able to watch this trio in action. What a huge pleasure!
That "Who's Who" CD on Novus had 4 bonus tracks from the "Bar Talk" album with this trio. The whole "Bar Talk" album is a masterpiece of that era of 70s/early 80s guitar jazz, right up there with Pat Metheny's "Bright Sized Life". It's been released in full.
@@monsterjazzlicks I love Pat Metheny but I think ECM as a label brings the tempo down too often. I think Metheny agrees as he eventually left ECM and never went back. Bar Talk is more up-tempo so should be to your liking.
Great, classic Sco, interesting that his tone here in 1981 - just slightly overdriven and a touch of reverb - is much closer to nowadays' than it would be in a couple of years, when he started adding the chorus pedal. Which never bothered me at all, to tell you the truth, to me it's' all about the lines, the phrasing, articulation rhythms and note choices. 'Tone' to my ears was always the least important element of any guitar player, a 'cherry on top of the whip cream' if you like.9:40 -Sco in his best, witty, goofy yet smart Acidhead mode.
