Meant To Be - John Scofield

May

10

Meant To Be - John Scofield

≡ Category: 1990s, Post Bop, Recommended, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

It’s taken a while for Meant To Be to grow on me.

For a while, the sections where Scofield solos seemed too abstract, since no one is outlining the structure of the tune or even dropping occasional harmonic hints. It’s a very free arranging style. In effect, everyone’s soloing at the same time. But by now, I appreciate Scofield’s tart, idiosyncratic lines all by themselves.

I’m also not very fond of saxophonist Joe Lovano as a soloist. Granted, he’s a perfectly capable musician. He knows his stuff. But I don’t find his improvisations very memorable. There aren’t any hooks. I also find his tone kind of bland. But I’m beginning to think that he wasn’t a bad choice for Scofield’s concept. Lovano often takes the melody or doubles it with Scofield. A player with too much personality, like Wayne Shorter, would have distracted from Scofield’s compositions. On the other hand, Lovano fades into the woodwork. Scofield uses Lovano beautifully. Sometimes he has him play little lines that outline the harmonies of the compositions, as on Go Blow.

Marc Johnson on bass is another acquired taste. I find his lines elusive. They don’t find any traction in my brain. But I think that’s what Scofield was going for. It’s can hardly be coincidence that he picked two musicians with an elusive quality: Marc Johnson and Joe Lovano.

Fortunately, drummer Bill Stewart is also on the date. Stewart swings like a mother#*#&$^, and he excels in any style: New Orleans 2nd line, ballad, swing, whatever. He’s awesome.

Then there’s the compositions themselves. They’re a good batch.

Big Fan is Scofield’s sardonic commentary on people who come up to him and gush about how great he is. The tune sounds like a galumphing dog getting so excited it rolls over and pees on itself. I think that about sums up Scofield’s take on his fans — a sort of bemused affection.

Keep Me In Mind is wistful and memorable, especially the tag end of the melody.

I’ve got to say — I love Scofield’s titles. I feel kind of silly admitting it, but they add to my enjoyment of the tunes. The Guinness Spot (a play on the G-Spot), Lost In Space, Some Nerve, Go Blow. Scofield seems to have an endless supply of titles. And they’re so simple. Why didn’t someone else think of them?

Meant To Be is a little work. It doesn’t reveal it’s mysteries without effort. At first, it might seem a little skeletal and abstract, but give it time. The pieces will fall into place eventually.