It must be double-tough to establish yourself as a guitar icon. Jazz has already thrown up so many of them —from Robert Johnson to BB King to Charlie Christian, then via Django Reinhardt to Wes Montgomery and via Manuel Santana to Jimi Hendrix, just for starters.
John Scofield, Pat Martino and John McLaughlin form a triptych of contemporary veterans whose playing reflects much of what has gone before.
And while nowhere near as fast as those other two dazzlers, Scofield remains the most popular because, unlike them, he gives his music room to breathe.
That was the key to an artful set which touched many bases for fans last night. Lester Leaps In, a brisk I Got Rhythm workout, gave them a taste of his straight-ahead jazz chops. Cryin’ Time, from his Ray Charles tribute album, was for ballad-lovers, whereas Still Warm, a rock ballad greeted with cries of approval, recalled his post-Miles Davis fusion days “when we all wore baseball caps and Yamaha T-shirts.”
Scofield’s guitar still has that bluesy cry, a sound which manages to be warm and edgy at the same time. He varied his dynamics sensitively, as did loud-to-quiet organist Larry Goldings and surprisingly quiet drummer Greg Hutchinson.
A quality performance all round, despite Scofield blatantly changing the tuning of his strings at one point, and indeed playing the whole set on a Fender Telecaster — two misdemeanours regarded as capital offences by the jazz police.
Until Mon Mar 4 (020 7439 0767, ronniescotts.co.uk)
