A Go Go

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When someone says "I'm singling out elements that have always been a part of my playing", it's usually a case of a desperate has-been attempting a simultaneous re-branding and credibility implant. Simple Minds and their alleged Krautrock influences spring to mind. With A Go Go however, we really do see John Scofield returning to his roots, echoing his cracking early 80s fusion albums, but here supported by the infamous Martin (drums), Medeski (keyboards) and Wood (bass). Though the sound of the electric guitar and organ is well established as a classic combo and there is little that you'd call innovative here, Scofield's sheer class, his inventive chord voicings, and feedbacked bluesy touch-playing sets this apart from the usual so-called 'acid jazz'. His familiar slurred phrasing here sounds, as Tom Waits might say, as if Grant Green's guitar has been drinking. And whilst the players don't have the same frenzied sense of adventure as his old sidekicks (e.g. Darryl Jones or Omar Hakim), this band can certainly do the business. For those wanting a bit of variation from the funk, there is the aptly-named "Kubrick", a beautifully filmic acoustic number which veers between Antonio Carlos Jobim and 60s spy movie, almost ending up in ambient soundscaping. Overall then, a hugely enjoyable album.