Innovative jazz guitarist
John Scofield has always utilized the languages of rock, blues, and R&B, from his earliest recordings for Enja and Gramavision through his tenure with
Miles Davis. At the end of the 20th century, he indulged them more fervently on 1998's
A Go Go with
Medeski, Martin & Wood, and with a larger cast on 2000's
Bump. But the first
Überjam album, issued in 2002, employed funky jazz grooves that stretched all those musics with improvisational discovery.
Up All Night followed, using mostly the same band but with added horns to fine effect. A decade later,
Überjam Deux reunites the guitarist with guitarist/sampler
Avi Bortnick and drummer
Adam Deitch from the original unit, and bassist
Andy Hess (from
Up All Night).
John Medeski guests on half-a-dozen cuts; drummer
Louis Cato appears on four. With a core band so familiar with one another,
Scofield is able to take his relentless curiosity far and wide.
Bortnick is a wonderful rhythm guitarist; his fat-chord vamps and biting, single-line fills on either guitar or keyboards offer
Scofield a fitting foil, that’s as integral as his own guitar or as the rhythm section to the mix.
Bortnick's electronic loop and sample work is equally imaginative. Check the opener "Camelus," where his chunky, soulful four-chord vamp adds ballast to the rhythm section, but also a wiry harmonic center for
Scofield.
Medeski makes his presence heard on the reggae number "Dub Dub," where his organ comes whispering out of the ether of the implied melody, and adds another dimension to the smoky, head-nodding experience. "Cracked Ice" is jazz-funk at its very best, with
Deitch and
Hess firing away at the pocket and stretching it for
Scofield to move along its ledge. "Al Green Song" may have been written by the guitarist, but it has
Willie Mitchell and its subject's feel all through it, via beautiful interplay between
Scofield and
Medeski. "Scotown," with its Motown bassline, and dynamic chorus, is irresistible. These two tracks are 21st century soul-jazz with an exclamation point. "Toprero" is angular, fusion-like funk with smoking breaks by
Deitch, while "Curtis Knew" is a ballad where
Scofield tenderly suggests
Curtis Mayfield's singing voice in his melody. The only cover here is
the Main Ingredient's "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely." Here, while
Scofield stays faithful to the spirit of the soul original in both his melodic statement and solo,
Bortnick's rhythm guitar suggests later interpretations that have made it a reggae standard as well, creating a new hybrid of breezy yet intuitive invention. For those wary of a band that can re-assemble after a decade and still be vital,
Überjam Deux should convince them otherwise; it's not only a logical extension of its predecessor, but despite its relaxed presentation, it is wonderfully creative in its pursuit of heart of the almighty groove. ~ Thom Jurek