John Scofield
Bump
review = B+

This album should have been titled -True-. After all, John Scofield is as true to his artistic roots in the new millennium as he was back in the early eighties playing guitar with Miles Davis. -Bump- proves it. Going commercial would have been easy - think George Benson with chops. Scofield’s ’98 release, -A Go Go-, backed by acid-bop super trio Medeski, Martin and Wood, was a post-fusion, cool school breakthrough that introduced the master of six string melody to a new generation of tie dyed and smiling music fans. Kids dug the deeply grooved, four way musical discussion. Suddenly jazz -jammed-. -Bump- continues the jamjazz revelation. Well, at least for the most part. This time, rather than stick with the same lineup throughout, Scofield enlists a variety of players, including -A Go Go- alum, Chris Wood, on bass for several tracks. -Bump- also brings heavier emphasis on percussion with congas or bongos on most of the tunes. A lot less keyboard too. If anything, that’s -Bump’s- only weakness - too few melodic voices for Scofield to chat with. But the gist of the music is the same. It’s all about Scofield’s immaculate fretwork pushed by edgy, sorta funky grooves. Regardless of the instrumentation backing him, Scofield’s creativity once again rings true.