Track Listing

1. Go Go
2. Chank
3. Boozer
4. Southern Pacific
5. Jeep on 35
6. Kubrick
7. Green Tea
8. Hottentot
9. Chicken Dog
10. Deadzy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76689 in Music
• Released on: 1998-04-07
• Number of discs: 1

Album Details
Japanese Release featuring Two Bonus Tracks: Like it Or Not, and Hope Springs Eternal.

Amazon.com
John Scofield's stature as a modern jazz master on electric guitar puts him in a sweet spot for this simmering, sexy collaboration with acid jazz pathfinders Medeski, Martin and Wood, Scofield's taut and spicy lines striking sparks against the soulful grooves pitched by drummer Billy Martin, keyboard colorist John Medeski, and bassist Chris Wood. Far from a cheap commercial shot, the leader's plunge into this reheated '60s style is appropriately redolent of its funk heritage and his own astringent command of sharp lyrical and smart harmonic asides. --Sam Sutherland

Jazz Times
As a follow-up to the most sophisticated and gorgeous sounding record of his career (1996's Quest) ... John Scofield dips back into the grease with rib-eating gusto on A Go Go, his jaunty encounter with Medieski Martin & Wood. Like Jim Hall with Bill Evans and Jimmy Nolen with James Brown, this match was made in heaven.... [Medieski Martin & Wood] are flexible enough and funky enough to follow the guitarist's lead. Plus, their organic hookup and syncopated tendencies tweak Sco's nastiest sensibilities. The result is a groovefest full of glorious, bent-not abandon, skronking harmonics, and no doubt lots of grimacing by Mr. Scofield.... Of course, John has gone to this funky well before.... But none of those efforts were as completely realized and thoroughly funky as A Go Go.

Customer Reviews

Can't take it out of my player!
Scofield sounds totally at home in so many musical settings, whether its the (relatively) straightahead live jazz on 2003's "EnRoute" with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart, or this rollicking funky (and fun) ride from 1998. Here, just when the funk grooves reach meltdown point, Sco and his tighter than tight collaborators Medeski Martin and Wood take it down a few notches and its more of a slow burn. Tunes range in style from the hook-laden, melodic "Jeep on 35" (one member of the band in fact can be heard whistling the melody at a certain point) to the faintly menacing and furiously climactic "Hottentot", which most of my neighbours will also be familiar with by now. Scofield is in a class of his own when it comes to sounding soulful and laid-back and angular and unpredictable all at once (I like to think he'd have hit it off with Thelonious Monk had they belonged to the same era); I think that comes also from the fact that he's not an out-and-out speed demon, trying to bludgeon you into submission with a flurry of notes. If he were a boxer, he'd be one of those ones that wear down their opponent by circling them and picking them off with well-timed, unpredictable combinations and the occasional sneaky blow below the belt. In total control. Great stuff, though definitely a "grower" - I wasn't totally blown away at first myself, so give it a few spins!

Scofield + MMW = Excellent music
My first introduction to Scofield was his most recent album "Uberjam". After grooving to that album for a few weeks, I decided this was a guy I needed to better represent in my Jazz collection. So, I did a bit o' research.
Now I've loved Medeski Martin and Wood for a long time - they are by far the best Acid Jazz/Funk/Groove trio I've ever listened too, and I own a number of their albums, and they seldom leave my CD player. So when I discovered they were running backup to Scofield's funky guitar licks and rips, on John's album "A Go Go", I was immediately interested.
Now I'm not one to get too picky, but the album should be titled, "John Scofield and MMW - A Go Go", because it can't be denied that these two separate musical entities are perfectly complementing each other. I never would have believed that adding a guitar, even one of equal trip-potential, would have so benefited the stylings of MMW. And to his credit, Scofield does a marvellous job of leading the sound. This is a perfect harmony of styles and improvisations - the sound that this foursome jams out is incredible. If you are a fan of the acid jazz/funk style, or of Scofield, or of MMW - then buy this CD. It's the best grouping of talent, and the best result of said grouping, that I've ever heard. This is a seamless fusion of a rare and perfectly matched musical union.

Scofield and MMW!!! What More Could You Ask For?
I discovered this album only recently and have never looked back. John Scofield has a distinct sound and feeling that is refreshing to say the least. Some may best describe it as "rough" or "edgy", however I find it to be unique and intriguing.

On this particular studio date, Scofield is joined by Medeski, Martin and Wood, who provide the perfect setting for Scofields guitar work. The result is a funky jazz album of high calibre, which never loses the listeners interest. Tracks including Boozer, Jeep On 35 and Chank are amazingly funky thanks to the superior drumming of Billy Martin, whilst Southern Pacific has a more percussive feeling. There is not a single track on this disc that can be considered to be of a lesser standard. This high quality consistancy is welcome, as often MMW tend to adventure into realms that move beyond the groove and into the obscure.

If your after funky jazz in a small group environment, then you will be hard pushed to find any better an example than "A Go Go". This CD is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, remaining deceptively simple in its musical complexity, whilst delivering some truly first class contemporary jazz.