Phish isn't the only jam band

Uberjam\nThe John Scofield Band\nVerve\nJohn Scofield may be a little old, but you'd never catch him standing still in a musical sense. With Uberjam the John Scofield Band shows why "Sco" has been able to stick around for so long by continuing to tread on unexplored territory. Sure there are a lot of jazz fusion players out there that can bring the funk, but the fact that Scofield was one of the originals and somehow seems to outlast the competition after more than two decades speaks for his ability to stay inventive. This time around the tracks, complete with Hindu influenced cover art of the band, feature some heavy Asian influences.\nLike much of Scofield's output, Uberjam is filled with funky chords and rhythms. Bassist Jesse Murphy plays more along the lines of Bootsy Collins minus the slap techniques than your average jazz bassist. Scofield's guitar is processed to the extreme for exotic coloring affects. Karl Denson (flute and sax) and John Medeski (keys, duh!) mix well on just a few tracks a piece.\nThe whole thing grooves, but it takes a while to get to the meat of the album. Though you have to wait until the sixth track "Offspring" for it to pick up, these later tracks are a lot catchier than the others -- and the Allman Bros. Band proved that good hooks are important to acid-rock and jam bands.\nOn "Tomorrow Land" and "Snap, Crackle, Pop" Scofield transforms themes and solos like an experienced jazz/jam player by not "givin' away the store." He slowly feels his way through the solos adding a short burst of guitar here and there before he explodes into the final few choruses.\nAs far as instrumental jam albums go, this one is decent but is more for the jazz-lover than the Grateful Dead fan. Scofield does a good job of branching out musically but his masterful guitar playing would stand out better or likely sound more inspired had he given the other musicians more to let him play off of.\n

\n\n