THE JOHN SCOFIELD BAND
Überjam
(Verve)
Despite nearly a hundred years of constant evolution, jazz is still considered to be a music to be boxed in to a certain sound and a certain era—petrified in amber, as it were. The rules state that "real" jazz doesn't use electric instruments (never mind that the electric guitar has been a jazz mainstay since the late 30s), doesn't incorporate popular music forms (despite the fact that jazz has always covered popular standards), doesn't pander to the masses (forgetting for the moment that Louis Armstrong, arguably jazz's greatest figure, was a shameless showman). Jazz, according to the pundits, should stay "pure," whatever that means.

But jazz is only as good as its innovators. Sure, there are tons of great musicians making jazz the old-fashioned way, with traditional arrangements inspired by bop and postbop, acoustic instruments, at least a couple of standards per album, etc. But the future of jazz has always lain in the hands of artists willing to break the rules and set new standards. John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, Carla Bley and Dizzy Gillespie became the revered figures they are by never resting on their laurels and always moving forward. They kept up with current technology and paid attention to popular music, taking what they wished from each and incorporating it into their own visions.

Guitarist John Scofield deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those luminaries. He has always followed his own muse without regard to the opinions of purists, trusting in his audience to appreciate what he does and in his own abilities to carry his visions across. He started out in the 70s playing fusion with Billy Cobham, eventually ending up in Miles Davis' funky electric band of the early 80s. When he went solo, he continued down the path of hipshaking fusion, melding his tradition-minded playing with backbeats that came down on the one. The nineties found him sampling all sorts of approaches, from straightahead jazz to acoustic balladry to R&B-flavored organ trios. (In fact, his last album Works For Me was his most traditional jazz set to date.) Through it all he has always managed to keep the respect of the mass jazz audience, both fusionites who love his affinity for funk and purists who respect his virtuosity and excellent compositions. His latest album Überjam may throw both camps into a tizzy; if so, they're missing out on one of the most vibrant recordings of his career.

Thanks to the organ jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood, jazz has started to find a foothold with the fans of jam bands, as youngsters realize how puerile a band like the String Cheese Incident is compared to a band that can really play. From its title and graphics to its rock/funk textures, Überjam is an invitation to the neohippie masses to sample Scofield's wares. If this is pandering, however, it's high-quality pandering. Scofield has always been quite the double threat, an excellent composer and a dynamite musician, and here he's in spectacular form in both areas. "Ideofunk" and "Polo Towers" lay down relaxed, itchy grooves over which Scofield and kindred spirits John Medeski on organ and Karl Denson on sax and flute can fly. "Jungle Fiction" finds Sco tackling electronic breakbeats, proving he can swing over anything. "Tomorrow Land," written by rhythm guitarist Avi Bortnick, is another fine example of Scofield's empathic touch with ballads. "Offspring" is the most startling simple thing he's yet done; over a straight 4/4 rock groove, he layers a catchy melody and a number of fiery solos, as if to teach those whippersnappers at H.O.R.D.E. a thing or two.

The heart of this album, though, is in the kind of funky jazz (or jazzy funk) at which he excelled in the 80s, and this is where his band really comes through. Bassist Jesse Murphy and drummer Adam Deitch can kick it with the best—check their work on the rubbery "Snap Crackle Pop." If Scofield ever lets them go, they'd be well-advised to take up with James Brown. Bortnick is a marvel, knowing when to accent Sco's melodies with the perfect fill (listen to his acoustic work on "Ideofunk"), or to just lay down rock-solid funky rhythm guitar (everywhere). He also adds beat-enhancing samples where appropriate. Together the group takes cuts like "Acidhead," "I Brake 4 Monster Booty" and the title track into the fusion stratosphere, with enough skanky funk to fill up the dance floor and enough stunning playing to induce silly grins on the faces of jazz purists and Deadheads alike. Only the most stern-faced trad jazz fan (Wynton Marsalis, say) could fail to recognize the merit of Scofield's approach here, and only a real ogre could keep from moving some part of its body to the grooves the band so skillfully creates. Of course, with John Scofield, brilliance is what we expect. Überjam is simply his latest benchmark. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: early 70s Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Medeski Martin & Wood