John Scofield: Piety Street

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Nate Chinen wrote in the New York Times: "Groove has always been an essential element for the jazz guitarist John Scofield, expressing itself in ways either subtle or obvious, depending on the setting. 'Piety Street' (Emarcy), released last week, falls in the obvious category, with a fortunate twist: it’s Mr. Scofield’s old-time gospel album, recorded in New Orleans with a band drawn mainly from that city’s robust R&B scene. … The same could be said of Mr. Scofield’s staunchly exuberant show at B. B. King Blues Club & Grill on Sunday night. Joined by the core players from the album — the pianist Jon Cleary, the bassist George Porter Jr. and the drummer Ricky Fataar — he played the greater share of its songs. … Chief vocal duties fell to Mr. Cleary, who has an appealingly weathered voice and a smartly soulful attack. (On the album he sometimes yields the floor to John Boutté, a more incandescent singer, but that missing substitution barely registered here.) … Mr. Scofield reinvented some of the songs in the repertory, outfitting 'Motherless Child' with sharp new harmonies" ("Music Review," 4/7/09).