Members Will Chen Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I admit to being a John Mayer fan. I'll even say that I really liked his Gravity and Trio albums and played the hell out of both of them. But I'm a John Scofield fanatic. In hearing them trade licks in this live clip, Sco just rocks Mayer's world IMHO. Of course this track is from a Scofield album so Mayer isn't allowed to really let loose. Still, Sco's one of the few guitarists that continues to impress me in both his extreme versatility and unique playing which at times is so unguitar sounding. Your thoughts? Here's the studio track: http://www.last.fm/music/John+Scofield/_/I+Don't+Need+No+Doctor?autostart And a live performance: [YOUTUBE]9gkTF-vZ_bM[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Well, Scofield is a bit more seasoned, and didn't really have to deal with distracting mass-market popularity well beyond his music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Funny, I remember chatting with John Scofield when that CD came out and he had nothing but praise for John Mayer's work on that track. "He's the real deal," was what Sco said about Mayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ItchyFingers Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Apples are so much better than oranges... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted April 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Funny, I remember chatting with John Scofield when that CD came out and he had nothing but praise for John Mayer's work on that track. "He's the real deal," was what Sco said about Mayer. You know Sco or was this in passing at a gig? I think Mayer is a great player and his vocal work is great in this track. But listen to Sco's licks! He knows exactly what to play and when for maximum impact. Mayer comes off sounding generic and a bit amateurish... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 You know Sco or was this in passing at a gig? I interviewed him when the Ray Charles tribute record first came out. Unfortunately, the site I interviewed him for is under maintenance so I can't post the link. I think Mayer is a great player and his vocal work is great in this track. But listen to Sco's licks! He knows exactly what to play and when for maximum impact. Mayer comes off sounding generic and a bit amateurish... Obviously Sco's got a few more years under his belt playing-wise, and he's still working on his craft. But, in the Youtube clip, you can see Sco occasionally grinning at Mayer when he tosses in a fill: definitely a "nice one, kid" look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 There's very few people sco wouldnt own in a setting like that. Mayer did alright by himself there, and he did a whole lot better than I would in that same setting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I enjoyed the clip! Thanks for posting it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted April 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 There's very few people sco wouldnt own in a setting like that. Mayer did alright by himself there, and he did a whole lot better than I would in that same setting Oh man, I'm not saying I could do any better. If I ever got the opportunity to share a stage with Scofield, I'd {censored} the bed no doubt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 didnt see much "owning"..... just two guys jamming to a jazzy blues tune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ExiledCrow Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Now if I owned John Mayer .....I think I'd cash him in before he opens his mouth again and his value drops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smorgdonkey Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I don't see any superiority either way there particularly because the actual trading licks part is so short and Sco does get a really long lead section earlier on but I really liked Mayer's playing a bit more in the short part where they actually are trading (about 3:10 just before they are playing the harmony part together). In an all-out duel...who knows? I might be inclined to put money on the guy who has played longer but Mayer certainly has a load of technique in his toolbox from his days as a wannabe guitar hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I am also a Mayer fan (unashamedly so) and one thing I have noticed about him is that, when playing with someone his "elder" (Buddy Guy, for example) he tones it down and lets the other play. It may be respect, awe, or not wanting to look like he's trying to upstage them, but it's what he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted April 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I am also a Mayer fan (unashamedly so) and one thing I have noticed about him is that, when playing with someone his "elder" (Buddy Guy, for example) he tones it down and lets the other play. It may be respect, awe, or not wanting to look like he's trying to upstage them, but it's what he does. Interesting. I almost posted earlier that he sounded intimidated, but contained is probably a better choice of words. Perhaps this is by his choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members smorgdonkey Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 I am also a Mayer fan (unashamedly so) and one thing I have noticed about him is that, when playing with someone his "elder" (Buddy Guy, for example) he tones it down and lets the other play. It may be respect, awe, or not wanting to look like he's trying to upstage them, but it's what he does. I think he has loads of respect for 'established' people in music. I recall he had received a songwriter award and then introduced James Taylor for a live performance with much humility as 'the blueprint'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pixelchemist Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 i all honesty i love guitar based music of all kinds and love jazz but Sco's timing bothers the crap out of me... makes it almost hard to listen to for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members m90guy Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Wow, 0 ownage in the video at all, unless were talking tone here. Mayer owned there. Nothing more grating then listening to Sco's weaksuace {censored}ing tone. Great Player, but very very irritating to me. Not a fan of mayer either, but if given the opportunity to choose one or the other, I would choose JM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walrus1 Posted April 7, 2010 Members Share Posted April 7, 2010 Well, mayer can sing a lot better, at least. Sco is miles ahead though (no pun intended) in technique, harmonic sense and musical sophistication. Not surprising, since he is acknowledged as one of the greatest modern jazz fusion players ever. I didn't see it as a competition, though, just two players jamming a well-rehearsed tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chadd Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 didnt see much "owning"..... just two guys jamming to a jazzy blues tune And I actually preferred Mayer's bluesy angle more than Sco's jazzier approach. I don't own a single song or disc from either of them, so no bias coming into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Raskolnikovs axe Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 yeah, in that clip i didn't notice a huge differential in technique and i definitely preferred mayer's tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acousticDave Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 Scofield's 'A Go Go' is a timeless album that I will probably listen to with some frequency for the rest of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mediocreplayer Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 Didn't see anything other than two guys enjoying the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akapuli Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 I take Sco, thanks! I like his work strating from the Blue Note-era up until now. Before not too much. On the other hand: Pro musicians are not bashing each other when they make records together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BryanMichael Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 Well...if you are of the caliber that John Scofield is asking you to play on his album and is sharing a stage with you....then you deserve to be there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Polaris20 Posted April 8, 2010 Members Share Posted April 8, 2010 Scofield's 'A Go Go' is a timeless album that I will probably listen to with some frequency for the rest of my life. Absolutely. I guess I won't say Mayer's playing was bad or anything, but if I close my eyes, I can't tell it was him that was playing; just kinda generic. Sco on the otherhand is completely unique. I can tell it's him right away. Same goes for guys like Clapton, Beck, SRV, etc. Mayer just hasn't developed a unique sound yet, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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