1980's Bar Talk features a young John Scofield already showing the virtuosity on guitar that subsequently made him a giant in his field.
Scofield -- who honed his chops with artists like Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, and Charles Mingus -- displays his talents here as both a player and composer.
Scofield is joined in the venture by Steve Swallow on bass and Adam Nussbaum on drums -- a perfectly balanced trio.
The Connecticut-born Scofield, who studied jazz at the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston, spent much of his professional life gigging in Europe.
This recording was made by the trio during one of its European tours.
The album was well received at the time of its printing in 1980.
Its influence has grown, becoming a jazz guitar classic, often listed as a favorite recording by professional critics, other musicians, and fans alike.
Most of the songs are penned by Scofield himself.
Steve Swallow contributed one tune, the elegiac "Never." The songs are long enough to allow the music to develop, with each musician taking his turn in the jazz conversation.
"Fat Woman," "New Strings Attached," and "How to Marry a Millionaire" give the listener a good sampling of the capabilities of these musicians as they morph through a range of moods and colors.
The set ends with "Nature Calls," a nod to the double-entendre titles for which Scofield is known.
The musician likes to joke around and have fun, but make no mistake, John Scofield is serious about his music.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beckon CallGary Campbell | John Scofield | Play | 07:04 | 16 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | New Strings AttachedJohn Scofield | John Scofield | Play | 06:13 | 14 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | NeverSteve Swallow | John Scofield | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | How to Marry a MillionaireJohn Scofield | John Scofield | Play | 06:38 | 15 MB | 37 MB |
| 5 | Fat DancerJohn Scofield | John Scofield | Play | 06:57 | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| 6 | Nature CallsJohn Scofield | John Scofield | Play | 05:44 | 13 MB | 26 MB |
| 39 mins | 90 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 200 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Backer | Series Director |
| 2 | Mark Bingham | Assistant Engineer, Producer |
| 3 | Gary Campbell | Composer |
| 4 | Howard Fritzson | Art Direction |
| 5 | Carol Grobe | Illustrations |
| 6 | Mark Hood | Engineer |
| 7 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 8 | Adam Nussbaum | Drums |
| 9 | Patti Perret | Photography |
| 10 | John Scofield | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer |
| 11 | Steve Swallow | Bass (Electric), Composer, Guitar (Bass) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |
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