John Scofield with Metropole Orkest
54
Emarcy Records
www.umusic.com
By George W. Harris

Guitarist John Scofield has been expanding his horizons on his last few releases. Last year’s collection of bona fide gospel tunes caught everyone pleasantly by surprise. This time out, he’s teamed up with Vince Mendoza and the Metropole Orkesta that puts the electric picker in a large band format. The arrangements of songs like “Honest I Do” and “Jung Parade” have a rich, incisive Gil Evans sort of feel, along with an extra early Quincy Jones type punch. Scofield’s solos between the ensemble passages slide in and out quite smoothly, with even a bit of extra room for some nice cameo roles by Leo Janssen/ts, (“Peculiar,” “Say We Did”) Bar Van Lier/tb (“Out Of The City”) and Paul Van Der Feen/as (“Carlos”). Mature, well crafted and lots of fun. Another great shingle for Scofield’s collection of plaques.