Manafonistas

If you want to sum up the guitarist John Scofield’s ramified vita, you can say with a clear conscience: he is a perfect team player, well grounded in jazz and blues traditions – even where bold experiments are in the offing, Scofield ensures the necessary down-to-earthness. He has never published a pure solo album – until now. But what else to do at home, in times of the virus? Electric guitar, looper – and sheer unlimited time. Luciano Rossetti’s cover photo: a stray dog, a wooden fence, a huge sandy beach, pale outlines of houses in the distance. This is how it often looked – entire stretches of coastline without a trace of tourism, nature – taking a deep breath and reclaiming its spaces. The photo also reflects the complete unagitatedness of Scofield’s style of play, away from all trends and fashion. What an unexpected beast of an album: so many rough edges, never clean perfection.