¿¿berjam Deux in Bloomington, MN

Innovative jazz guitarist
John Scofield
has always utilized the languages of rock, blues, and R&B, from his earliest recordings for
Enja
and
Gramavision
through his tenure with
Miles Davis
. At the end of the 20th century, he indulged them more fervently on 1998's
A Go Go
with
Medeski, Martin & Wood
, and with a larger cast on 2000's
Bump
. But the first
Ueberjam
album, issued in 2002, employed funky jazz grooves that stretched all those musics with improvisational discovery.
Up All Night
followed, using mostly the same band but with added horns to fine effect. A decade later,
Ueberjam Deux
reunites the guitarist with guitarist/sampler
Avi Bortnick
and drummer
Adam Deitch
from the original unit, and bassist
Andy Hess
(from
).
John Medeski
guests on half-a-dozen cuts; drummer
Louis Cato
appears on four. With a core band so familiar with one another,
Scofield
is able to take his relentless curiosity far and wide.
Bortnick
is a wonderful rhythm guitarist; his fat-chord vamps and biting, single-line fills on either guitar or keyboards offer
a fitting foil, that's as integral as his own guitar or as the rhythm section to the mix.
's electronic loop and sample work is equally imaginative. Check the opener "Camelus," where his chunky, soulful four-chord vamp adds ballast to the rhythm section, but also a wiry harmonic center for
.
Medeski
makes his presence heard on the reggae number "Dub Dub," where his organ comes whispering out of the ether of the implied melody, and adds another dimension to the smoky, head-nodding experience. "Cracked Ice" is jazz-funk at its very best, with
Deitch
Hess
firing away at the pocket and stretching it for
to move along its ledge. "Al Green Song" may have been written by the guitarist, but it has
Willie Mitchell
and its subject's feel all through it, via beautiful interplay between
. "Scotown," with its
Motown
bassline, and dynamic chorus, is irresistible. These two tracks are 21st century soul-jazz with an exclamation point. "Toprero" is angular, fusion-like funk with smoking breaks by
, while "Curtis Knew" is a ballad where
tenderly suggests
Curtis Mayfield
's singing voice in his melody. The only cover here is
the Main Ingredient
's "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely." Here, while
stays faithful to the spirit of the soul original in both his melodic statement and solo,
's rhythm guitar suggests later interpretations that have made it a reggae standard as well, creating a new hybrid of breezy yet intuitive invention. For those wary of a band that can re-assemble after a decade and still be vital,
should convince them otherwise; it's not only a logical extension of its predecessor, but despite its relaxed presentation, it is wonderfully creative in its pursuit of heart of the almighty groove. ~ Thom Jurek