John Scofield and Dave Holland Show Jazz Mastery PopMatters

Memories of Home, the new album of guitar and bass duets from John Scofield and Dave Holland, is two things at once. It is a jazz master class and a supremely relaxed example of a couple of guys just hanging out and playing tunes.

Holland is one of the most famous and accomplished acoustic bass players on the planet. He came to the United States from England to replace Ron Carter in Miles Davis‘ legendary 1960s quintet, played on two seminal jazz-rock sessions (In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew), recorded influential “free jazz” records with the likes of Anthony Braxton and Chick Corea, and then started a heralded solo career as a bandleader and composer.

Scofield also played with Davis, though during his comeback period in the 1980s. Scofield is one of the essential jazz guitarists of the modern era, a peer of John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, and Nels Cline. He has built a massive audience by finding ways to bring his jazz chops into the worlds of jam bands and funk.

Holland and Scofield have recorded together only a handful of times, however. They were the rhythm section (with drummer Al Foster, another Davis sideman) for Joe Henderson’s exquisite 1992 album So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles) and on Oh! (2003), which found tenor titan Joe Lovano as the lone horn. They worked together with drummer Jack DeJohnette on Herbie Hancock’s The New Standard (1996) and on the Chris Potter album Unspoken (1997).

Perhaps more importantly, they not only share a common lineage with the Miles Davis band but are also uncommonly good at composing songs that are unquestionably in the jazz tradition yet have indelible hooks. These are “jazz musicians” whose music sounds modern but somehow still vintage. And they have been playing duets at festivals since 2021.

Memories of Home finds them in the most intimate mood possible — swinging deeply at times, yes, but so naturally in the pocket that everything sounds relaxed. In short, they make it all sound easy. If you listen to this album and are tempted to pick up your old Telecaster and jam with your friends, I get it, but it’s not as simple as that.

The opening track, John Scofield’s “Icons at the Fair”, encapsulates the record as a whole. After a loose-tempoed, impressionistic opening, Scofield’s enchanting melody and a jumping 4/4 groove kick in. Holland bounces in and out of walking swing, which makes it all the more delicious when he is really there, sounding like Paul Chambers with Miles or Ray Brown with Oscar Peterson. The solos are riveting, but each player is a brilliant accompanist. Scofield plays gentle washes of chords under the bass before the guys trade fours in stop-time fashion, with silence as the other guy jumps in with his call and response. It is yummy music if you love that feeling of real jazz spontaneity.

Of course, a couple of guys just jamming are going to play some blues. “Mine Are Blues” (another Scofield melody) is, indeed, minor, stated in lockstep octaves by both players at first. Holland strolls as the guitar alternates between single-note improvisation and chordal playing. The energy is high.

Things, however, don’t flag on the gentler tunes. “Easy For You” is a tender, mid-tempo song begging for lyrics. Dave Holland’s solo over the chord changes is so melodic that it could take lyrics, too. “Memorette” is a loping odd-metered theme that is somewhat reminiscent of Toots Thielmans’ “Bluesette”. Scofield introduces it on his own, then the tempo floats in like a pair of swaying hips, shifting a bit with every step. “Mr. B” is Holland’s easy walking tribute to Ray Brown, and it gives Scofield a chance to show off his skill at bending notes and pushing just a bit of distortion through his amp — just edges of funk around an otherwise straight-ahead four-on-the-floor.

There is no drummer in this duet, which highlights the superb recording quality renowned in ECM productions like this one. Holland’s bass sounds consistently rich and woody, popping from your speakers. The whole album creates a crisp contrast between the treble scratch of Scofield’s guitar and Holland’s low tones, even as they are limned with the sound of his fingers on the strings. Holland’s playing is truly bass playing, yet with the fluidity of a guitar. The instruments are similarly present yet very distinct in the sonic space.

You also do not miss a drummer in these performances. Holland’s “Not For Nothin’” is a groover on which you can hear the slap of an odd-meter backbeat implied by the bass line. His “You I Love” is the one straight swinger on the date, and again, you can hear the sizzle of a ride cymbal and the clip of a hi-hat because the time of Scofield and Holland isjust that tight. These guys generate rhythm on their own.

My favorite tracks on this album are “Meant for You” by Scofield and Holland’s title track. “Meant for You” has been recorded by Scofield in several contexts, but the triple meter has never sounded more poignant than here. The truism that bass solos are the dullest part of jazz is disproven a thousand times over by Holland’s astonishing solo. It is one of many reminders in Memories of Home that Scofield is an off-handedly imposing composer. His themes are meaty but do not sound over-complicated. And this song works as well in a duet format as any other.

“Memories of Home” comes from a session that Holland did with two bluegrass musicians. It is ideal for Scofield, who has always seemed like one of the jazz guitarists who truly understands how that tradition is, at its root, connected to rock, country, blues, and folk music. The tune is touching and straightforward, but it feels just as steeped in emotion and the blues as any other on this recording, with some delicious chordal shades as well.

Both John Scofield and Dave Holland are still playing as well as they ever have, if not better. We are still lucky to have them as part of the musical conversation. Among the things that make Memories of Home extraordinary is its openness and transparency. You hear not just every note, but every shading of tone, every tremor that makes Holland’s bass playing so human, every bent note that makes Scofield’s guitar style so nuanced. It is a testament to how our best jazz musicians — whether they play with power and flash or with intimacy — are artists with the intense craft, intention, and storytelling power. Dave Holland and John Scofield are among our best living jazz musicians.