Matt Schofield
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Matt Schofield (born 21 August 1977, Manchester, England)[1][2] is an English blues guitarist and singer. His band, The Matt Schofield Trio, play their own material, which is a blend of blues, funk, and jazz, along with covers of blues classics such as Albert Collins' "Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home".
Influences
Schofield's guitar playing is often likened[3] to Robben Ford in reference to his melodic and fluid style, and jazzy lines. However, Schofield was also influenced by B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan.[4]
Career
Recordings
Schofield has four studio albums and two live albums. The first of the live discs, The Trio, Live was recorded at the Bishop's Blues club at The Half Moon, Bishop's Stortford in 2004 and, funded and released by Richard Pavitt on his Nugene record label, gave the band their first breakthrough.[2] The first studio album, Siftin' Thru Ashes was released in 2005. This album showcased Schofield as a songwriter, writing or co-writing eight out of eleven of the tracks. AllMusic called Schofield's approach "an enjoyable demonstration of what can happen when blues-rock and blues-jazz are united". The second live album, Live At The Jazz Cafe! was recorded at the London Jazz Cafe in April 2005, and was made available as a web only release. Schofield is one of only two living British artists to be given a four star (excellent) rating in the Penguin Book of Blues Recordings.[citation needed]
The release of The Trio, Live prompted Schofield to be featured in a Guitarist magazine article, listing the nine notable up and coming blues guitarists, Schofield being the only non-American. Of the album they said "britblues meets jazz via N'Orleans - all played with the kind of sizzling guitar that just does not often surface in Fairford, Gloucestershire".[citation needed] In 2007, Guitar & Bass Magazine picked Schofield as one of the "Top 10 British Blues Guitarists of All Time". In August 2009, Schofield released Heads, Tails, & Aces, his third studio effort. The next year (2010) the band collected the Album of the Year award at the British Blues Awards for this album.[5] Matt won the British Blues Guitarist and Jonny Henderson won the British Keyboard Player award, and they both won these awards in 2011, too. [6]
In 2011, the trio released their fourth album Anything but Time, with Kevin Haynes on drums and John Porter as producer. [7] Guitarinstructor.com, a part of the Hal Leonard organization, has this album as No 5 in their top 10 albums of 2011, while Mojo magazine picked up as No 1 of Blues albums of 2011.
Band
Schofield performs with an organ trio (guitar, organ, and drums).[2] Organ trios are mostly associated with the 1950s and 1960s U.S. jazz groups led by organists such as Jimmy Smith. Blues bands more commonly use trios of guitar, bass and drums, quartets (guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums) or quintets (guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums). In Schofield's organ trio, organist Jonny Henderson plays a Hammond organ, performing basslines using his left hand, and playing chords and lead lines with his right hand. The trio's drummer is Evan Jenkins. Jeff Walker played bass on the final track of Siftin' Thru' Ashes. In 2009, as of the recording of Heads, Tails & Aces, The Matt Schofield Trio became The Matt Schofield Band, a four-piece, featuring Jeff 'The Funk' Walker on bass, and also replacing Evan Jenkins with Alain Baudry. At a concert at the Swindon Arts Centre on 22 October 2009, the band reverted to a trio. In June 2010, Kevin Hayes, replaced Evan Jenkins in the band.
Discography
- 2004: The Trio, Live (NUG601)
- Uncle Junior
- Everyday I Have The Blues
- Bloody Murder
- Treat Me Lowdown
- Cissy Strut
- Travellin' South
- Sittin' On Top Of The World
- Hippology
- 2005: Live at the Jazz Café (NUG503)
- All You Need
- Uncle Junior
- Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home
- Travellin' South
- Cissy Strut
- On My Way
- It's Your Thing
- 2005: Siftin' Thru' Ashes (NUG501)
- All You Need
- Siftin' Thru Ashes
- Djam
- Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home
- The Letter
- Back At Square One
- People Say
- How I Try
- On My Way
- Middle Ground
- Hard Lines
- 2007: Ear To The Ground
- Pack it Up
- Troublemaker
- Ear to the Ground
- Heart Don't Need a Compass
- Once in a While
- Room at the Back
- Someone
- Searchin'
- Move Along
- Cookie Jar
- When it all Comes Down
- 2009: Heads, Tails & Aces
- What I Wanna Hear
- Live Wire
- War We Wage
- Betting Man
- Lay It Down
- Can't Put You Down
- Woman Across the River
- Nothing Left
- I Told Ya
- Stranger Blues
- Not Raining Now
- 2011: Anything But Time
- Anything But Time
- See Me Through
- At Times We Do Forget
- Shipwrecked
- Dreaming of You
- Wrapped Up in Love
- Where Do I Have to Stand
- One Look (and I'm Hooked)
- Don't Know What I'd Do
- Share Our Smile Again
- Other albums featuring Matt Schofield
- Swagger - Ian Siegal - produced by Schofield
- Meat And Potatoes - Ian Siegal - co-produced by Schofield
- My Day Is Just Beginning - The Lee Sankey Group
- She's Not Alone - The Lee Sankey Group
- Two Timing Lover Boy - Dino Baptiste
- A Different Picture - Earl Green
- Driving Savage Groove - Harmonica Posse
- Staying Power - Dana Gillespie
- Experienced - Dana Gillespie
- Songs Of Love - Dana Gillespie
- Back To Blues - Dana Gillespie
References
- ^ Matt Schofield Biography (Nugene Records website)
- ^ a b c Chris True. "Matt Schofield". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Matt Schofield - Blues' Next Big Thing
- ^ All About Jazz
- ^ http://britishbluesawards.com/#/2010-winners/4543639962
- ^ http://britishbluesawards.com/#/2011-winners/4554889188
- ^ http://www.mattschofield.net/pagemanager/templates/news.aspx?articleid=279&zoneid=1