Scofield grew up in Connecticut and studied at Berklee, before hitting the road with Billy Cobham and George Duke in the mid-1970s. He began his recording career a few years later, and in the early 1980s formed a trio with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart, which is considered the signature group of his career. Scofield also played with the second Miles Davis Septet. In the 1990s he began a run of albums for Blue Note, showcasing his angular, bluesy solos and Mingus-tinged compositions. Scofield has played and recorded with a wide array of jazz greats, including Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, and Dave Holland, as well as musicians like Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and jam-band trio Martin, Medeski & Wood.
