Matt Scofield: ‘My journey was fantastic and very memorable’
The first guitarist inducted into the British Blues Awards Hall of Fame, Matt Scofield has been playing for three decades.
What was it like the last time you performed at a festival?
My visit to Mahindra Blues Festival 15 years ago was wonderful and very memorable. Truly one of the most memorable concerts of my career! With an amazingly warm welcome from the music fans, it was the first time I had the opportunity to play with my lifelong guitar hero Buddy Guy! Since I was a kid, I think I always imagined this happening in Chicago or somewhere else, but no, it was Indian music lovers who made that moment possible for me! This is a very special memory!
What are you planning to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival this year?
I’ll be performing most of the material from my latest album, Many Moons, Volume 1, which came out last year. Our shows are always driven by the emotion and reaction of the crowd. It is a shared experience among all of us. I never write an exact set list. We see where the mood and the moment take us. We like to improvise within the framework of the songs. This makes every show special and unique.
What do you think about the blues scene in India?
15 years ago, I was stunned by the scale of the festival and the open-minded nature of the audience. As far as demographics are concerned, viewership in the US and Europe is quite predictable. Mature crowd, and usually more male. But last time at the Mahindra Festival, I was happy to see a balance of men and women of all ages and even more so. Blues is sometimes considered “old people” music at home. Perhaps India doesn’t suffer from such preconceived notions about it, which is great! Because this is music for everyone. It’s about the music, and the story of life, and what we all have in common! These days I know there are some great up-and-coming blues guitarists coming from India. There is a guy named Arinjoy Sarkar who I think is a very good player.
Your guitar playing is often compared to Robben Ford. Tell us more about your biggest musical influences growing up in Manchester.
Yes, I was compared to Robben Ford, especially when I was younger. At first, it’s flattering, then frustrating, and eventually the comparison becomes a little boring. It’s understandable when you’re compared to the musicians who came before you, but I’ll be 50 next year! At this moment I am absolutely my own man. I’ve been playing and jamming to music for over 35 years, touring internationally for 29 years, and writing and releasing my own albums for 22 years! For me, the period when I was learning directly from my heroes happened a long time ago! Now I have my own original music, my own style, all my life, and that’s what I’m interested in.
Undoubtedly, Robben was very important to me growing up, and as a teenager, he inspired me to discover jazz. I’ve known him for a long time, we’ve worked together many times, even talked about making a record together. He has been very supportive and encouraging over the years. But long before I discovered him, I was working on my dad’s record collection: BB King was my first hero. Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Albert King. All the great traditional blues artists. And then, of course, Jimi Hendrix, and other contemporary blues artists of that era. I started playing Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jeff Healy, etc., early ZZ Top records… I could go on. So many players, all equally important to me! And also, a lot of non-guitar effects – just good music. Oscar Peterson is one of my favorite composers; Stevie Wonder, Tower of Power! I love New Orleans music. In fact, my touring drummer, Doug Bellotte, is from there. That city has its own blend of blues, jazz and funk and that’s what I like.
Tell us more about your band, the Matt Scofield Trio.
We’ve been playing together for a long time! In fact, this year marks 30 years since my organ player Johnny Henderson and I performed our first concert together. There’s a special kind of chemistry that can only be achieved over time! I think the first gig we performed as the Matt Scofield Trio was 2002, but we’ve been performing together in various UK bands for much longer than that.
I like the organ trio format. This is my “little big band”! One of the reasons we started playing with that lineup was because no one else was doing it at the time, certainly in the UK. The rest all had “power trios” and were of a more “blues rock” style. We wanted our own sound, which could also incorporate our funk and jazz influences. The organ trio was commonly found in jazz, although BB and Albert King and Jimmie Vaughan all used it frequently. I don’t always tour with this trio. Apart from me living in the US at the moment and Johnny still living in the UK, everyone has other projects they’re involved in, so it depends on everyone’s schedule. We usually do a few international tours a year. But even after all this time, I always call these people first to see if they are available!
Tell us about your new studio album, Many Moons, Vol. 1.
Matt Scofield: It’s a 20th anniversary record in a way, because my original trio lineup released our first studio album together in 2005. I’m so happy to finally release it! It took a while between the pulls of the music industry, scheduling, and because I wanted it to be exclusively a trio of musicians. Then when we started working on it, COVID happened right at the beginning, so we didn’t get together again for almost two years (I was in the US, and he was in the UK).
The idea was basically to get us in a room together to play like we live, but recorded really well. Only three people playing, no tiered parts. Each track is just voice, guitar, organ, drums. The songs were written to be played exactly as they were. Capture a truly honest and pure version of the band in a great sounding room. Like you’re in the room with us. So, we went to Peter Gabriel’s studio for a few days, which is incredible and has a great atmosphere. I feel like the mission was accomplished. And my fans think so too! After so many years, we look like this now.
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DK Harrell: ‘The blues are a universal experience’
The 27-year-old artist plays a mix of traditional blues and contemporary compositions.
You will be performing at the Mahindra Blues Festival for the first time. What are your thoughts about the blues scene in India?
Really, I don’t know much about it. I found a short documentary on YouTube called bring the blues About the influence of the blues in India. I’m glad to see how the blues is being accepted here. For a long time, people thought that the blues existed only in America’s deep South. But nothing could be further from the truth. The blues is a universal experience, and anyone who experiences the blues has the opportunity to express themselves in this music. We have seen certain areas of the blues flourish in many countries over the last 30 years. I sincerely hope this continues.
BB King is one of your biggest influences. Tell us about some of your other musical influences growing up in Louisiana?
Besides big-name stars, my first musical influence came from Ricky Davis, who plays organ at Springhill Baptist Missionary Church in my hometown of Ruston, Louisiana. At an early age, I closely observed his musicianship and showmanship. She definitely left an impact on me, especially with her grace and class, things I’ve tried to adopt in my life. As far as BB King is concerned, how can you go wrong? He is a tremendous dynamic stage presence who plays an incredible vibrato on his guitar. I have learned a lot from his style. I like to think that I incorporate elements of both of these gentlemen into my repertoire. Both of them have had a tremendous impact on me.
Tell our readers more about your Alligator Records debut album, talking heavy.
I am extremely grateful to be a part of Alligator Records. It is the largest blues record company in the world and has such an extensive history of producing some of the best blues over the last half century. talking heavy It’s an album that blends a lot of my personal feelings and thoughts, I think it reflects emotions that I sometimes struggle to incorporate into my conversations. I guess I feel like I can communicate better through music. I’ve noticed that when you express your thoughts through music, people are more accepting of it. The Alligator team understands and respects this. And this clearly shows his dedication to the blues.
Tell us more about the contemporary topics you’re bringing to Blues that many people can relate to.
History repeats itself, and what is happening today is nothing new. This is completely new for us, as we are experiencing it for the first time. I strive to create contemporary music by writing songs that are personal and include the emotions I have experienced. I think it suits the modern audience. These things have happened before but when I set the song in a contemporary setting, people relate to it easier.
What have been some of your most memorable performances?
We have been fortunate to have many memorable experiences. In the summer of 2024, we got the chance to play the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. This was very important to us as the festival has a long history of presenting the best blues and jazz artists of the time. It happened very fast, but it was also very exciting. Also, that summer we played the Bilbao Blues Festival in Spain and were blown away by how receptive the audience was to our music. When you see that people are enjoying your music so much, you want to work harder. We also had a memorable show at the Open Air Blues Festival in Romania last July. The festival is held in the small town of Brazoi and during our performance the entire power supply to the town went out. Our band improvised. We played acoustic instruments, and the band members with electric instruments took up percussion instruments. We continued the show for more than half an hour in front of several thousand people. The audience liked what we did. I remember when the lights went down I was looking at the other band members and everyone had big smiles on their faces. It was very emotional for us and a great memory.
Neha Kripal is an independent journalist. She writes on art and culture.
