John Scofield - Meant to Be (Blue Note, 1990)

 

John Scofield, guitar
Joe Lovano, tenor sax, alto clarinet
Marc Johnson, bass
Bill Stewart, drums

Recorded December 1990

Power Station, NYC
Engineer: James Farber

Meant to Be is the second album by John Scofield's quartet with Joe Lovano, following Time on My Hands by one year. For Meant to Be, Marc Johnson and Bill Stewart replace Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette. 

If anything, the new quartet improves on the initial outing. To my ears, the secret ingredient in the new quartet's success is Stewart. A longtime member of bands led by Peter Bernstein and Larry Goldings, Stewart brings funky groove, stylish accents, and thunder at just the right moments.  

For his part, Lovano revels in the modern funkiness of most of Scofield's tunes. His use of the rare alto clarinet on "Lost in Space" is noteworthy for its distinctive tonality. Lovano seems to have no problems negotiating the instrument's features and fitting them into the setting.

Aside from my interest in the supporting players, it is Scofield whose compositions and playing make Meant to Be a particular favorite. All of the tunes are originals, given clever titles by Scofield's wife Susan. It's hard to single out favorites because all of the pieces are cleverly composed and skillfully played. With engineer James Farber at the controls of the Power Station studio, and Bob Ludwig handling the post-session mastering, Meant to Be excels both musically and sonically.

Vinyl lovers should know that Meant to Be is scheduled for release on March 20, 2026. It will be a 2-record set in Blue Note's Classic Vinyl series.

To read my review of Scofield's first Blue Note release, go to:

Post: Edit Time on My Hands.