John Scofield Quotes

I've always done very 'composed' music and worked-out solos. But sometimes it's fun not knowing where you're going.

This band makes sure that we have whole sections of stuff that are free form so that they don't know what we are doing next, that is the fun part of playing. You are playing something that you haven't ever played before.

If you're always playing the correct notes, there's something wrong - you're not searching; you're not reaching for anything.

It often feels like a tremendous amount of work is required to get an idea moving forward, like pushing a train uphill. But at a certain point, the thing takes on its own momentum, and takes unexpected turns. So it's that feeling of holding on, rather than pushing it, that is the most exciting thing. It's that need to occasionally bounce off the walls, letting anything happen for any reason, and having nothing to guide you that is the joy.

What I have to do as a musician is do everything that is not on the music.

I think probably with any performer, but maybe with rock music especially, the audience wants to see the singer being real, and exploring, and not doing a rehearsed routine, so I'm just constantly looking for new things to try. I'm really curious out there, and my curiosity has led me into all kinds of bizarre situations.

In improvisation, there are no mistakes.

We all have to open our minds, stretch forth, take chances and venture out musically to try and arrive at something new and different.

When you work with an actor and then you discover new things that are better, I think you gotta be free to be able to go with the new things that you're finding. I think that's very important. I have a strong idea when I go to shoot a movie but I also love to discover things when I'm on set as well.

The wonderful thing about Jazz is its willingness to take chances.

The spirit of jazz is the spirit of openness.

I think there are actors who are like, 'Okay, what am I doing, how am I doing it, what's the appeal? Tell me what to do, what are the exact lines from the script? Okay, I got it.' I am not that way. I would be a terrible bus driver. I'd want to be like, 'Oh, let's take this side road! Let's see what happens when we go down this back alley.'

The apparatus has to serve our improbability and improvisation. Being good and playing the songs is not enough.

I just like music all the way around the board. I can't stick to one thing - I've got to move around.

I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.

I love to play things that are out-of-the-box. It's just that I don't always get the chance to do it!

See, there were certain rules I'd always used, and people like Trane, they would break those rules.

We always have a take that's 'one for fun', so once you've got what you need, you can do what you like. Something does occasionally pop out of that tree. I'm always open to ideas.

If there's a song where there's a possibility of guitar stuff that would be fun to listen to, go for it. Don't worry about what anybody thinks.

Sometimes my mistakes turn into interesting music because I do things that aren't supposed to be done.

This is the rock 'n' roll life, and you had to invent it as you went along. There was no textbook to say how you operate this machinery.

Phish is such a good band; they just make stuff up as a jam band.

I really like to experiment. That's the only way I can work. It's instinctive.

I didn't really know what I was doing when I started. I just started writing songs. After two songs I just continued to explore it.

When I'm working with improv people, I give them the green light to just bring it and try things.