Photo: Harald Krichel / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
John Scofield is one of those guitarists who makes you feel like jazz is still alive and kicking — because with him, it genuinely is. He came up through Berklee, cut his teeth playing alongside Miles Davis in the early '80s, and that alone would've been enough for most people's careers. But Sco kept pushing, weaving funk, blues, and soul into his jazz in ways that felt completely natural rather than gimmicky. Three Grammy wins and nine nominations later, he's still releasing records that sound fresh rather than like a legacy artist coasting on reputation. The French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres wasn't even the peak — it's just confirmation of what serious listeners already knew. His tone is instantly recognizable: warm, a little gritty, always swinging. One of the great American guitarists, full stop.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Scofield
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・スコフィールド
- Reading
- じょん・すこふぃーるど
- Born
- December 26, 1951 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rabbit
- Origin
- Dayton, Ohio, United States
- Occupation
- guitarist / composer / jazz musician / jazz guitarist / designer
2. Background
- High school
- Wilton High School
- University
- Berklee College of Music
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Scofield born?
Born December 26, 1951 (age 74).
Where is John Scofield from?
John Scofield is from Dayton, Ohio, United States.
What does John Scofield do?
John Scofield works as guitarist, composer, jazz musician, jazz guitarist, designer.
Guitarist — see all → · Composer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.