2005 · Album
John Scofield
Recorded Early 1980s · Palo Alto Records · Produced by Not specified in available sources
Two Guitarists, One Conversation
Abercrombie and Scofield trade phrases like they're playing for themselves alone, not an audience.
The real star of Solar is John Abercrombie. Not because he outplays John Scofield—they're matched in skill and invention—but because his presence shapes what this album actually is. Where Scofield tends toward drive and linear clarity, Abercrombie brings texture and space. He overdubs electric mandolin on 'Four on Six', adding shimmer to what could have been a straightforward Latin vehicle. On 'Sing Song', his own composition, he plays introspectively, and that contrast—his inward approach against Scofield's outward energy—becomes the album's backbone. Ken Dryden of AllMusic noted the guitarists "settle into a relaxed exchange between the two players as if they are playing for themselves alone," and that ease comes largely from Abercrombie's willingness to listen and leave space. The album works best when it's just the two of them. When George Mraz and Peter Donald join for 'Small Wonder', the music tightens into post-bop efficiency, and something intimate gets lost. Solar isn't a masterpiece or even Scofield's most important record, but it's a solid snapshot of two players comfortable enough to simply talk to each other. Start here if you want to hear what Scofield sounds like when he's not leading—when he's trading.
