Swallow Tales
Studio album by
John Scofield
ReleasedJune 12, 2020 (2020-06-12)
RecordedMarch 2019
StudioJames L. Dolan Recording Studio
NYU Steinhardt
GenreJazz
Length53:16
LabelECM 2679
ProducerManfred Eicher
John Scofield chronology
Combo 66
(2018)		 Swallow Tales
(2020)		 John Scofield
(2022)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[2]
The Arts Desk[3]
DownBeat[4]
Financial Times[5]
Jazz Journal[6]
Jazzwise[7]
PopMatters7/10[8]
RTE.ie[9]
The Times[10]

Swallow Tales is a studio album by jazz guitarist John Scofield recorded in March 2019 and released on ECM June the following year. The trio features rhythm section Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart. Swallow Tales refers to the trio's bassist, who composed the nine tracks, re-arranged for the recording.[11][12]

Reception

Chris Pearson in his review for The Times wrote, "This set, taped in half a day by a trio led by the American guitarist John Scofield, centres on that legacy to set the record straight."[10]

A review by RTE.ie stated, "In sum, a collection of sensitive, knowing interpretations of the Swallow classics which you should let play continuously until the inevitable result - you will need its sound in your life for a while, weaving in and out of your rooms."[9]

Matt Collar of AllMusic added, "The album arrives on the heels of several other Scofield small group sessions, including 2017's Hudson and 2018's Combo 66... It's a sound whose earthy lilt sometimes has the feel of a three-member vocal group, rather than an instrumental trio."[2]

Will Layman of PopMatters commented, "The jazz guitar trio is a classic format, and John Scofield, Steve Swallow, and Bill Stewart are as well-equipped as many musicians could be to venerate it and renew it a bit. That is the accomplishment of Swallow Tales."[8]

Michael Ullman in his review for The Arts Fuse noted, "This is an intelligent, inventively performed, be-boppish tribute to a composer I now know better than ever."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Swallow

No.TitleLength
1."She Was Young"9:33
2."Falling Grace"5:27
3."Portsmouth Figurations"3:31
4."Awful Coffee"9:28
5."Eiderdown"7:13
6."Hullo Bolinas"4:15
7."Away"4:54
8."In F"4:34
9."Radio"4:21
Total length:53:16

Personnel

Production

  • Tyler McDiarmid – engineer
  • Sascha Kleis – design
  • Mark Franosch – cover photography
  • Roberto Cifarelli – liner photography
  • John Scofield – liner notes

Charts

Chart performance for Swallow Tales
Chart (2020) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 96
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 56

References

  1. ↑ Patterson, Ian (June 16, 2020). "John Scofield: Swallow Tales album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 Collar, Matt (2020). "Swallow Tales - John Scofield | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Scotney, Sebastian (6 June 2020). "Album: John Scofield, Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart - Swallow Tales". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Aaron (August 2020). "John Scofield: Swallow Tales (ECM)". DownBeat. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Hobart, Mike (12 June 2020). "John Scofield: Swallow Tales — an irresistible polyrhythmic pulse". Financial Times. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Gilbert, Mark (22 June 2020). "John Scofield: Swallow Tales". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Fordham, John (2020). "JOHN SCOFIELD: SWALLOW TALES". Jazzwise. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 Layman, Will (23 June 2020). "John Scofield Renews the Jazz Guitar Trio on 'Swallow Tales', PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Album review: John Scofield Swallow Tales". RTE.ie. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. 1 2 Pearson, Chris (May 29, 2020). "John Scofield: Swallow Tales — mercurial pieces don't soften the great jazz-rocker". The Times. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "ECM Records". SWALLOW TALES by JOHN SCOFIELD, STEVE SWALLOW, BILL STEWART. ECM Records. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "John Scofield: Swallow Tales — an irresistible polyrhythmic pulse". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Ullman, Michael (27 May 2020). "Jazz CD Review: John Scofield's "Swallow Tales" — Steve Swallow's Quirky Romanticism". The Arts Fuse. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – John Scofield / Bill Stewart / Steve Swallow – Swallow Tales" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – John Scofield / Bill Stewart / Steve Swallow – Swallow Tales". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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