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THE JOHN SCOFIELD ÜBERJAM BAND
Biography/Program Notes
2013
John Scofield – Guitar
Andy Hess – Bass
Avi Bortnick – Rhythm Guitar & Samplers
Tony Mason - Drums
Überjam Deux
After leading and writing for various funky bands in the 80's and recording and performing
with MMW in the 90's, Scofield started the Uberjam project in 2000. Once he found super rhythm
guitarist Avi Bortnick, he played with various bass and drum teams searching for the right chemistry
and
found
it
for
two
cds…Grammy
Nominated
Uberjam
and
Up
All
Night.
The Uberjam sound starts with compositions written for his lead guitar, Avi's funky rhythm guitar
and sampled loops in front of electric bass and drums. The project has been reunited in 2013 for the
May release of a new recording - Überjam Deux and worldwide touring.
“The music on Überjam Deux is one of the styles I feel most comfortable with. I started with jazzrock 40 years ago and the great thing about this music is that it’s still evolving. I've been interested
in combining jazz with other rhythmic forms since I became involved in music. I was spurred on in
this direction by my collaboration with Miles Davis among others. I'm from the fusion generation! If
I were to tag a "concept" for the band, it would be exploring different forms of groove music. We
get into funk, afro beat, reggae, house music, RnB....and a lot of what’s in between." I love
improvising over and inside this music and doing it with some of greatest musicians playing this way
today. Many of these new tunes are co-written by Avi and myself. Andy Hess's old school bass
sound and tireless dedication to grooving fits perfectly with our original drummer, Adam Deitch and
new
additions,
drummers
Louis
Cato
and
Tony
Mason.
We have a great time playing for a broader and often younger audience with this material. They
really know about music, they really listen, and their enjoyment is infectious. I get a real kick
watching my audience grooving while knowing that this holds up as jazz – it’s not just dance
music.” - John Scofield
JOHN SCOFIELD is one of the principal innovators of modern jazz guitar, a creative artist of the
rarest sort: a stylistic chameleon who has forged a consistent and rock-solid aesthetic identity.
Regardless of the stylistic setting, his distinct guitar sound and compositions are unmistakably
Scofieldesque, always coupled with an improvisational excellence and dedicated to strongest jazz
tradition. An artist with fan bases in many camps and several dozen albums to his credit, he
expresses himself in the vernacular of bebop, blues, jazz-funk, acoustic chamber jazz, electronically
tinged groove music and orchestral ensembles with ease and enthusiasm. Since the mid-70’s, he’s
led his own groups in the international Jazz scene. His versatility and technical mastery have
peppered his band-leading career with sideman stints as varied Miles Davis, and the Grateful Dead’s
Phil Lesh. Scofield’s albums (many already classics) include collaborations with countless
contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad
Mehldau, Mavis Staples, and Government Mule. He’s played and recorded with Miles Davis, Tony
Williams, Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, among many jazz legends.
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Andy Hess (Bass) moved to NYC in 1990 from Oakland, CA where he launched his career in the
Blues and RnB scene. He worked for several years with Leo Nocentelli (of the original Meters) – a
gig that put him together with Bernie Worrell of Parliament and Zigaboo Modeliste (also of the
Meters.) Andy’s a former member of The Black Crowes and Govt Mule and Scofield’s Uberjam, Band
in the early 2000s. He’s has toured extensively with singer, songwriter Freedy Johnston, singer Joan
Osborne Robben Ford and Steve Kimock. Among his recordings: Scofield, The Black Crowes, Govt
Mule, Freedy Johnston, blues singer Bill Sims, Tina Turner, David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Shawn
Colvin.
Avi Bortnick (Rhythm Guitar & Samplers) was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child he
studied classical guitar and piano, moving to the San Francisco Bay Area at 19 to attend the
University of California-Berkeley. He followed with studies at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In
1994, he entered a graduate program in architectural acoustics at the University of Florida,
Gainesville. An original member of Scofield’s Uberjam Band, he’s played with a variety of bands
including the retro-soul band What It Is. His band the Dry Look was an early 1990's pioneer of the
groove-jazz movement in San Francisco. Deeply involved with African and Caribbean music bands,
most notably playing guitar with Kotoja, a Nigerian dance band. He has also played with Bobby
McFerrin. Since the UJB days, he divides his professional time between his career as an acoustician
and playing with Jim Weider, Jihae, Betty Black, Forro in the Dark, Ghost Train Orchestra, Rene
Lopez, Jason Blum, and Karina Zeviani. Develops He also develops iPhone apps (Time Guru.)
Tony Mason (Drums) grew up in Southern Pines, North Carolina and started playing percussion at
age seven. After studying at East Carolina University for one year, Tony moved to NYC in 1986 to
finish his education at The Manhattan School Of Music, receiving a performance degree in classical
percussion. Tony appeared on the track "Thinking About You" on Norah Jones' latest release, Not
Too Late. He has backed numerous artists on various TV shows including David Letterman,
American Love Story on PBS, Craig Kilborn, and The View. He has also played on tracks for
commercials. Tony has worked with many top producers including Nile Rodgers, Camu Celli, Ron
Saint Germain and Russ Titelman. He has toured and/or recorded with Norah Jones, Martha
Wainwright, Cyril Neville, Joan Osborne, Paula Cole, Charlie Hunter, Bernie Worrell, Bill Sims Jr. Bo
Diddley, Leo Nocentelli, Adam Levy, Jim Campilongo, Natalie Cole, Neil Sedaka, and many others.
An interesting side note is that Tony's brother-in-law is the legendary funk drummer, Zigaboo
Modeliste.
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