Guitarist and composer Scott Sawyer has worked for over 30 years with artists like Nnenna Freelon, Charlie Byrd, Jack Wilkens, David Murray and Jon Lucian, to name a few. On Go There he is ably joined by an all-star cast. Included in the group are organist and flute player Kofi Burbridge (late of the Derek Trucks Band), drummer Kenny Soule (who has worked with the band Nantucket), electric bassist Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band and the Aquarium Rescue Unit), acoustic bassist Ron Brendle (Mose Allison and Frank Kimbrough) and free-lance recording artist and percussionist Chris Garges (who has worked with the country band The Moody Brothers).

A better moniker for this excellent recording would be “The Scott Sawyer Blues Band,” for it is the spirit of the blues that influences and percolates throughout. Some of the tunes are overtly blues derived. “Slow Dance,” for example, is intentionally in the slow-blues-drag style. With a stripped down unit of just guitar, bass and drums, with flute only appearing during the solo section, everyone leaves their six-shooters at home and plays in support of a truly poignant feeling. Kofi, who demonstrates a real feel for nuance and shades of color when on organ, proves to be a great flutist during his solo and trading licks sections. He’s so soulful he could make a specter cry.

The up-tempo “AR” rocks on. With a groove that is locked in the pocket, Sawyer turns in his most inspired solo of the recording. It’s not just the fact he has technique to burn, it’s how he uses that technique in tandem with Burbridge to get to the song’s heart in as direct a manner as possible. Kofi’s great organ solo, he lays down some lines that can only be described as righteous, follows the two string players' work, before Sawyer re-enters to drive the piece home.

The ensemble’s take on George Harrison’s “Taxman” demonstrates just how much more music there is still to be mined from The Beatles catalog and “Slow Down, Freight Train” picks right up where “Slow Dance” left off, but this time it’s Sawyer who gets down and dirty. Playing flatted thirds and sevenths may be the vehicle, but it’s in the delivery where artists are defined. Holding back behind the beat just enough to capture the right emotion, Sawyer demonstrates a real feel for statement and anti-statement. This disc is highly recommended for all blues aficionados.

Reviewed by: Thomas R. Erdmann

If you know Raleigh guitarist Scott Sawyer from only his jazz gigs and tours with jazz singer Nnenna Freelon, "Go There" (Doll) opens a different door. Welcome to Scott Sawyer, the funk, rock, blues -- and jazz -- player. A comparison might be made to guitarists John Scofield and Bill Frisell, who also cast a wide net.

With a preponderance of Sawyer tunes, the album is all groove underneath. Drummer Kenny Soule locks in with the Burbridge brothers -- electric bassist Oteil from the Allman Brothers band and organist and flutist Kofi from the Derek Trucks band -- to produce the hippest of backbeats and syncopation. Acoustic bassist Ron Brendle spells Oteil on the slow, bluesy "Slow Down, Freight Train," and there's a hint of mystery in Sawyer's chords and amplifier effects -- but the groove remains righteous.

As enticing as the beat is, there is also a fine sense of proportion in the ensemble dynamics (check the powerful buildup of the 10-minute "I Wish You Would") and solo pacing. On the bona fide slow blues "Go Home," Sawyer takes the less-is-more solo approach, but even on more open-ended tunes, he remains focused and to the point.

The tone of the group is always just right. Soule's drum sound exudes funk. Oteil's bass, ranging from slinky ostinato figures to bubbling Jaco Pastorius-like solo runs, matches Kofi's organ colors and strategically placed entrances and hits. Kofi's flute is also used to good effect on "I Wish You Would" and the "Caravan"-like "Dark Lady."

If you're looking for a pure, hard-line jazz album, this is not it. But if you think it represents a compromise, think again. It's its own species.

"Go There" is available at www.abstractlogix.com.

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HITTIN' THE NOTE -- ISSUE 52

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Excerpts from a story that originally appeared in Metro Magazine (March 2007, www.metronc.com) AND online here: www.metronc.com/article/?id=1292
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.

GUTAR MAN SCOTT SAWYER (Philip van Vleck)

Scott Sawyer is one of North Carolina’s guitar masters. Jazz-wise enough to back Durham-based vocalist Nneena Freelon on several national and international tours, yet nasty enough to handle the lead guitar chores for Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos. And, of course, between 1999 and 2004 Sawyer teamed with Kenny Soule and Bobby Patterson — late of Dag — to form Go There, a trio with a finely honed jazz fusion thing.

Sawyer is set to release a new album this month — Go There — and the feel of the tunes, while referencing both blues and jazz, is neither. The album is, indeed, a revisiting of Sawyer and Soule’s Go There band project, inspired, according to Sawyer, by Soule. In describing his new disc, Sawyer noted first that it’s an instrumental outing: “To me it’s not a jazz record, but some people might consider it a jazz record because it has a lot of improvisation,” Sawyer allowed. “It doesn’t swing in the traditional sense, however; it’s more groove oriented. As you know, I have a blues background, and you’ll definitely hear that on the album. I really don’t know what to call it. It’s somewhere in between jam band, jazz, funk, rock and blues. I’ll leave it up to the listener to decide.”

To this listener, Go There sounds like a righteous amalgam of jazz, funk, rock and blues performed by a crew of very solid players. For immediate inspiration, check the brilliant, funkified arrangement of George Harrison’s “Tax Man.” Also note the 12-minute tour-de-force “I Wish You Would” and the blues “Slow Down, Freight Train.”

The crucial thing with Go There is the musicianship. Everyone is simply outstanding. In addition to Soule’s pivotal contribution on drums and ideas, Sawyer noted that: “I had two bass players: Ron Brendle played acoustic bass on three songs and Oteil Burbridge played electric bass on the rest of the tunes. Kofi Burbridge, Oteil’s brother, played Hammond B-3 on 10 of the 11 tunes, and he also played some flute.”

Many rock fans will recognize Kofi for his role with the Derek Trucks Band. His brother, Oteil, is well known to fans of The Allman Brothers Band, as well as those who follow his band Oteil & The Peacemakers. Oteil is something of a bass-playing icon. Sawyer scored a major coup in snagging him for Go There.

...Asked how long it took to record Go There, Sawyer smiled and replied: “It depends on what you mean. I guess it goes back to the first time I ever did a project like this, which was the original Go There trio — Bobby Patterson, Kenny Soule and me — back in 1999. In terms of actually making this record, it took three days in the studio, start to finish, with no rehearsal ahead of time. It was pretty intense....”

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