In an extraordinary five-decade career marked by stylistic zigs and zags, Scofield has unquestionably earned his place in the pantheon of the greatest masters of the instrument. He has collaborated on era-defining recordings by Charles Mingus and Miles Davis and released over four-dozen albums that blend hard bop acuity with copious quantities of funk. As a bandleader, Scofield has often returned to the trio format as a perfect improvisational vehicle, establishing his first steady three-piece with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum in the early 1980s. Loose-limbed virtuoso Bill Stewart replaced Nussbaum in the 1990s, recording the guitarist’s 1996 Verve debut Quiet and masterful 2004 live date EnRoute, culminating in 2020’s ECM release Swallow Tales.

With Archer and Waits on board, a new path emerges for the relentlessly searching Scofield. A veteran of work with Robert Glasper, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, and Scofield’s own Combo ’66 project, Archer is among jazz’s most revered bassists.

Son of drum great Freddie Waits, Nasheet Waits is a master drummer known far and wide as part of pianist and composer Jason Moran’s GRAMMY-winning Bandwagon trio and for his participation in bass king Christian McBride’s New Jawn project.