Matt Schofield

“The best blues guitarist to have emerged from any country in decades”
(Fred Shuster, Senior Music Critic, LA Daily News) 

Matt Schofield is widely recognised as the finest Blues-inspired guitarist to have emerged in Europe for several generations, perhaps even in the World. 

Britain’s Guitarist magazine describes Schofield’s playing as “Dynamite”, while The Los Angeles Daily News describes Schofield as “Head and shoulders above the herd. The best blues guitarist to have emerged from any country in decades.” 

Since his debut CD in 2004 Schofield has been associated with an unusual line-up: guitar/organ/drums, no bass player (bass being played on the Hammond organ), but for 2009 he’s touring a new four piece band, with a more conventional guitar/keys/bass/drums configuration. Either way, Schofield delivers a big and rhythmically-infectious sound.

He has played clubs and festivals around Europe and in Canada, notably attracting a big crowd (approaching 6,000) for his Canadian debut at the Montreal Jazz festival. He has also done sessions for the North American XM/Sirius satellite radio, BBC national Radio 2 and NPS (Holland’s equivalent to the BBC). Among his more unusual gigs has been to play inside the iconic London department store, Harrods, as part of a special tribute to the influence of the electric guitar in popular culture. 

Born in August 1977 in Manchester, Matt grew up in Fairford, Gloucestershire. A professional player from the age of eighteen, Schofield chose sideman duties before launching his own musical enterprise in 2004. 

An opportunity to record a live set of unrehearsed material, led to his much acclaimed 2004 debut CD release (The Trio Live, Nugene Records NUG601), followed a year later by the first studio album (Siftin’ Thru Ashes, NUG501) - The Independent’s Jazz & Blues album of the week. Then another live cut (Live at The Jazz Café, NUG503) and most recently 2007’s Ear To The Ground (NUG702). A new album releases in May 2009. 

GUITAR & BASS MAGAZINE TOP TEN BRITISH BLUESMEN OF ALL TIME.

They say "...some of the most intense, smoking solos since Howlin’ Wolf’s Hubert Sumlin first walked into Chess studios...add a switchblade-sharp approach to playing slow blues that very few achieve, and you realise why the guy’s just so damn hot."

"He is one helluva guitarist" (Robben Ford) 

website: www.mattschofield.com
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