John Scofield's Piety Street Band

Ask any guitar player if he recognizes the name John Scofield, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a single six-stringer who doesn't. Based on his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the '70s to collaborations with modern music pioneers Medeski, Martin and Wood in the 21st century, Scofield's street cred is well assured. Add to that a reputation as a living legend of jazz as a solo artist, composer and bandleader, and it's fair to say that Scofield's reputation occupies the rarefied stratosphere of the true greats of modern music. And just as the true greats always seem to reinvent themselves, Scofield's newest project, recorded with a who's who of New Orleans musicians, taps into relatively unexplored musical territory. New Orleans gospel blues with his Midas touch on the guitar? You bet. (For a full interview with Scofield, stop by the Backbeat blog at westword.com.)