American Strings: An Evening with John Scofield’s Combo 73 featuring Vicente Archer, Gerald Clayton & Bill Stewart

Aside from being one of the principal innovators of modern jazz guitar, John Scofield is a creative artist of an even rarer sort: a stylistic chameleon who has forged a consistent, rock-solid aesthetic identity. Looking to commemorate his 73rd year, Scofield has penned a collection of new compositions and re-formed the swinging group – formerly Combo 66 – to tour the music. Rising star Gerald Clayton is an obvious choice on piano, an instrument central to the tunes. The connection between Scofield and drummer Bill Stewart strengthens as the decades pass. It was Stewart who introduced bassist Vicente Archer to the project eight years ago. Scofield is thrilled with the group and in addition to the musical combustion, especially enjoys the inter-generational quality – seventies, fifties and forties represented! Scofield will close 2025 with this band on tour.

Now in its seventh year, PRAx and the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University present American Strings, a series of conversations and intimate performances with iconic musicians from the Americas whose perspectives shape our world. Prior guests have included Keb’ Mo’, Rosanne Cash, esperanza spalding, and many more.

Hosted by ethnomusicologist and public historian Kelly Bosworth, American Strings performances offer audiences the chance to hear artists play and reflect on their practice. In conversation, artists discuss process, biography, and the themes of their work. Conversation is followed by musical performance. Guests typically perform unaccompanied, but in select cases may appear with their ensembles.

Dr. Kelly Bosworth is Mary Jones and Thomas Hart Horning Assistant Professor of Public History and Ethnomusicology at Oregon State University, where she teaches courses such as “Social Change and American Popular Music” and “Musical Worlds of the Pacific Northwest.”She works at the intersection of sound, place, and belonging. Her research on music/sound/noisein U.S. history delves into the diverse archives of musicmaking, reconstructing often-silenced histories through the songs and sounds associated with place. Her PhD dissertation (Indiana University, 2024) explored “The Music of Miracle City: Vanport, Oregon and the Sonic Imaginaries of Multiracial Democracy.”