Steve Vai once called Mike Stern and John Scofield "Frustrated metal guys"

[Blazer]

So I have two video's of both of those guys, do you guys agree with Vai on them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQF2KAWY5c

Mike Stern and the late great Michael Brecker in 1987, watch out for Stern's solo starting around 2;30 minutes into the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YqWWu0LcZ8

John Scofield with the George Duke band.

The quality of the footage is not the best but the playing makes up for it.

[MattyCakes]

for me personally mike stern is hit or miss, some shit i like others i dont. scofield on the other hand. really really solid shit. amazing

[Top Jimmy B]

Based on those two clips I would take Stern over Schofield. He plays more melodically to my ears and is easier to listen to. I saw Schofield in the early 90's, with Michael Hedges, and I couldn't make it through his set. His tone was nice and he had pretty amazing technique, but that atonal stuff he plays drives me nuts. Here's an idea John - melody. Sorry.

[Endrik]

Sco has tons of melody, I saw him a couple of years ago and it was one of the best gigs I've ever seen. He played a lot of Jeff Beck'ish melodies.

And he is a very creative and open minded dude, his band was full of youngsters playing a crazy mix of jazz/fusion/experimental/dub/acid/house/jungle/dnb/hip-hop and whatnot.

I like Mike too but sometimes his clean heavily chorused tone gets a 'lil bit annoying.

[Top Jimmy B]

See? Different people hear different things in these guys. The night I saw Schofield, Hedges was incredible. He was playing things, and instruments, I couldn't comprehend; while Schofield was just waaaay too outside for what my ears find pleasing. Nice tone, but that was it that night.

[sonofspy]

Yeah I'm with you. These two guitarists I put in the pigeonhole of
being technically proficient but leaving me absolutely uninvolved.


Maybe that's how I view their playing: it's just COLD. We could put them
both in the Antarctic, plug 'em in with monster cabs and stop global warming
in a single stroke.

Me I'm a long term Holdsworth fan.

YMMV

Son Of Spy

[Endrik]

See? Different people hear different things in these guys.

yes and no, jazz players have their "moods" one day they play some smooth sounding melodies, the next they wank some weird atonal shit.

[Guitardude86]

Wankers

[atomic charvel guy]

Aren't we all frustrated metal guys here? -lol anyone posting on this board is a frustrated metal guy , 99% at least. I am that's for sure, but then again, I'm not really a "Metal" kinda cat. Hard Rock, or Rock and Roll is more like it for me.

[sevser]

Not really impressed by either...Even in the Jazz fusion realm...Holdworth, DiMeola and many others blow the away and Steve Via could kick their asses at their own game too...Perhaps there are better examples of their playing but...Look at some post where people dug up 70's players that kicked ass...Like Hocus Pocus for instance....That was one hell of a player for his time...JMHO

[Blazer]

Not really impressed by either...Even in the Jazz fusion realm...Holdworth, DiMeola and many others blow the away and Steve Via could kick their asses at their own game too...Perhaps there are better examples of their playing but...Look at some post where people dug up 70's players that kicked ass...Like Hocus Pocus for instance....That was one hell of a player for his time...JMHO

That Band was called "Focus" and the player was Jan Akkerman, you ought to check his stuff out.

[Strat God]

I appreciate both, but don't care for their music.
My brother just emailed me saying Stern 'blows maggotty monkey balls'.:ROTF: