"I have found a whole younger generation interested in the same kind of music I am, so in a way, it doesn't matter what age they are," says Scofield, who launches a tour of rock clubs, small theaters, and campuses in Cleveland on March 6. "These young guys I want to play with don't mind going on eight-week tours," he says.
For the past two years, Scofield has stressed funk, working with Medeski Martin & Wood and other up-to-the-minute players from the downtown New York scene. "There's a tune on there called 'Acid Head,' and I thought some kids might actually take acid [because of it]," Scofield says. "It got to me, because I stopped doing all drugs, so I just put that in there. People can take that for what it means. It means I'm not getting high. Doesn't mean you can't. It means that I'm not."