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Swallow Tales is a studio recording by jazz guitarist John Scofield with bass guitarist Steve Swallow (for whom the album was titled) and drummer Bill Stewart.[11] The album was released by ECM Records on 12 June 2020.[12] The trio plays nine re-arranged Steve Swallow compositions.

Swallow Tales
Studio album by John Scofield
Released	20 June 2020
Recorded	March 2019
Studio	The James L. Dolan Recording Studio at NYU Steinhardt
Genre	Jazz
Length	53:16
Label	ECM 2679
Producer	Manfred Eicher
John Scofield chronology
Combo 66 (2018) Swallow Tales (2020)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[1]
AllMusic	[2]
The Arts Desk	[3]
DownBeat	[4]
Financial Times	[5]
Jazz Journal	[6]
Jazzwise	[7]
PopMatters	7/10[8]
RTE.ie	[9]
The Times	[10]

Reception

Chris Pearson in his review for The Times wrote, "This set, taped in half a day by a trio led by the American guitarist John Scofield, centres on that legacy to set the record straight."[10] A review by RTE.ie stated, "In sum, a collection of sensitive, knowing interpretations of the Swallow classics which you should let play continuously until the inevitable result - you will need its sound in your life for a while, weaving in and out of your rooms."[9] Matt Collar of AllMusic added, "The album arrives on the heels of several other Scofield small group sessions, including 2017's Hudson and 2018's Combo 66... It's a sound whose earthy lilt sometimes has the feel of a three-member vocal group, rather than an instrumental trio."[2] Will Layman of PopMatters commented, "The jazz guitar trio is a classic format, and John Scofield, Steve Swallow, and Bill Stewart are as well-equipped as many musicians could be to venerate it and renew it a bit. That is the accomplishment of Swallow Tales."[8] Michael Ullman in his review for The Arts Fuse noted, "This is an intelligent, inventively performed, be-boppish tribute to a composer I now know better than ever."[13]

Track listing

Personnel

• John Scofield – guitar
• Steve Swallow – bass
• Bill Stewart – drums

Charts

Chart performance for Swallow Tales

Chart (2020)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14]	96
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15]	56

References

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