John Scofield didn't even own an acoustic guitar when Pat Metheny brought along a pair of them for the guitarists' 1993 duo session, "I Can See Your House From Here". Scofield was so intrigued by the experience that he went out and bought his own nylon-string instrument, spent hours playing it and ultimately composed eight pieces especially for his new plaything. Those eight tunes (plus a ninth by producer Steve Swallow) comprise Scofield's album, aptly entitled Quiet. Scofield was too smart to simply transplant his electric-guitar techniques--which rely so heavily on distortion and attack--to the acoustic instrument. Instead, he took advantage of the nylon strings' intimacy and responsiveness to compose romantic melodies and play them in a clean, understated style.--Geoffrey Himes