MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD

Astute Progheads will recognize an echo in the album's title and cover art of the 1971 Can LP "Tago Mago", a nod perhaps to kindred spirits who performed on a similar level of telepathic spontaneity, but in a very different musical culture (early '70s Krautrock). You can also make obvious comparisons to the likewise exploratory Moraz-Bruford keyboard and drum duets from the mid-1980s.

But the Martin-Medeski team is better synchronized than the ex-Yes bandmates, and more daring in their fusions of mismatched influences: straight jazz, bent gospel, grindhouse funk, hip-hop, space-rock, and the occasional Third World ethnological forgery (another link to classic Can). The album opener "Introducing Mago", and its aptly named bookend "L'Aventura", are epileptic free-form jazz improvisations designed to agitate your inner beatnik. But in "Crustaceatron" and elsewhere the groove reverts back to that trademark ultra-cool (and often ultra-spacey) MMV trip-hop vibe.

The bass-lines were presumably generated by John Medeski's Hammond B-3 foot pedals. But the lack of a genuine low end in the mix makes listening to the album like studying the fossil ancestor of some fabulous beast. Remove the muscular sinews of a dedicated bass guitarist, and this is what's left: a fascinating skeletal structure held together by taut but invisible ligaments.

These twenty all-new tracks, recorded to celebrate the band's first two decades together, were released in nine separate installments throughout 2011: two songs per month, except when the schedule was interrupted by the arrival of Hurricane Irene along the eastern American seaboard. The aggregate is now available in a single downloadable package: a godsend to fans, and a great introduction for newcomers to the Brooklyn combo's unique avant-groove style.

Not many groups, and fewer Jazz groups, would dare to combine gospel spirituals with turntable scratching, Holger Czukay airwave samples, and outer space synthetics from "Forbidden Planet"...all within a single track. John Medeski augments his usual piano and Hammond organ with Mellotrons and melodicas; Chris Wood's bass is often distorted to sound like an electric lead guitar; and the artfully sloppy-yet-pinpoint drumming of Billy Martin carries the trio from interstellar freeform explorations to fuzzed-out Space Funk grooviness to voodoo swamp rituals reminiscent of CAN's Ethnological Forgery series of cultural plunders.

The album also includes a few selections mixed by Gregor Asche, alias D.J. Olive: a regular collaborator with the trio, and further evidence of their detachment from Jazz (or even Jazz Rock) traditions. MMW might have the same hipster appeal for listeners with more refined tastes, but how many Jazz albums feature a track vividly described by the title "Fuck You Guys (First Take)"?

This is arguably the band's most representative yet least predictable album, and for that reason alone it deserves wider exposure. The music isn't Prog, but the attitude is progressive, continuing forward into the next twenty years.

The MMW trio has worked with guitarists before, notably Marc Ribot and John Scofield, the latter often enough to earn his own initial in the separate MSMW quartet. But Cline, who has his own extensive page in these Archives, isn't just another Jazz noodler. He's a beast from a different cage altogether, and for this gig he was allowed completely off his leash, dragging his three collaborators farther out than I've ever heard them travel before, perpendicular to any familiar style of Fusion toward the outer-limits of Space Rock.

All the music was spontaneously generated, but not in a Jazz vernacular. This isn't jamming; it's hardcore Rock improvisation, closer to the 'instant compositions' of early CAN or the free-wheeling 'blows' of '70s KING CRIMSON. Be forewarned: a lot of time is spent teasing a recalcitrant muse toward the next groove, and much like classic live Crimson the effort can seem a self-indulgent strain to listeners needing the life-belt of structured songwriting. I prefer to hear it as the creative process in action, plucked wholesale out of thin air, but it's really a moot point: when all four players are in sync, the music soars. And what's that old adage about the journey versus the destination?

I wish the album had been given a wider release, with more publicity: a logistical impossibility for the boutique Woodstock Sessions record label. After the career-defining "Radiolarians" trilogy (2008-2009), this set marked an almost shocking stylistic detour, from acoustic grooves to electronic confrontation. Don't expect an easy listen but, as any emergency responder can tell you, the punch of a defibrillator paddle can be good for the system.

The project was drummer Billy Martin's baby: he produced and directed it, helped with the editing, and was responsible for much of the camerawork (camcorder-work, more precisely). The aim might have been to capture the improvisational nature of the MMW sound in a likewise spontaneous video document, but the home-movie aesthetic doesn't exactly flatter such an otherwise sophisticated band. Don't be surprised to find your attention wandering after only a few minutes, long before the boilerplate music-video segments showing the trio frolicking in a glade of butterflies, or the endless footage shot out the window of their travelling tour van.

Maybe the band's intuitive creativity can't be captured like the eponymous fly. None of the three musicians is very articulate, communicating best through the music itself, or in a barely audible verbal shorthand (no one was wearing a microphone). The presence of a camera, however discreet, might have also been an inhibiting factor. But the film becomes more compelling when it shows the music actually coming to life, sometimes out of thin air. Standing at John Medeski's shoulder while he tickles the ivories of his piano, or plucks its guts with a flathead screwdriver, is a privilege not soon forgotten. The astonishing grace and dexterity of his organ solo while recording "Broken Mirror" (from the "Radiolarians III" album) is the highlight of the disc, all-too briefly bringing it to vivid life.

"Some people are born cool", says bassist Chris Wood at one point, with self-deprecating humor. "And some people have to practice." Following the band throughout "Fly in a Bottle" (an odd title, by the way...wouldn't "Lightning in a Bottle" have been better? Or maybe "Fly on a Wall?"), it's obvious MMW works very hard to achieve their distinctive musical cool. But as filmmakers they could use a little more practice.

The stage recording follows the same general direction of their (mostly) unplugged "Radiolarian" cycle, and the lack of electronics preserves the wonderfully clear and uncluttered sound of those albums. The band was performing to bigger crowds in larger venues, somewhat atypically for an acoustic jazz combo. But of course MMW were never traditional jazzers.

Other influences continue to loom large: rock 'n' roll; roadhouse funk; grunge; blues; swing; avant-garde improvisation; trip-hop grooves; gospel; psychedelia; so forth and so on. These are musicians not above using a child's toy piano (in "Doppler") to achieve the right effect, or borrowing esoteric World Music influences when necessary: note the heady ethnic aroma of Turkish kebab drifting into the title track. That it all fits together so easily is a huge part of the eponymous magic here.

The selections are mostly in the 15-minute range, but half that length in each number is usually reserved for some very un-jazz-like atonal soundscapes: think of "Starless"-era KING CRIMSON, unplugged. The innovations of other MMW albums are lacking, but it's a solid set, showing a unique trio at ease within their comfort zone. The magic may be free, but the music is priceless, even when it isn't pushing back any new borders.

Just don't call it Jazz, or even Jazz Rock. MMW specialize in an altogether different blend of acoustic and electric fusion, skipping lightly over counter-intuitive styles with the same joy and dexterity of Gene Kelly dodging raindrops. From outer atmosphere improvisations to inner city shuffles to hybrid psychedelic gospel reggae-rock vamps (the latter in "Gwyra Mi": hear it to believe it), this is an album much easier to enjoy than it is to pin down.

The entire "Radiolarian" series was road-tested before any actual studio recording, and internalized down to the level of their collective DNA. The result is a body of music not so much composed as captured in mid-air. Every track was developed with the freedom of performance found only in Jazz, while employing all the stylistic liberties of Progressive Rock.

This last and best set begins with one of the band's trademark unplugged jams, nervous and jerky but swinging in a way sure to please your inner beatnik. The production has a thrilling immediacy that puts the listener in the same room while the trio works its magic: sometimes it's difficult to say if the musicians are playing their instruments, or the other way around.

Keyboardist John Medeski is all over every cut, but his astonishing unplugged piano solo in "Jean's Scene" remains a highlight not just of the album but of his ongoing career. He then immediately turns around and works similar alchemy on his Hammond B3 organ, in "Broken Mirror" (that exotic zither-like sound is him plucking the piano strings using a flathead screwdriver).

And listen to his frantic yet tasteful intro to the traditional hymn "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down", another in the occasional series of New Orleans voodoo spirituals re-visited by the band. Chris Wood's distorted bass guitar offers the perfect counterpoint to Medeski's raucous piano, sounding like Old Scratch himself come to collect your wayward soul. And the final piece to a very eclectic puzzle is Billy Martin's seemingly unstructured but always pinpoint drumming: check out his restless toe-tapping vitality in "Walk Back".

Put all three albums together (see the "Radiolarians Evolutionary" box set) and you have a career-defining collection of modern music. But separately each is still an essential package, Volume III perhaps most of all. I'd been wondering how to best justify my five-star rating here, but then realized I wouldn't have to: the music did it all by itself.

"Anonymous Skulls" has plenty of piano and organ and the mellotron late sounds great. "End Of The World Party" is a catchy number with lots of mellotron and what sounds like vocal melodies. Keyboards, drums and bass are also outfront. "Reflector" sounds better with the guitar and darker sound. Lots of piano then the clavinet comes in kicking some ass. "Bloody Oil" opens with bass and cymbals and actually sounds like Jazz for the first time on this album. Organ joins in too. One of my favs right here. "New Planet" opens with drums and some silly sounds. Clavinet comes to the fore. This sounds better 2 minutes in when the guitar arrives. "Mami Gato" opens with a beat as bass and piano help out. This continues throughout.

"Shine It" is another catchy tune with drums and piano leading. "Curtis" sounds like more of the same except we get some outfront clavinet. "Ice" is again more of the piano, bass and drums leading the way until late when it becomes orchestral sounding. "Sasa" sounds great once it gets going. Lots of clavinet and funk. "Midnight Poppies/Crooked Birds" starts out with bass and atmosphere as the organ floats. It becomes spacey 2 minutes in then the second half of this track kicks in. "Queen Bee" sounds good with the keyboards, drums and intricate sounds. Catchy stuff. Cool track.

While I do feel that this one should be rated higher on here than it is, I have to agree with my two collaborators on the 3 stars.

In truth the quartet should be considered an entirely different band, far enough removed from the forward-thinking aims of MMW to deserve a separate page here at Prog Archives. The larger group is a perfect match of likeminded musical minds, but the four-way collaboration lacks the adventurous spirit of MMW proper, settling instead for the no less groovy but hardly progressive sound of a totally professional and very talented jazz-rock jam band.

Regarding this two-disc live package: the not-so-good news is that the material is drawn almost entirely from the "A Go Go" and "Out Louder" albums, and thus highlight that same, slightly compromised mainstream reduction of the more challenging MMW aesthetic. The compact disc gives no indication of where and when the gig was recorded, but it sounds like a performance supporting the '06 release of "Out Louder", belatedly assembled half a decade later.

The good news is that on stage, in front of what sounds like a raucous crowd of obvious fans, the music comes to life in a way it never did in the studio. The jamming format of the touring quartet allows for lots of soloing, and quite a few tracks are here extended way beyond their original length.

Each musician has his turn in the spotlight, including the rhythm section: check out the startling unaccompanied acoustic bass intro to "Cachaça", or drummer Billy Martin's spasmodic be-bop solo at the start of "Miles Behind". But over the length of two discs you'll also find many long episodes of indiscriminate, self-indulgent noodling (during "Hanuman", "Hottentot", and the almost thirteen-minute title track), when the music refuses to gel.

MSMW may not compare well to MMW, but why compare them at all? The quartet is more like a side project, where the moonlighting artists can forget their more eclectic, experimental instincts and simply have fun playing together. Listeners can enjoy this set in much the same way, without the burden of higher expectations.

Musicians play all-acoustic and sound quality is excellent. In combination with very enthusiastic public and excellent track list, this release could be placed between best 2010 contemporary jazz/fusion recordings.Based mostly on funky piano sound, music has enough space for all three musicians though. It's so fantastic to hear that modern jazz fusion music could be such groovy, emotional and accessible at the same time without being cheesy or mellow! Don't be afraid of all-acoustic sound there - nothing sounds dated or old-fashioned on this album!

Tunes are great, musicianship is excellent, and even if this album doesn't bring you more experimental elements or unusual sounds ( even opposite - this music sounds a bit conservative as for such innovative band), this release is excellent demonstration of all best sides MM&W are so known about.

Excellent album for any lover of funky jazz fusion, and great entry for everyone searching on his way to modern jazz fusion! Very recommended.

My rating is 4,5,rounded to 5!

Medeski Martain & Wood are usually all about the groove. This album is the epitome of that style. Every song locks in to a groove and doesn't back down. Bass churns, drums keep time, keys solo away/provide atmosphere, all in the attempt to support a single rhythmic function. I have to agree with the reviewer above me...this album's biggest problem is the lack of diversity. The best songs on the album add a little something extra to the mix, but at the end of the day, are in the same spirit of the rest of the songs on the album. And that spirit is groovy. Other MM&W albums embrace other musical approaches, which is one of my favorite things about this band. They aren't afraid to do something different and are (seemingly) willing to try anything once. That philosophy doesn't hold as much water here, which is unfortunate.

However, this album does have some stand out tracks that make this album worth it. It begins incredibly strong with Anonymous Skulls, one of my favorite MM&W tracks. The groove is well established, but the creepy atmosphere teamed up with some more uncomfortable sounds produced makes this song stand out in the crowd. End Of The World Party is an interesting track, with some terrible vinyl scratching's added. But beyond that, the song is solid. Bloody Oil is also a top tier track that is just as enjoyable as any song from any other album. Sadly, after Bloody Oil, the album takes a turn for the monotonous, until the end. New Planet through Sasa set up the groove and keep it going. Honestly, there is little if anything to set each track apart from the next. A groove is established, the drums hold things down, something solos, a melody is repeated, the song ends. (Or something close to that anyway.) While none of the songs or playing is bad, nothing is particularly excellent. Luckily, it does pick up again at the end with Midnight Poppies/Crooked Birds, a track with excellent atmosphere that doesn't rely on a groove (at least the Midnight Poppies bit) and Queen Bee, with some nice guitar work (although, I think it could be used more effectively). Additionally, the guest work here is a nice diversifier, and the additional instruments do spruce up the songs they are in.

All in all, this is a good album, but only that. Also, there is really limited rock on this album at all. Its all groovy modern jazz. I wouldn't start my MM&W adventure here, but if you are already a fan, and especially if you prefer there groovy, jazzy side, this is probably worth it. Is this the last album I ever want to hear? No. But come the day, I'll try to slip it into the rotation. 3 stars.