1 The Dropper 
2 Sugar Craft 
3 I Wanna Ride You 
4 Nocturne 
5 Partido ? Alto 
6 Hey-hee-hi-ho(illyb Remix) 
7 Note Bleu 
8 Pappy Check 
9 Mami Gato 
10 Off The Table 
11 Queen Bee 
12 Hypnotized 
13 Hey Joe0683 
14 End Of The World Party 
15 Uninvisible

Danny Blume - Guitar, Guitar (Baritone)
Eddie Bobe - Congas
Stuart Bogie - Contra-Alto Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Michael Herbst 	- Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Baritone)
Aaron Johnson 	- Trombone
Billy Martin - Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Maracas Mbira, Percussion, Remixing
Jordan McLean 	- Flugelhorn, Trumpet
John Medeski - 	Composer, Keyboards, Melodica, Piano
Marc Ribot - Guitar
Todd M. Simon 	- Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Chris Wood - Bass, Bass Instrument, Composer, Drums (Bass)

Medeski, Martin & Wood have a large and devoted base of fans who probably already own every one of the trio's albums, including every Blue Note album. So why would they be interested in what's essentially a "Blue Note years best-of" collection? Note Bleu is a well-thought-out distillation of their work spanning 1998-2005, but there's nothing a completist would need since everything has been previously released. That's where the "Deluxe Edition" comes in, adding three bonus tracks that were previously unavailable in the U.S.: one outtake from The Dropper and two from the John King sessions that produced End of the World Party (Just in Case). However, the real excitement is contained in the bonus DVD. In addition to three music videos, there is excellent footage of the band performing live at both the Newport Jazz Festival and the Texaco Jazz Festival (featuring DJ Logic). There are also two very interesting documentaries. The Dropper is the longer of the two, mixing lots of performance footage with some bio/interview segments and even a bit of animation of illy B's drawings. It's as much a performance film as a documentary. Foreplay is much shorter, but probably more interesting as it features them in the studio, not only performing but discussing their thoughts and methods regarding the recording process, their evolution as a band, and what they strive for musically. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes. There are also a couple photo galleries, but the live footage and the documentaries alone make this set easily worth it for the already established fan. ---Sean Westergaard, Rovi

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0. Stage intro
1. Agmatia
2. The Lover
3. Baby Goats
4. Shack Man
5. Padrecito

John Medeski - keyboards
Billy Martin - drums
Chris Wood – bass

London, November 2013

A second chance to hear avant-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood, in a standout performance from last year's London Jazz Festival.

Hailed as one of the greatest groove bands on the planet, this concert at Ronnie Scott's offers a rare opportunity to witness the group renowned for its Hammond-led, riff-based stylings open out into more extended, exploratory improvisations than are normally heard on their studio recordings. --- bbc.co.uk

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01 – Tutrasai
02 – Riffin ed_luz marina
03 – Buster rides again_doppler
04 – Amber gris                   play
05 – We’re all connected

Musicians:
John Medeski - Piano, Melodica
Chris Wood - Bass
Billy Martin - Drums, Percussion

Is it once a decade that we listeners are entitled to an entirely acoustic Medeski, Martin and Wood album? At the start of the 90's their debut "Notes from the Underground" set a high bar. 2000's "Tonic", a live album titled after the now defunct New York City performance space, came out after several organ and keyboard oriented recordings. And now this album, generous with woody timbers, big grooves and inspired improvisations.

The combination of Wood's deep pocketed bass lines, Martin's precise but unpredictable beats and Medeski's unrelentingly perfect note choice is captured on this ebullient release. Recorded at a recent tour date in Japan and released by Tzadik, the release goes to support a current downtown New York City performance space, The Stone.

"Tutrasa'i", kicks things off with a quiet but insistent groove by Martin and Wood with Medeski tossing some glittering notes into the mix. It builds a little intensity and then the piano lays on a hip angular melody that the audience picks up on immediately. The extended middle eastern theme gives way to more lush, but still slightly off-kilter, piano chords and finally into a extended jam that interpolates a bluesy feel within the harmonic minor theme. Clever use of dynamics brings the song to a hushed, almost mysterious, conclusion leading us to the smokey beginning of "Riffin' Ed - Luz Marina." This 23 minute tour-de-force starts with the rhythm section laying down a thick groove and then the piano responds -- there are moments that follow where I fully expect that Medeski was up on the piano jumping up and down on keyboard. All members come to the front during 'Buster Rides Again/Doppler', trading solos and working off each other. The excitement is palpable in each performance, and whether the group is going for the jugular or tentatively exploring the fringes, the audience reciprocates throughout.

This album is a really enjoyable mix of everything (except the electronics) that has made MMW such an enduring group. The spare instrumentation allows the group to really explore time, space and melody, all of which are in abundance. The thick soulful grooves makes the album a palatable listen from the moment the needle drops and the musicianship makes repeated listenings a must. The only part that knocks it back a half star for me is the use of the melodica during the concluding theme "We're All Connected". There are some moments in this breezy tune, that while certainly crowd pleasing, are perhaps more enjoyable in person than on record. Minor quibble really, this a nice gift from MMW, and one whose proceeds benefit an important anti-establishment establishment. ---Paul Acquaro

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1. Sugar Craft ( 3:22) 
2. Just Like I Pictured It ( 3:27) 
3. Start-Stop ( 6:38) 
4. Nocturne ( 4:02) 
5. Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho ( 3:14) 
6. Whatever Happened to Gus ( 4:26) 
7. Latin Shuffle ( 9:04) 
8. Everyday People ( 5:26) 
9. Coconut Boogaloo ( 3:57) 
10. Church of Logic ( 6:38) 
11. No Ke Ano Ahiahi ( 4:47) 
12. Hypnotized (13:37)

Billy Martin - Drums, Percussion
John Medeski - Composer, Keyboards
Chris Wood - Bass, Composer, Drums 

As the only jazz band to be accepted by the neo-hippies of the HORDE '90s, Medeski, Martin & Wood pulled off the strange coup of being embraced by rock and jazz audiences, who both loved their endless improvisations. They managed to walk the fine line dividing between the two camps, as their funkified soul-jazz was self-referential and cerebral, not earthy and instinctual. That's part of the reason why some soul-jazz diehards didn't embrace MMW -- the ingredients may be there, but it just didn't taste like a real Jimmy Smith record. Perhaps conscious of this, MMW make no excuses about their heritage on their fifth album, Combustication. Perhaps because it is their first effort for a real jazz label (Blue Note), Combustication happens to be their most adventurous effort yet. Ironically, it's because the group embraces alt-rock and hip-hop conventions like turntable scratching. That ultimately turns out to be just window-dressing, however -- beneath it all, MMW's music remains essentially the same, but the handful of curve balls makes Combustication worth close listening for those already on their side. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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CD1:
01 – A Go Go
02 – Deadzy									play
03 – What Now
04 – Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing
05 – Cachaca
06 – In Case the World Changes Its Mind
07 – Miles Behind

CD2:
01 – Little Walter Rides Again
02 – Hanuman
03 – Amazing Grace
04 – Southern Pacific						play
05 – Hottentot

Personnel: 
John Medeski - keyboards; 
John Scofield - guitar; 
Bill Martin - basses; 
Chris Wood - drums, percussion.

With significant pressure on artists to look for new territory to mine and new collaborations to explore, it's always great to see those that have worked well kept as ongoing concerns, like guitarist John Scofield's first-encounter with jam band darlings Medeski, Martin & Wood on the superb A Go Go (Verve, 1998). The now-named Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood still reconvenes occasionally, with its follow-up, Out Louder (Indirecto, 2006), a more free-wheeling alternative to its predecessor's focus on Scofield's particularly fine writing. Five years later, In Case The World Changes Its Mind strikes the perfect balance between form and freedom.

Recorded on tour in 2006, while some of the same songs also appear on the European double-disc version of Out Louder, they're different versions. If that bonus, EP-length live disc gave fans a taste of MSMW in performance, then In Case The World Changes Its Mind is the real deal, its groove-laden, 115-minute set of 11 tunes equitably split between MSMW's two studio discs, with an extended jam thrown in for good measure, along with a gospel-drenched version of "Amazing Grace."

Scofield may be working his softer side lately on his relaxed A Moment's Peace (EmArcy, 2011), but he's in incendiary form here, in particular on a searing version of "Miles Behind," where his wah-driven guitar goes head-to-head with John Medeski's grittily overdriven electric piano, bolstered by a nuclear groove from bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin that seems always on the edge of a precipice—threatening to dissolve into complete anarchy at times, but always pulled back from the brink at the last possible moment. Medeski's piano also drives the greasier title track, though he mixes it up with a melodica in the front line with Scofield, who's featured in an extended duo with the second line-informed Martin, the guitarist's complex voicings and angular phrases leading to some visceral slide playing. Both these songs from Out Louder are considerably expanded in length here; exemplifying one of MSMW's major MOs: taking ideas stemming from jams and turning them into tunes.

The material from A Go Go is given equal chance to expand, in particular the 11-minute set-closer, "Hottentot," where Medeski's swirling organ work is at its best, though his remarkable command over tone and texture—an analog fan's wet dream—is a cornerstones throughout. A Go Go's title track is equally compelling, while a medley of that album's "Deadzy" and Out Louder's "What Now" blends idiosyncrasy with straightforward boogie to great effect.

But the centerpiece of In Case The World Changes Its Mind is the 25-minute "Walter Hanuman," starting with a sprawling N'awlins jam that takes its good time getting to the core of Out Louder's "Hanuman," stretching inexorably towards a fiery climax, only to wind down with an extended outro defined by Medeski's mad-scientist synth and Scofield's reverse-attack loops. MSMW may only convene occasionally, but with MMW driving Scofield to places he'd never find otherwise, and the guitarist lending MMW a stronger compositional focus, it's the perfect combination, with the whole of In Case The World Changes Its Mind clearly greater than the sum of its considerable parts. ---John Kelman, allaboutjazz.com

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1. Doppler
2. Blues For Another Day
3. Free Magic/Ballade In C Minor, ‘Vergessene Seelen’
4. Where’s Sly?
5. Nostalgia In Times Square/Angel Race

John Medeski - piano, prepared piano, shruti box, melodica, mylotica
Billy Martin - drums, percussion
Chris Wood - bass.

Free Magic: Live is the first release of by trio Medeski Martin & Wood from its third decade of existence. Maybe I should repeat that. This disc is by a jazz band that has remained intact for more than 21 years. Like a family, the trio has born musical genres, specifically the infamous jamband phenomena, matured, and branched out from electric to eclectic.

Perhaps MMW's greatest contribution to modern jazz was its DIY touring philosophy. Like punk bands of the 1980s, MMW often toured unsupported (by a record companies), playing gigs in bars and on college campuses, then packing its instruments in a van and playing somewhere else the next day. The group's relentless touring garnered a new audience to its music-and to jazz, for that matter. Along the way, MMW has collaborated with guitarist John Scofield, DJs Olive and Logic, and legendary Sun Ra saxophonist Marshall Allen.

This disc follows the live Scofield collaboration, MSMW Live: In Case the World Changes Its Mind (Indirecto, 2011), and digital-only 20 (Indirecto, 2011). Recorded on an all-acoustic tour, these five tracks evidence a hard working trio in full flight.

The opener, bassist Chris Wood's "Doppler," initially finds drummer Billy Martin seeking a groove on the xylophone-sounding African balaphone, while pianist John Medeski works simultaneously on melodica and a toy piano. The music gives way to a piano trio soul-jazz groove as infectious as any mid-1960s Blue Note offering. This is MMW at its finest, Martin shuffling the beat to Wood's rock-solid timekeeping. The genius of this band is that it can disassemble a song and put it all back together almost effortlessly. "Blues For Another Day" opens in mayhem, Medeski pounding notes à la Cecil Taylor, before the band settles into a gospel-tinged blues. The band feeds off a hypnotizing delivery, both in groove/swing and in instant composing. The title track begins with a metal-on-metal-themed improvisation, drawing attention to the acoustic nature of this tour. The band expands and expands its simple "Where's Sly" until it becomes an anthem that is bejeweled with Billy Martin's extended drum solo.

The band ends at its beginnings. The homage medley "Nostalgia In Times Square/Angel Race," transfuses Charles Mingus' soul into the stratosphere of Sun Ra's explorations. As with any MMW performance, the destination is not as important as the musical journey. ---Mark Corroto, allaboutjazz.com

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01 - The Lover 
02 - Paper Bass 
03 - House Mop 
04 - Last Chance to Dance Trance (Perhaps) 
05 - Baby Clams 
06 - We're So Happy 
07 - Shack 
08 - Tea 
09 - Chinoiserie 
10 - Between Two Limbs 
11 - Sequel 
12 - Friday Afternoon in the Universe 
13 - Billy's Tool Box 
14 - Chubb Sub 
15 - Khob Khun Krub


    John Medeski – organ, piano, wurlitzer, clavinet
    Billy Martin – drums, percussion
    Chris Wood – acoustic bass, harmonica, wood flute
    Danny Blume – guitar
    Tonino Benson – raygun, vocals
    Carl Green – Thai flute

Here, the MMW direction and loyalties become very clear; they're possessed and driven by the fatback funk and instruments of an earlier generation. John Medeski becomes one of the wave of keyboardists in the '90s who started dragging wonderful old Wurlitzer electric pianos, Hohner clavinets, Hammond organs, wah-wah pedals, and other devices out of the mothballs, and used them almost as quasi-percussion instruments at times. Chris Wood remains resolutely on standup bass, playing with a great feeling for Billy Martin's supremely funky drumming. Some of the results harken back to Miles Davis' jungle bands of the mid-'70s, picking up on the atonality and crosstalk over the JB's/Sly Stone beat ("We're So Happy"). Others are just happy to groove along on the rhythms of some of the most irresistible group chemistry of the 1990s. ---Richard S. Ginell, Rovi

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1 Waking Up (Martin, Medeski, Wood) 1:07
2 Let's Go Everywhere (Geoffrey) 3:35
3 Cat Creeps (Martin) 2:49
4 The Train Song (Wood) 2:16
5 Where's the Music (Wood) 1:04
6 Pat a Cake (Public Domain) 3:16
7 Pirates Don't Take Baths (Ingham, Martin, Medeski, Wood) 1:12
8 Far East Sweets (Wood) 2:43
9 On an Airplane (Wood) 2:56
10 The Squalb (Lurie, Martin, Medeski, Wood) 3:55
Performed by: Medeski, Martin & Wood, John Lurie
11 Let's Go (Medeski) 3:19
12 Old Paint (Public Domain) 2:29
13 Hickory Dickory Dock (Public Domain) 2:41
14 All Around the Kitchen (Public Domain) 1:26
15 We're All Connected (Martin, Medeski) 1:04

Billy Martin & Socket - Percussion, Arranger, Drums, Maracas Mbira
John Medeski - Keyboards
Marvin Pontiac - Vocals
Chris Wood - Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Oliver Wood - Vocals

Medeski, Martin & Wood have always considered their music as being for the kid in all of us, no matter our age. For Let's Go Everywhere, they really emphasize the childlike approach to music-making, staying fun and funky while adapting various tunes of adolescence and inventing a few silly songs of their own. With help from grown-up vocalists and selected children, MMW take liberties in their musical image by relating to the playful, nonchalant, and carefree innocence of youth. The title track is a great example of being a rascal without devilish or campy affectations, as singer Tim Ingham modifies and extends the lyrics to the famous Johnny Cash tune "I've Been Everywhere," replete with handclapping. The scrubbing song "Pirates Don't Take Baths" is hilarious, in a shuffle with Ingham and Medeski's piano; "On an Airplane" goofs it up more as Chris Wood sings or plays harmonica; while "The Train Song" gains speed in a sly New Orleans-tinged tango, with Oliver Wood's bluesy vocalizing. Dr. John would likely be amused by "Let's Go" in an old-style Crescent City groove; there's a 6/8 Latin version of "Hickory Dickory Dock" with spoken lyrics by Lindsay Dyer alongside only Billy Martin's drumming; and "Pat a Cake" is a kid's rap with Martin pounding out the funk. Few instrumentals crop up, but "Cat Creeps" provides Medeski with an opportunity to use at least three keyboards -- one a Farfisa organ -- in choogling stairstep motion, but for "Far East Sweets" (for Haribo candies?) the sound is koto-like, Asian-derived and mysterious. Perhaps "Where's the Music," with its tacit sections waiting for the children to yell out the title refrain, speaks out the best not only on the attitude of how youth music is invisible, but also on where the core of MMW's organ funk music lies. Although not attempting to be Sharon, Lois & Bram, Raffi, or (thankfully) Barney, Medeski, Martin & Wood have struck a chord with their inner child, while presenting music that any growing toddler, tween, or teen can relate to. ---Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

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01. First Light 
02. Cloud Wars 
03. Muchas Gracias
04. Professor Nohair 
05. Reliquary 
06. Free Go Lily 
07. Rolling Son 
08. Sweet Pea Dreams
09. God Fire 
10. Hidden Moon 


John Medeski: Organ Hammond B3, piano, Mellotron, Clavinet Hohner, Mini Moogs; 
Chris Wood: Bass;
Billy Martin: Drums, Percussion.

Arguably the coolest and most creative instrumental trio of our times released the initial album of a projected trilogy in September 2008, and at first exposure I'm tempted to call it their strongest, most varied effort to date. Confirmed fans will likely have even their highest expectations surpassed, and newcomers may find it the perfect introduction to the band's unique sound: an eclectic blend of (among other things) acoustic New Orleans jazz, electronic post-rock experimentation, and galactic trip-hop funk...a bizarre mix to be sure, but it all fits together with organic ease.

Appropriately, the album opener 'First Light' is arranged almost like a MMW primer. It begins with a harsh electric improvisation, segues into an eerie but infectious groove sparked by one of the trio's patented quasi hip-hop vibes, and finally trails off into a free-form space out, after another quintessential jam spotlighting John Medeski's deft handling of his Hammond B3.

'Cloud Wars' emphasizes the heavier side of the group, with an aggressive distorted bass guitar solo by Chris Wood recalling the monster riffing of John Wetton in his mid-'70s prime with KING CRIMSON.

Some bluesy melodica and acoustic guitar give a Southwestern roots flavor to 'Muchas Gracias', with extra Prog Rock legitimacy provided by a subtle wash of Mellotron. And good luck trying to follow the beat of drummer Billy Martin's gut-punching 'Reliquary', a nearly eight- minute assault in which even the acoustic piano is employed for its percussive accents.

I've gone into some detail describing the first few cuts to suggest the boundless range and variety of the MMW sound. I'll leave you to discover the unexpected pleasures elsewhere on the album, with one ear eagerly tuned to Part Two of the series. It's a shopworn cliché to say 'expect the unexpected', but with a band like Medeski, Martin & Wood you really don't have any other choice. ---Neu!mann, progarchives.com

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01 - Little Walter Rides Again 
02 - Miles Behind 
03 - In Case The World Changes Its Mind 
04 - Tequila And Chocolate 
05 - Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing 
06 - Cachaca 
07 - Hanuman 
08 - Telegraph 
09 - What Now 
10 - Julia 
11 - Down The Tube 
12 - Legalize It

Billy Martin - Composer, Drums, Percussion
John Medeski - Composer, Keyboards
John Scofield - Composer, Guitar
Chris Wood - Bass

Out Louder reunites keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood with guitar great John Scofield, who employed the trio on his 1997 A Go Go album. That record opened the creativity gates for both the trio and Scofield, who fed off and goaded each other into territories neither party had previously gone separately. Out Louder isn't so much a rematch as an upgrade. Both Scofield and MMW have continued to explore in the near-decade since A Go Go, and they come to this project with a greater understanding of their collective abilities as well as a willingness to explore the possibilities further. Not unexpectedly, the four musicians work hard here, but they also have a ton of fun. The opening track, "Little Walter Rides Again," serves notice that this isn't going to be an exercise in showing off but rather four envelope-pushing musicians picking each other's brains and seeing what they find. An easygoing blues vamp with a funky, Memphis-style beat, the track keeps the quartet reined in while simultaneously allowing each musician to dance around a bit within its structure. That idea of holding back doesn't last long, however, as that leadoff gives way to "Miles Behind," a nod to electric Miles Davis minus the trumpet. Although the players, particularly Medeski and Scofield, take several opportunities to reach for the outside fringes, Out Louder never becomes inaccessible, even during its freer-jazz moments. "Tequila and Chocolate," for example, takes up with a simple bossa nova rhythm that eventually goes wildly astray without losing touch with its form, and the John Lennon tune "Julia" (which, honestly, borrows only minimally from the original melody) is a soft, sweet, and sensual ballad that never strays even close to the edge yet still manages to feel edgy. That's not to say that those looking for the heavy jams will be disappointed. "What Now" finds Medeski and Scofield challenging each other as if they were Keith Emerson and Jimi Hendrix having it out at some late-night club, and "Down the Tube," though essentially a simple funky blues, flirts with psychedelia, Scofield turning in some of his most startling playing of the set. The session ends with a virtually unrecognizable improv on Peter Tosh's reggae anthem "Legalize It" that spotlights Martin and Wood in lockstep groove. If ever MMW and Scofield decided to make something more permanent of their meet-ups, one can only guess where else they might go. ---Jeff Tamarkin, Rovi

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