Medeski Martin and Wood
Jazz trio from Jersey. Click here to be taken to their website. I was introduced to their music while driving back from a gig with my old band. The music was playing on my favorite radio station, KFCF, 88.1 FM out of Fresno.. It was late night, around midnight, we were tired and wired, and this wacky music was so perfect for the mood. I think it was off their Combustication CD, a track called Hypnotized. Or maybe “Sugar Craft.”
Anyway, I can’t think of a higher complement that I personally can pay to their music other than using it as the soundtrack to my 2004 family reunion DVD.
I recommend the albums Combustication, Shack Man, and Uninvisible. But it’s all good.
They are at their best when John Medeski is heating up his hammond, Chris Wood is thumping a funky upright bass, and Billy Martin is syncopating all around the beat on his simple jazz drum set. Then they’ll accent it all with a scratchin DJ doing really weird sounds. It marries the best of old school jazz sensibilities with triphop technology.
A difficult thing for any band to do is change tempo during a piece (successfully). Check out Latin Shuffle on Combustication!
This group feeds my soul, without ever singing a word.