Medeski, Martin & Wood, oh my!

While the album is MMW's first for the classic jazz label, Blue Note Records, the tracks find the keyboard, drum, and bass combo looking toward the future of music, not the past. Indeed, the opening track is one of three collaborations with turntable wizard DJ Logic, who playfully scratches his arsenal of noises around John Medeski's organ riffing, while bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin provide the beats. Like most experiments, the result is not always successful; Logic's contributions are sometimes more of a distraction than an improvement. But when it works, like in the gentle build-up at the center of "Start-Stop," the outcome is exhilarating.

Medeski, Martin & Wood
Combustication Blue Note Records 4 stars Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer Rob Mitchum

Outside of the DJ tracks, MMW continues to explore by injecting healthy doses of avant-garde jazz into many of the songs. Medeski instigates this exploration by relying less on his trusty Hammond B3 and clarinet, instead adding atmospheric textures through synthesizers and Rhodes electric piano. This switch allows Martin to take center stage on much of the album, carrying the jams along with complex polyrhythms and unique percussion tools. The apex of this sound and the centerpiece of the album is the nine-minute "Latin Shuffle," where Martin unexpectedly accelerates and decelerates the beat beneath Wood's funky bass line, while Medeski pounds out a spastic, dissonant piano solo.

Other experiments like the spoken-word collaboration "Whatever Happened to Gus" and the church organ reading of Sly Stone's (or is that Toyota's) "Everyday People" are less successful, but the album is nicely balanced with tunes reflecting the MMW of past albums.

The playful organ and funky bass of "Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho" and "Coconut Boogaloo" are sure to keep the prep school hippies dancing through the night.

But let those hippies beware: "Combustication" is not as danceable or instantly accessible as "Shack-man." By means of a willingness to experiment, Medeski Martin and Wood send a musical message to their audience: don't just dance ... listen.

09-09-98