Medeski Martin Scofield and Wood Tour
Just Around the Corner
Check out this write-up from Tripp Demoss before your weekend kicks off. The highly anticipated release of the forthcoming album with John Scofiled, Juice, is set for a Sept. 16th release. Personally, I’ve listened to the album and it is a solid listen all the way through. Check back for an album review in the near future as well as an interview that will be conducted on their upcoming tour.
By Tripp Demoss
Ok, so I’m really excited about seeing MMW + John Scofield in DC this December. John Medeski is one of my favorite players- he doesn’t go buck wild with the quartal harmonies that are impossible for an amateur to play along with, but his technical expertise speaks for itself regardless. Here’s a special nugget from an MMW show at Umbria, Italy Jazz festival in 2001 as an early preview.
It’s trite to compare keyboardists from different genres and/or to come up with hierarchies to say “Oh, the guys who went to music school are just on a different level!” blah blah blah. Granted. But, it’s entertaining too, so here goes. Bruce Hornsby went to Berklee College of Music, and for rock keyboardists, he’s like Beethoven- the musician everyone knows about because he’s so good. John Medeski went to the New England Conservatory of Music and for rock keyboardists, he’s likeFrederic Chopin – who sounds better? Answer: they both do!
Anyways, MMW do something like “hard jazz.” Whereas Umphreys McGee is jazz/fusion/prog that had its genesis with Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, and the 70s greats, MMW are the jazziest guys in the jam universe. Whereas Galactic brings the archetypal New Orleans funk/jazz to the table, MMW attacks with the good ol’ Kansas City/Brooklyn jazz method that dates back to the early part of the 20th century. Whereas Phish will do the jazz/prog thing on their own terms (eg., early 70s Mothers of Invention) MMW doesn’t delve into the nonsense poetry but rather, remains strictly instrumental.