MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Shack-Man (1996) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Medeski, Martin & Wood's Shack Man is the best example to date of the trio's cerebral fusion of soul-jazz, hip-hop, and post-punk worldbeat. Relying on a laid-back groove for most the album, the group just rolls along. Shack Man is the kind of album that will appeal most to soul-jazz beginners; for aficionados, the lack of grit in the groove makes it rather tedious. by Leo Stanley
Tracklist :
1    Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus 4:27
Arranged By – Medeski Martin & Wood
Traditional
2    Think 5:20
John Medeski
3    Dracula    4:19
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
4    Bubblehouse    4:31
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
5    Henduck    4:39
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6    Strance Of The Spirit Red Gator    5:57
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
7    Spy Kiss    4:27
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
8    Lifeblood    7:06
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
9    Jelly Belly    4:42
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
10    Night Marchers    4:34
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
11    Kenny    4:43
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Credits :
Bass, Guitar – Chris Wood
Keyboards – John Medeski
Percussion – Billy Martin

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Farmer's Reserve (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Farmer's Reserve is the initial release on Medeski, Martin & Wood's Indirecto label. Probably deemed too "out" for major commercial release, this recording shows that their free improvisation credentials are still up to date. John Medeski left his Clavinet and Hammond organs at home, and concentrated on prepared piano, toy piano, and sparing use of a Yamaha synth. Chris Wood plays acoustic bass, and drummer Billy Martin has his usual assortment of drums and hand percussion. Leaving behind the groove aesthetic that has garnered them so much popularity, this record showcases each musician's ability to create and respond simultaneously. The album is basically four improvised pieces, with most of the pieces having a series of "movements." Years of playing together have given them nearly telepathic interplay. They know when to explore a musical area they've discovered, and when to move on as well. Although the music is free improvised, this is not to say that it doesn't have any melodic or rhythmic sense whatsoever -- but that's not the goal here. This recording is a document of a moment in time when three longtime friends/musicians spontaneously created music with no rules or preconceptions. Hats off to MMW for taking a chance like this. by Sean Westergaard  
Tracklist :
1    Part 1    4:01
2    Part 1    2:56
3    Part 1    4:24
4    Part 1    3:46
5    Part 2    6:36
6    Part 2    3:23
7    Part 2    2:35
8    Part 2    7:10
9    Part 3    3:08
10    Part 3    4:28
11    Epilogue    15:16
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Guitar – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion – Billy Martin
Piano, Synthesizer – John Medeski

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Combustication (1998) APE (tracks), lossless

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. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist :
1    Sugar Craft 3:22
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Turntables – DJ Logic
2    Just Like I Pictured It    3:27
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
3    Start-Stop 6:39
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Turntables – DJ Logic
4    Nocturne    4:02
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
5    Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho    3:15
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6    Whatever Happened To Gus 4:26
Steve Cannon / Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Voice [Spoken Word] – Steve Cannon
7    Latin Shuffle    9:05
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
8    Everyday People    5:27
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart
9    Coconut Boogaloo    3:57
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
10    Church Of Logic 6:38
Jason Kibler / Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Turntables – DJ Logic
11    No Ke Ano Ahiahi    4:48
Traditional
12    Hypnotized    5:34
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Credits :
Bass, Bass Drum – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion – Billy Martin
Keyboards – John Medeski

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - The Dropper (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Drifting back closer to the avant-garde territory that they cut their teeth on, Medeski, Martin & Wood explore percolating sonic textures on The Dropper. Released by Blue Note in late 2000, the jazz trio's seventh album is a complex blend of Latin jazz, haunting soundscapes, hip-hop grooves, and John Medeski's trademark organ funk. The group is assisted on several tracks by guitarist Marc Ribot and the fourth instrument serves to add another layer to the eclectic mix, at times getting buried beneath the sampled loops and B-3 dirt.
Recorded in the band's Brooklyn studio, Shacklyn, and co-produced by acclaimed hip-hop engineer Scotty Hard (Wu-Tang Clan, P.M. Dawn, Kool Keith), The Dropper exudes a streetwise, gritty vibe almost like the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique without the clever references. In fact, several of the 13 tracks on this album ("Philly Cheese Blunt," "Big Time") could be slipped into Check Your Head or the second half of Ill Communication and nobody would know. The less immediately funky tracks, like the avant-rhumba "Partido Alto" or the chilling final track "Norah 6" (accompanied by a sighing string section) may not appeal to the baseball capped Ninja Tune aficionados or the groove-seeking neo-deadheads, but fans of their early works in the New York experimental jazz-fusion scene will find several points of interest. While The Dropper is less immediately accessible than many of their previous albums, it ends up being more sonically rewarding, continuing to blur the lines between jazz, rock, and funk. by Zac Johnson  
Tracklist :
1    We Are Rolling 7:04
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
2    Big Time 3:23
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
3    Fèlic 3:21
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
4    Partido Alto 5:42
Alto Saxophone – Marshall Allen
Congas – Eddie Bobé
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
5    Illinization 2:31
Mixed By – David Baker
Written-By – MMW
6    Bone Digger 2:22
Guitar – Marc Ribot
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
7    Note Bleu 3:01
Guitar – Marc Ribot
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – John Medeski
8    The Dropper 3:29
Guitar – Marc Ribot
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
9    Philly Cheese Blunt 4:49
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
10    Sun Sleigh 2:23
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Surdo – Paula Potocki
Written-By – MMW
11    Tsukemono 3:23
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Violin – Charlie Burnham
Written-By – MMW
12    Shacklyn Knights 4:44
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Written-By – MMW
13    Norah 6 4:51
Cello – Jane Scarpantoni
Mixed By – Scotty Hard
Violin – Charlie Burnham, Joan Wasser
Written-By – MMW
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion – Billy Martin
Keyboards – John Medeski

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Tonic (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first officially released live album by Medeski, Martin & Wood, as well as their first acoustic recording since their debut, Tonic captures the best of several 1999 performances at the small New York City club of the same name. The group's playing is a nice mix of outside, bop, and funky grooves, but the difference here is that Medeski is unable to rely on the electric organ to produce effects. That often means his lines are busier and more staccato than usual, and, especially on "Invocation" and "Thaw," he takes spirited flights into the avant-garde with chaotic yet controlled flurries of notes. The group's rhythmic interplay, too, becomes more important in this context, with the grooves shifting around often enough to give the musicians more to react to. The eight-song program is equally divided between originals and covers with the latter category including hard bop material by Lee Morgan, John Coltrane, and Bud Powell, as well as a gentle, album-closing rendition of the rock standard "Hey Joe." Although Tonic is markedly different from the jazz-funk-rock with which MMW made their name, it's a rewarding excursion and one of their most purely jazz-oriented works. by Steve Huey
Tracklist :
1     Invocation 5:15
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
2     Afrique 8:24
Duke Ellington / Lee Morgan
3     Seven Deadlies 10:56
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
4     Your Lady 9:12
John Coltrane
5     Rise Up 11:14
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6     Buster Rides Again 7:36
Bud Powell
7     Thaw 11:32
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
8     Hey Joe 5:30
Billy Roberts
Credits :
Bass – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion, Mbira – Billy Martin
Piano, Melodica – John Medeski