EMBRYO - Live 2001, Vol. 1 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Darmstadta 4:36
Cello – Fredi Alberti, Karsten Hochapfel
Flute – Jens Pollheide
Gadulka – Stephan Dascalos
Percussion [Perc.] – Christian Burchard, Lothar Stahl, Max Weissenfeldt
2    Berlin 17 2:38
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Dieter Serfas
Erhu – Xizhi Nie
Guitar – Karsten Hochapfel
Keyboards – Michael Wehmeyer
Santoor [Santour] – Christian Burchard
3    Sinti 2:56
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Lothar Stahl
Guitar – Azen Wehmeyer
Percussion [Perc] – Didak, Dieter Serfas
Santoor [Santour] – Christian Burchard
Violin – Efgeni Atanasov
4    Scheng 9 3:04
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Dieter Serfas
Guitar – Karsten Hochapfel
Keyboards – Michael Wehmeyer
Sheng [Scheng] – Xizhi Nie
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Christian Burchard
5    Sommerhopp 2:31
Cello – Karsten Hochapfel
Drums – Lothar Stahl
Flute – Jens Pollheide
Guitar – Azen Wehmeyer
Vocals – Christian Burchard, Xizhi Nie
6    Café Des Artes 12:31
Drums – Dieter Serfas
Oud – Chris Karrer
Percussion [Perc] – Didak, Michael Wehmeyer
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Christian Burchard
7    Schamania 10:58
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Lothar Stahl
Guitar – Azen Wehmeyer
Percussion [Perc] – Didak, Dieter Serfas
Santoor [Santour] – Christian Burchard
Violin – Efgeni Atanasov
8    Pentai 2:29
Drums – Christian Burchard
Flute – Xizhi Nie
9    Yorubagroove 2:26
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Christian Burchard
Guitar – Karsten Hochapfel, Renee Ahmend
Keyboards – Michael Wehmeyer
Sheng [Scheng] – Xizhi Nie
Talking Drum – Dieter Serfas
10    Gadulka 7:10
Cello – Fredi Alberti
Drums – Max Weissenfeldt
Flute – Jens Pollheide
Gadulka – Stephan Dascalos
Guitar – Karsten Hochapfel
Marimba – Lothar Stahl
Percussion [Perc.] – Christian Burchard
11    No War (Krieg Nein Danke!) 1:45
Bass – Nick Mc Carthy
Cello – Karsten Hochapfel
Drums – Max Weissenfeldt
Harmonium – Jamal Mohmand
Soprano Saxophone [Sopransax] – Chuck Henderson
Tabla – Parvis Ayan
Trumpet – Götz Liekfeld
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Christian Burchard
12    Konfuzius 6:09
Erhu – Xizhi Nie
Pipa – Mu Sa
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Christian Burchard
13    Festivalmoments 3:30
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Christian Burchard
Guitar – Azen Wehmeyer, Karsten Hochapfel
Percussion [Perc] – Dieter Serfas
Vocals – Xizhi Nie
14    Schleusenkrug 3:40
Bass – Jens Pollheide
Drums – Christian Burchard
Flute – Xizhi Nie
Guitar – Karsten Hochapfel
Keyboards – Michael Wehmeyer
Percussion [Perc] – Dieter Serfas

EMBRYO - Bremen 1971 (1971-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is an excellent early live recording from this group, done around the time of its second album, Embryo's Rache, and with all tracks taken from that record. Its a fascinating juxtaposition between the psychedelic jazz-rock of early embryonic Embryo and the embrace of ethnic music from around the world that characterized subsequent Embryo projects. It starts off with some tribal drumming, and moves onward into complex rhythms and lots of sax and flute solos and even a violin here and there. Because of Embryo's ever-changing roster, the lineup includes only three of seven musicians from Embryo's Rache, recorded in the same year as Bremen 1971, and with no keyboards, the dynamics of the live versions of the pieces are quite different. The first three cuts, each about ten minutes in length, segue seamlessly together without a pause, while the politically charged "Spain Yes" is now expanded to nearly half an hour. With some odd vocal chanting on "Time" and lots of high-energy jazz-funk grooves throughout, Embryo's performance is quite inspiring. Rolf Semprebon
Tracklist :
1     Try to Be 10:34
2     Time 10:09
3     Tausendfussler 9:20
4     Spain Yes, Franco Finished 26:26
Credits :
Bass – Ralph Fischer
Flute – Hansi Fischer
Guitar – Al Jones
Percussion – Christian Burchard
Saxophone, Violin – Edgar Hofmann
Songwriter [All Songs Written By] – Embryo

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Notes from the Underground (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Before they went electric and funky, John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Chris Wood were acoustic and funky -- and a lot of other things -- on this exciting early CD. They ruminate like a conventional jazz piano trio when the whim hits them, or move outside when Medeski explodes into Don Pullen-esque clusters. Their métier, though, was clearly the neo-funk thing, for when Martin pulls off those crackling hip-hop and M-Base-related beats on tracks like "Uncle Chubbs" and "Orbits," the band really achieves liftoff. "Caravan" gets a rolling New Orleans funk treatment, and the finale, "Querencia," is a lengthy excursion into dense avant-garde underbrush with a touch of the street in the beat. On several tracks, a three-brass, two-reeds horn section add an extra level of excitement, and the trio tracks are recorded live to DAT (hence the exceptionally crisp sound). by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1     Hermeto's Daydream 7:11
Billy Martin / John Medeski
2     The Saint 6:58
John Medeski
3     La Garonne 5:51
John Medeski
4     Orbits 4:25
Wayne Shorter
5     Uncle Chubb 7:04
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6     Rebirth 4:43
Chuck D / Cerwin Depper / Gary G-Wiz / Billy Martin / John Medeski / Stuart Robertz / Chris Wood
7     Otis 6:28
John Medeski
8     United 8:29
Wayne Shorter
9     Caravan 8:18
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
10     Querencia 12:48
John Medeski
Credits :
Bass – Chris Wood
Clarinet [Bass] – Doug Yates
Drums, Percussion, Artwork By [Cover Design] – Billy Martin
Piano, Arranged By [Horn] – John Medeski
Saxophone [Alto], Flute [Alto] – Thomas Chapin
Trombone – Curtis Hasselbring
Trombone, Tuba – Bill Lowe
Trumpet – Steven Bernstein

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - It's a Jungle in Here (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A cerebral soul-jazz trio gives up some art and some funk with guest horn players and guitarist Marc Ribot. They call it "Shuck It Up," and rightly so, since they're neither as dissonant nor as ironic as many of their peers playing around downtown New York City. But that doesn't explain why these three don't swing as hard playing Monk, Coltrane, and King Sunny Ade as they do laying down their own earnest grooves and dismantling Bob Marley for mixing up with the Monk. Whether it's insecurity, indifference, or the physical chops they haven't developed to match their minds is for demanding listeners to decide. Or else it's all the same dilemma and will go away with time, just like the band's slow tunes. by Brian Beatty
Tracklist :
1    Beeah    6:56
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
2    Where's Sly?    5:22
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
3    Shuck It Up    7:41
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
4    Sand    2:23
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
5    Worms    5:04
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6    Bemsha Swing-Lively Up Yourself 5:39
Written-By – Bob Marley, Thelonious Monk
7    Moti Mo 7:57
Written-By – King Sunny Ade
8    It's A Jungle In Here    3:46
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
9    Syeeda's Song Flute 5:53
Written-By – John Coltrane
10    Wiggly's Way    4:09
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
Credits :
Bass – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion, Artwork By [Logo Artwork] – Billy Martin
Guitar – Marc Ribot
Organ, Piano, Arranged By [Wurlitzer Horn Arrangemnets] – John Medeski
Saxophone [Alto] – Dave Binney
Saxophone [Tenor & Alto] – Jay Rodrigues
Trombone – Josh Roseman
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Steven Bernstein

MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD - Friday Afternoon In The Universe (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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. by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    The Lover    6:19
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
2    Paper Bass    0:56
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
3    House Mop    3:46
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
4    Last Chance To Dance Trance (Perhaps)    7:32
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
5    Baby Clams    1:14
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
6    We're So Happy 8:17
Guitar – Danny Blume
Performer [Raygun], Vocals – Tonino Benson
7    Shack    3:02
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
8    Tea    1:12
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
9    Chinoiserie 5:44
Music By – Duke Ellington
10    Between Two Limbs    1:04
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
11    Sequel    5:24
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
12    Friday Afternoon In The Universe    6:01
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
13    Billy's Tool Box    0:35
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
14    Chubb Sub    5:02
Billy Martin / John Medeski / Chris Wood
15    Khob Khun Krub 0:47
Flute [Thai], Music By – Carl Green
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Harmonica, Flute [Wood] – Chris Wood
Drums, Percussion, Artwork [Original] – Billy Martin
Organ [Organs], Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Clavinet – John Medeski