finetune artist: Medeski Martin & Wood

Progressive jazz fusionists MMW, an acronym for Medeski, Martin and Wood, were formed in New York City, New York, USA, in the early 90s. At the beginning their shows together were regarded as part of a "connoisseur's scene' at clubs such as the Knitting Factory. From their inception, the participants" jazz skills were tempered by soul, funk and rock embellishments. Their national tours soon won them a much broader cross-section of supporters, as the band deliberately attempted to secure a young, open-minded audience. John Medeski (keyboards), Billy Martin (drums/percussion) and Chris Wood (bass) could boast of previous stints in such celebrated underground acts as the Either/Orchestra and the Lounge Lizards. As Medeski told the press, "Our deal is to try to take improvised music - an elevated art form - and bring it down to earth. And if the kids dig it, then maybe we can help turn them on to Miles or Coltrane or Mingus. That'd be cool." As a testament to the group's wide-ranging appeal, they were invited to support the rock band Phish a unit similarly committed to improvised live performance - at their sold-out New Orleans date at the State Theater in 1995. MMW have also supported artists as diverse as Los Lobos and Morphine, while members have contributed to studio projects by Biz Markie, Rickie Lee Jones and were crucial to the success of John Scofield's A Go Go.

Listen to Medeski Martin & Wood at Finetune.

Bubblehouse
Nocturne
Chubb Sub
Rise Up (Live)
Hypnotized