On Monday night at Trinity College, a three-piece outfit known as Medeski, Martin, & Wood played a gig in the Vernon Social Center. The verdict of such an event? “Damn, that was amazing…” was the reply from many youngsters in the crowd. Now, not everyone understood the performance. They didn’t play “songs.” But what it was – a series of jams – meant that the listener had to extend his or her idea of how a live show sounds. And the sounds!
The music began with Billy Martin playing some rhythms on his drumset, or shaking some percussive hand instruments. Then unexpectedly, they just slid into a funk beat covered with bass tones and electro-keyboard stabs, sounding way more like instrumental hip-hop improv than a Blue Note jazz trio. They are formally considered a jazz trio; just the basics – keys, bass and the traps. But being a short dude myself, I couldn’t really get a glimpse of what was happening on stage. So, closing my eyes and letting my intoxicated mind wander, it began to sound like something more. And it was all due to the fact that each of these three men have undeniable skills that extend beyond a single discipline or instrument.
John Medeski surrounds himself with keyboards; and mind you, this isn’t just a figure of speech. At least one Rhodes, Hammond B-3, and Moog were up there on stage, while he completed the circle of black and white keys with a traditional acoustic piano and other mysterious noise boxes. And he had a couple layers of keyboard circles, as the equipment stacked itself haphazardly upon other instruments. Now, this could all be for show, just visual antics, like those drumsets with too many toms and three bass drums that never get any action. Fuck that – Medeski knows where to put his hands at any given moment. He carefully places his notes, while simultaneously electronically modulating the sounds before they come out of the speaker. He creates guitar solos, space-age ambience, and brings it all back together with a melody. Damn.
Chris Wood rocked the bass tones, and I say tones because he doesn’t just play guitar. He augmented the lineup with an upright many times throughout the show. His solos garnered applause, quite deservedly. He knows when to keep things simple and just lay down the foundation while Medeski and Martin go off into space, but he’ll pull out some hot shit at the right time to wow the crowd. At one point, he broke a string during the opening bass solo of a new tune written by PJ Harvey. But he whipped out a backup bass and continued after the roaring applause – damn those professionals, with their foresight and all.
Billy Martin is the man. This is where it gets serious. Martin is a pro on the drumset, if you haven’t already heard. When he integrates his basic funk rhythm into any melody laid down by Medeski and Wood, the crowd can’t stand still. It’s impossible. There’s just a swing that makes you nod your head, if you aren’t yet inclined to move more body parts. He effortlessly switched between funk, hip-hop beats, jazz flavors, and his beautiful Latin rhythms. I saw Martin host a master class a couple years ago at NYU, and he explained to the crowd how he became fascinated with Brazilian rhythms, traveling across many countries to learn the styles that are unfamiliar to many Americans. This versatility gave him the edge he needed to rock the house Monday night. But his versatility didn’t stop there. He brought and played numerous unfamiliar percussion instruments, some melodic, some very non-musical. But he infuses everything he does with rhythm, and it added something unique to each minute of the show. The icing on the cake though was his singing and playing in one tune toward the end of the gig. The man played his Latin beats, and sang Spanish! And it felt superb! Being a drummer myself, my attention naturally gravitates toward the beats, but at this gig, everyone’s eyes and ears were on Martin.
The trio rocked for two hours: no opener, no intermission. They ended with King Sunny Ade’s “Moti Mo,” a standard from their classic second album, “It’s A Jungle In Here,” surely one of my favorites from their more traditional era. They even came back for an encore, with the college kids rightfully chanting for their reappearance. It was a small venue, so they didn’t really have to go the extra mile. But I’m glad they did because it will keep me coming back for more. Of course, the show was free, so the incentive was undeniable. But they left me inspired. Inspired to play music. To listen closer. And to travel to Brazil.
You can catch Medeski Martin & Wood on WESU Middletown 88.1FM. We got plenty of their albums in the stacks, so make a favorite request sometime. Listen online at www.wesufm.org, and don’t forget to check out my Saturday night hip-hop show, from 11 pm to 1 am.
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