medeski martin and wood

hey yall, sometimes i feel like the only person who really loves MMW. they are so innovative in their music and talented on their instruments. basically, i just want to know if anyone else feels the same way.

I own one of their albums, the 2004 release "End of the World Party- Just In Case". I enjoy it, but none of the songs grab my attention particularly strongly compared to other jazz acts I enjoy. Perhaps it is one of their weak albums? Any suggestions for something better of theirs.

ya i totallt agree that that album is one of their weaker ones. they have a live album that is very good called "tonic", you should check it out. what are some of your favorite jazz acts?

I like the post-bop and hard-bop acts the most, for example, the Blue Note Label artists like McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, etc. I also like Miles Davis' work from the 1960s like the album "Miles Smiles". I also have a soft spot for Bill Evans. His work is beautiful.

I also like jazz-rock and jazz fusion like "The Weather Report" (early works only) and "Jean-Luc Ponty". Add in some jazzy King Crimson and progressive rock with a jazzy edge, and I am in.

How about yourself?

I love MMW and have seen them live quite a few times. I saw them play with John Scofield twice which was great both times. One time I saw them play a purely accoustic set in an opera house, that was magic. And I've seen them play a couple small venue shows.

Actually now as I write this I realize that I have seen them play in a variety of different environments and atmospheres. I saw them play a music festival and wasn't overly impressed with how they worked a larger crowd. However, I like how they work a smaller venue and crowd. They are a great band, but they do get out there sometimes.

My favorite album by them is Last Chance to Dance Trance. I think End of the World Party is a pretty cool album. Its pretty sweet back ground music, but I rarely listen to it as the main source of stimulation. A good friend of mine made me a mix cd with all of their favorite MMW on it.. so I don't know the names of many of my favorite songs or what cd they come off of.

Cool story... I was at a small town show where I used to live and I had recently broken my foot. So I went to the MMW show on crutches. After the show was over MMW was signing autographs for people who bought their new CD. I didn't buy their new cd... but I was on crutches and in a cast so I hobbled to the line and got my cast signed! (awesome) It made my night and was perhaps the highlight of having a broken foot.

I'll be sure to check out that album you mentioned, aliced. Glad to hear that there are other jazz fans out there in HipForum-world.

i love all things MMW. i particularly enjoy friday afternoon in the universe, it's a jungle in here, and farmers reserve. I love odd music played confidently and boy does MMW deliver in this category.

Does anyone listen to farmers reserve and have any idea what kind of (poly)rhythms they use to get such natural sounding beats? it sounds almost random to the point of nonsense, but the meter still seems to be there. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this particularly weird album

news from the real world, apparently some of farmers reserve uses heavily syncopated rhythms rather than poly rhythms.. i'm going to see if i can get the guy who informed me of this to tell me more and also listen more. happy jazzing everyone

do you even know what a poly rhythm is ?

anything from 3/4 over 4/4 to samba and songo ..

either beats where everything is inbetween or individual patterns layered...

most poly rhythms have no names except latin beats ...

then you have over rides where your lead hand plays a different time signature on top of another groove ..