If you like tasty recombinations of jazz, funk and hip-hop, this three-headed hydra might just be for you. For nearly two decades, Medeski, Martin and Wood has churned out spinal jams that push the envelope of genre. Now the trio has retrofitted its productions for the internet age.
this audio or video is no longer available**this audio or video is no longer availableIts newest effort Radiolarians I, which dropped on Tuesday, is the first in a trilogy to be released under the same name, which loosely translates to "single-celled organisms with intricate exoskeletons." It's an apt name, as the band takes bass, drums and keys and translates them into dazzling jams. Take a listen to "Free Go Lily," the first single from Radiolarians I, at right to catch that transformation in progress.
The toe-tapping effort is out from Indirecto, Medeski, Martin and Wood's own label, and will soon be joined there by further exercises in the Radiolarians series. The band is previewing those future jams on the road starting in Tokyo on Halloween and wrapping in Nevada on November 22. I urge anyone who digs fusion jams and funked-up jazz to check out the trio and ponder purchasing the Radiolarians series. Your spine may thank you.
Photo: Medeski, Martin and Wood
