Combustication by Medeski Martin & Wood Blue Note Records

Product Description: The rather plainly named Medeski Martin & Wood have almost single-handedly returned the spotlight to the more out-there fusion between bop jazz and on-the-one funky rock music. Wheezing and huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, Medeski Martin & Wood plow into their songs with abandon. The drums of Billy Martin push the band out and away rather than gathering them neat and tidy, while bassist Chris Wood delivers the rhythms that somehow manage to keep every musical tidbit strapped to the deck. For his part, keyboardist John Medeski slaps and whacks his keys with inspired malice, all the while leaning heavy on the volume pedal. With the addition of DJ Logic further warping this band's sound, Medeski Martin & Wood have reached escape velocity and are now orbiting the planet. They may never come back. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews

2 stars Don't see what the fuss is all about
Trying to stretch my musical tastes, and liking jazz on the whole, I tried this group and this CD, as Amazon selected this an essential recording....

I wouldn't have labelled it so. Going to resell this soon. No matter how many listens, I am unimpressed.

I like music, meaning chord structures that permit melody, sensible counterpoint, and harmonies however abstract...but this effort is generally lacking. To me its a little like Pat Metheny's "The Way Up" (which I own and listen to very occasionally)...someone might appreciate it for what it tries to do (stretch the concepts of music and jazz) and for the occasional tunefulness, but its not a "must listen".

I wonder if Martin, Medeski or Wood have any Frank Zappa albums. If not, they could learn a little about jazz creativity from "Jazz From Hell", also an album that I don't and won't own.

4 stars Unique
MMW has always defined their own style and paved their own musical way.......this is another classic example of how NOT to cater to big labels. These guys teeter on the fence of jazz and jam........nice combo for most of the listeners who wouldn't know how to react to pure jazz.

5 stars Some of the Best of MMW
With each new album that MMW puts out they continually push the limit of what is considered jazz. Combustication is definately one of those albums. This keyboard-bass-drum trio combines their special blend of free-formed acid jazz with guest dj logic's turntables. This album shows why MMW are one of the most exciting and innovative bands of their time.

5 stars Finally
Some destrucured jazz that i love so much !!!
Du blue note en force....
Wai good sound from titan !!!

5 stars MMW at their best
This is truly one of the better MMW albums. This album has songs which are upbeat (like Sugarcraft and Latin Shuffle), but in general are more laid back than other MMW albums. The slower tempo allows us to see another side of this trio which is great.

I have to admit that it took a while for this album to stick to me when I first bought it. At the time, I was primarily into MMW for the faster grooves that they have on other albums (Shackman and Last Chance to....). I listened to it a few times and put it on the shelf for a while until I gave it another try. Since then, this CD has been on heavy rotation in my stereo.

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