MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD — Notes From the Underground (review)

MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD — Notes From the Underground album cover Album · 1992 · Eclectic Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
SaltyJon
Medeski, Martin & Wood are a great band, and this, their debut album, is a great testament of that. Before listening to this album, I really only knew them for their funky organ-driven jazz and their adventurous spirit when it came to their playing. This album keeps the adventurous spirit, but it's all acoustic jazz. Medeski sticks to piano and Wood sticks to double bass, giving it a really nice organic sound.

Right from the beginning you can tell these guys are a talented bunch, all displaying an excellent proficiency on their instruments and a good feel for what to play and when to play it. They have some free jazz sensibilities sometimes, and their love for a nice funky feeling is apparent even here on their debut album. Though the album's long (72 minutes, plus my version has a bonus track, "Can't Get What You Want") it never seems to drag, thanks to consistently solid playing from all the members of the group. Plus, every member gets a chance to show off his chops with various solos.

It's definitely a worthy inclusion to any jazz collection...really, any music collection. If you enjoy acoustic jazz trios who can keep things moving and interesting, then this album is definitely for you. I would point out "best tracks" but I feel like it's all of a uniformly high quality. Four stars from me.

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

More Is Fusion
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mozart Paradox Third Stream
THOMAS ENHCO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Jazzisdead Live Eclectic Fusion
RUINSZU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Avant Gonz Avant-Garde Jazz
JERRY BERGONZI
Buy this album from MMA partners
Julien Tassin, Heikki Ruokangas : Behind the Mask Jazz Related Improv/Composition
HEIKKI RUOKANGAS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Mundoagua II Mundoagua
ARTURO O'FARRILL
js· 1 day ago
Brass Happy (Live)
DENNIS KYNE
js· 2 days ago
GoGo Penguin - Fallowfield Loops
GOGO PENGUIN
snobb· 2 days ago
Somewhere That's Green
DEB BOWMAN
js· 3 days ago
If I Try
TONY GREY
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed