Tag: Charles Mingus

Johnny Vidacovich & John Medeski – 2018 – Three Nights of Jazz in New Orleans

John Medeski, Johnny Vidacovich, Chris Wood, Skerik, Maple Leaf

The New Orleans Jazz Festival is a 10 day marathon that fills the city with amazing musicians and music for 2 full weekends (and the daze between). I’ve found that there is a much more palpable energy on the first weekend, when you can feel the city coming alive and people aren’t yet worn down, hitting the wall, or already crashed and burned. Maybe you can’t separate the pros from the amateurs yet, but everyone is ready for magic to happen.

This year’s pleasure was hearing Johnny Vidacovich & John Medeski team up for 3 shows, on First Friday and then on Monday and Tuesday. Vidacovich’s playing on all 3 was fresh and invigorated, which you’re not guaranteed to get from him on second weekend gigs, whether he has his pre-show espresso or not.

These are once in a lifetime performances by musicians that are absolute masters of jazz, groove and intention in their playing. Much of it is improvisational, but at peak execution. It is extremely gratifying to capture these musical moments for posterity and help spread them far and wide, hopefully bringing attention and wider appreciation to this alluring city and it’s spectacular musical gumbo.

– RandyB (October 13, 2018)

I also have to shout out the great audio tapers that really make these videos stand out with excellent and professional audio recordings. Jason “Picklemic” Loomis and Phil Harris (aka PH Balanced Recordings)!

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Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
Friday, April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET ONE: Hip Chops [Rahsaan Roland Kirk], Sham Time [Eddie Harris], Coffee [Vidacovich] > Improv > Improv > Improv (inc. Third Stone From The Sun [Jimi Hendrix] & A Love Supreme [John Coltrane]), Blues Improv Outro

Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET TWO: Buster Rides Again [Bud Powell] (inc. Caravan [Duke Ellington]) > Wiggly’s Way [Medeski] > Improv > Improv

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Jphnny Vidacovich, John Medeski, Chris Wood at dba New Orleans

Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood
Monday, April 30th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ d.b.a.
Set TWO: Chinoiserie [Duke Ellington], Bemsha Swing / Lively Up Yourself [Thelonious Monk / Bob Marley], Tootie Ma (Is A Big Fine Thing) [Danny Barker], You Haven’t Don’t Nothin’ [Stevie Wonder], Nostalgia In Times Square / Angel Race (I’ll Wait For You) [Charles Mingus / Sun Ra]

Unfortunately I didn’t arrive in time to capture video of the first set, as it was just too crowded. I did get in to see most of it though, and Picklemic has audio of both sets right here:

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John Vidacovich, John Medeski & Will Bernard
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Cafe Istanbul
Beatrice [Sam Rivers] > Y Todavia La Quiero [Joe Henderson], Mojet [Medeski], Improv > ?Improv? > Improv > Tubby [James Booker], Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise [Sigmund Romberg], Is It Nature’s Rock N’ Roll? [Vidacovich] > Coffee [Vidacovich] (coda)

Johnny Vidacovich, John Medeski, Will Bernard at Cafe Istanbul, New Orleans

AUDIO: Schoeps CCM5’s } Tascam DR-70D (onstage center 4′ high in ORTF/Cardioid Mode) by Phil Harris (aka PH Balanced Recordings)

John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”, covered and funkifized


John Medeski, Skerik & Adam Deitch – A Love Supreme (John Coltrane cover)
August 13, 2011 Stratton, VT @ Royal Family Affair

To celebrate John Coltrane’s 85th birthday, I bring you two funkifized covers of Coltrane’s seminal recording with his “Classic Quartet”: “A Love Supreme.”

The first cover is a recent performance of a once-only band: John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin & Wood), Skerik (of Garage A Trois & The Dead Kenny Gs) and Adam Deitch (of Lettuce, Break Science & Eric Krasno’s Chapter 2). This one starts out very spacey until Deitch drops his hip-hop inflected beats, creating a wicked groove. The full recording of the show can downloaded at etree.

The second cover is from a 2002 performance by “Mike Clark & Friends.” Mike Clark is, of course, the legendary jazz-funk drummer that started out with Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters. Mike Clark’s “friends” on this occassion were Jessica Lurie (of Living Daylights) on sax and flute, as well as the core of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Brian Haas on fender rhodes and Reed Matthis on bass.

This one is quite a journey. Of special note is the middle section (about 7.5 minutes in) in which Haas takes over the bass lines on the rhodes and Matthis begins to play the lead with his bass running through an octave pedal. They definitely take this piece to a place it’s never been before (or since).


Mike Clark & Friends – A Love Supreme (John Coltrane cover)
July 20, 2002 Oxford, OH @ Camp Buzz 9

Special thanks to Mike Wren for the use of his photos and Rob Clarke for the audio!