Tag: John Medeski

Medeski Martin & Wood’s End of the World Party at New Orleans Jazz Fest 2004

Still on the Medeski Martin & Wood tip. If you’ve ever seen this Russian polka trio perform live then you’ve probably already been hooked, not only by their musical virtuosity but by their incessant grooves.




Today I present a full 2 hour video of MMW throwing it down at a 2004 late night show during New Orleans Jazz Fest. At the time, the band was fresh off of a west coast run of nine shows at small venues in which every show was complete improvisation. [I highly highly recommend dug’s five disc compilation: April Grooves 2004.]

After a few nights off MMW hit NOLA like a storm, busting out mainly new tunes from their End Of The World Party (Just In Case) album that they would release later that year. The first half of the show features the Sex Mob horns, Steven Bernstein on trumpet & Briggan Kraus on saxophone, and there is also a spacey improv section with Grant Calvin Weston on percussion and Briggan Kraus blowing some weird sounds on the sax. The encore also features the Sex Mob horns on one of John Medeski‘s classic tunes, Wiggly’s Way.

The full video is on youtube in 2 parts and the DVD version is available to download here.

Part 1/2:
Anonymous Skulls > Improv > Mami Gato > Down On Me
Sasa > Improv > Creole Love Call (w/ Snake Anthony bassline)

Part 2/2:
Drum Solo > Curtis > Bass Solo > Queen Bee
New Planet > Improv (w/ G. Calvin Weston & Briggan Kraus)
End Of The World Party
Encore: Whiney Bitches > Wiggly’s Way

Interesting tidbit: at the same time this show was occurring, David Bowie (with The Polyphonic Spree as his opening act) was playing literally across Canal Street at the Saenger Theater. It was a tough choice, but with two of my absolute favorite bands playing together, I just couldn’t miss this MMW / Ween co-headliner.

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!

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