John Scofield is
considered one of the "big three" of current jazz guitarists - along
with Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell. His influence began in the late 70’s and is
going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic
diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls
somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R & B.
Born in Ohio and raised in suburban Connecticut, Scofield took up the guitar at
age 11, inspired by both rock and blues players. He attended Berklee College of
Music in Boston.
After a debut recording with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Scofield was a
member of the Billy Cobham-George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded
with Charles Mingus, and joined the Gary Burton quartet. He began his
international career as a bandleader and recording artist in 1978. From
1982-1985, Scofield toured and recorded with Miles Davis. His Davis stint placed him firmly in the
foreground of jazz consciousness as a player and composer.
Since that time he has
prominently led his own groups in the international Jazz scene, recorded over
30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with
contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Medeski,
Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Mavis Staples, Government Mule,
Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano and Phil Lesh. He’s played and recorded with Tony
Williams, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland,
Terumasa Hino among many jazz legends. Throughout his career Scofield has
punctuated his traditional jazz offerings with funk-oriented electric music.
All along, the guitarist has kept an open musical mind.
Touring the world
approximately 200 days per year with his own groups, he is an Adjunct Professor
of Music at New York
University, a husband and
father of two.
Somewhere, someplace,
someone is debating the future of live and recorded music, speaking in somber
tones of changes that have made it difficult to reach consumers, of
technologies that have changed society, and of the lack of creativity found in
the arts. But in a small but impressive microcosm of the universe known as
Medeski Martin & Wood, creativity is alive, flourishing, and filled with
outlets for growth and expansion. And somewhere, whatever gods of music there
might be are smiling.
Medeski Martin and Wood's story is - like most
great stories - one of humble beginnings, friendship, determination, a happy
ending and a very bright future.
The trio of keyboard/organ/piano player John Medeski, drummer/percussionist
Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood formed not in some vastly creative
alternate universe, but rather in the neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York,
known as D.U.M.B.O. (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) in 1991. Medeski
and Wood, students at Boston's prestigious New
England Conservatory of Music, decided to move to New York City, with intent to explore the
late-night underworld of the city's burgeoning jazz scene.
John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Chris Wood were looking to create music that
reflected who they were, individually and collectively. The trio began
experimenting with contemporary hip-hop beats that could swing as hard as jazz
rhythms, yet remained essentially simple and propulsive, giving the musicians
ample room to create hypnotic textures and sounds that were brimming with both
improvisation and harmony. "In the beginning, as it is now, we went by gut
instinct," says Wood. "We have a natural connection between us, as
people and as musicians, and we just let things flow in whatever direction they
went."
Gigs turned into multiple engagements, dates at small clubs led to performances
at legendary New York City
downtown hotspots like the Village Gate and the Knitting Factory, and soon the
band was packed into Billy's van, traveling up and down the North Eastern
United States. The next step was a natural one for any band - capture the music
for posterity - and so MMW recorded their debut, "Notes From The
Underground," which they released independently on hap-jones records in
early 1991.
More gigs followed, and soon it was time for another release. This time,
Medeski Martin & Wood inked a deal with Gramavision, a larger but still
independent label that afforded them substantial freedom to create music the
way they felt it should be played. In the summer of 1993 they released
"It's A Jungle In Here," purchased an R/V, and hit the road for
nearly half a year.
Communal, on-the-road living has broken up many bands, but true-to-form, MMW
thrived in this potentially treacherous situation. Their secret was a unique
combination of individual personalities, with each band member taking on
additional roles that suited their own aptitudes and interests. As always,
nothing was planned out; it just happened.
John, with his love for cooking, was the band's chef, preparing incredible
meals that made life on the road more bearable. Billy, who worked well with his
hands, could fix anything up to and including the band's RV. And Chris, with
his head for business, took care of the group's accounting. As it was with the
music, Medeski Martin & Wood balanced each other out perfectly.
"We have a certain chemistry between us,
musically," says Martin, "and in addition to that we have a strong
friendship that goes beyond the music. Even when we have ups and downs, the
music and our friendship carries us through."
1994 saw the release of "Friday Afternoon in the Universe," and by
1995 it seemed like MMW was truly touring the universe, as their concert
itinerary spread out and around the entire United States, and into Europe and
Japan. In 1996, the band released their final Gramavision disc, "Shack-Man,"
which they celebrated with an 8-week Monday night residency at New York's Knitting
Factory.
With much fanfare, the band then signed with another record label - the
legendary jazz imprint Blue Note Records. At the turn of the new millennium,
they released their all-acoustic album "Tonic," named for the Lower East Side club (and former kosher winery) where it
was recorded. The band's affiliation with Blue Note resulted in three discs
(plus a best-of set), and found them again pushing their sonic boundaries,
incorporating percussionists, horn sections, and turntables into their already
potent sound.
Which brings us to the here-and-now. Medeski Martin & Wood are no longer
signed to anyone else's record label; they have come full circle by establishing
their own label, Indirecto Records, as an outlet for their music. Which, quite
happily, brings them neatly back to the way they did things in their formative
years. Releasing their own music, their own way, in its own time.
The trio's first Indirecto release, "Out Louder," is a four-way
collaboration with guitarist John Scofield, which true-to-form is heavy on
group improvisation, irresistible grooves, rich harmonies, and strong melodies.
While nothing definite is planned - as always, the band are taking each day and
each opportunity as they come - it is possible that "Out Louder"
could be the first in a series of independently-released projects that Medeski
Martin & Wood will do in collaboration with other artists.
"By having our own label, we can make music however we want, and make as
much as we want," explains Medeski. "In the history of man, recorded
music is just a blink of the eye, just a small part of that vast history. The
real thing is playing music live, and that is what we do. Beyond that, we'll be
putting out recordings as often or as infrequently as we want."
The band also plan another first - a disc of children's music titled
"Let's Go Everywhere" - set for release in early 2007 on the Little
Monster/V2 label that promises to be as engaging for their established fan base
as it is for the kids. "It's got everything, instrumentals, vocal songs,
our kids are singing on it" says Wood.
Plus, there are the usual side projects going on, creative
outlets which all three band members say serve to strengthen and add to the
sound of the trio when they converge. Chris Wood plays frequently with his
brother Oliver in The Wood Brothers, a rootsy, folk-and-blues, guitar and bass
duo that serves as an outlet for both brothers' songwriting and vocal skills.
Billy Martin runs his own record label, releasing new and vintage recordings
with a focus on percussion-based music. Amongst his releases is a three volume
set of his own drum beats, and a percussion instruction book, focusing on bell
and clave patterns found in Afro-Caribbean music, and featuring musical
notation that Martin designed himself.
John Medeski, well, he is involved in a multitude of musical projects, from
solo piano recitals to sideman gigs to leading or co-leading large and small bands.
John has also lent his production skills to recordings by musical associates
and friends, and has become involved in scoring films, including the acclaimed
film Day on Fire which he scored and has a cameo appearance in.
A happy ending and a bright future, indeed. Medeski Martin and Wood live in our
world, playing music that reflects their surroundings and communities. At the
same time, they are a small world unto themselves, where creativity and
spontaneity are honored, revered, and encouraged. And the world-at-large is a
much better place for it.
