The band draws on influences from a number of musical traditions, from funk to Hip Hop, and is known for an unconventional style sometimes described as "avant-groove".
MMW has found moderate mainstream success—often working with noted guitarist John Scofield—and touring on the jam band circuit.
The band members were introduced to each other by jazz drummer Bob Moses, who had performed with Medeski and Wood , and was Martin's instructor.
Medeski Martin & Wood's first performances together were at the Village Gate, a popular New York jazz club. They were initially an acoustic jazz trio, but Medeski added a Hammond organ when the difficulties of touring with a piano became apparent. Their first album, Notes from the Underground, is a record of their entirely-acoustic era. All of their subsequent albums reveal Medeski's use of a wide variety of keyboards, including mellotron, melodica, and a clavinet. Wood entirely eschewed the electric bass for MMW's first three albums, and still relies heavily on the acoustic upright bass in recordings and during live performances. Their earlier albums reveal a Hip Hop influenced updating of classic soul jazz sounds, which is the primary theme of their well-known 1996 album, Shack-man.
The band received some of their first significant exposure outside of the New York City jazz scene by performing with Phish at their October 14, 1995 concert, which led to the association of the group as a jam band.[1] In addition, their performance on John Scofield's 1997 album A Go Go helped to further their exposure. The band collaborated further with Scofield again in 2006, releasing the album Out Louder under the name Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood. This was the first album released on MMW's own Indirecto Records.
From 1998–2005, MMW were signed to leading jazz label Blue Note Records, and showed them delving deeper into dense, electronic funk than their earlier albums, although the band continued to experiment with free jazz and free improvisation both on their albums and in concert.
Medeski Martin & Wood's live performances are renowned for their exploratory nature. Their concerts usually involve extended improvisations, which may be both arrhythmic and atonal, an aspect of their musicianship that is rarely documented in the studio. They occasionally tour using only acoustic instruments, reverting back to the instrumentation that they began their career with. Their album Tonic is an example of these more contemporary acoustic performances. They have also done short tours of entirely improvisatory performances. These shows usually consisted of two sets of improvisation, followed by an encore of a song from an album.
Their song "End of the World Party" was featured on the show Grey's Anatomy and can be found on the show's soundtrack.
Each of the trio's three members are involved in a large music community, and have participated in numerous side projects over the years.
In 2001 John Medeski collaborated with the North Mississippi Allstars and slide-guitarist Robert Randolph; together, these five musicians formed The Word, a bluesy gospel band. They released one self-titled album and toured extensively.
Beginning around 2005 Chris Wood formed The Wood Brothers with his brother, blues guitarist Oliver Wood. They have released several albums to date and continue to tour and record together.
In 2007 John Medeski and Billy Martin released an album as a duo, called Mago. They performed that material together at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival
Caravan
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The myst'ry of their fading light
That shines upon our caravan
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
Across the sand so I may keep
The mem'ry of our caravan
You are so inviting
Resting in my arms
As I thrill to the magic charms
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
My dream of love is coming true
Within our desert caravan
In the song "Caravan" by Medeski Martin and Wood, the lyrics describe a romantic adventure that takes place in a desert at night. The imagery of the night sky, stars, and fading light create an atmosphere of mystery and wonder. The singer speaks to a companion who is sleeping on his shoulder, guiding them across the sand on their caravan. The dreamy and poetic lyrics present a sense of intimacy between the two individuals, as the singer describes the excitement of the moment and the magic of being together under the vast expanse of the sky. The song has a romantic, dreamlike quality that transports the listener to a faraway place, evokes a sense of nostalgia and a yearning to experience the thrill of the caravan for themselves.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally written by Duke Ellington, a famous jazz pianist and composer, in 1936. The song has since become a jazz standard, with countless musicians and bands covering it over the years. It has been performed by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Art Blakey, Wes Montgomery, and Van Morrison, among many others. Another interesting fact is that the song's melody is based on an Arabic scale that was used in both traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music. The use of this scale gives the song a distinct, exotic sound that adds to its allure.
"Caravan" has also been used in several movies and TV shows, including the films "Whiplash" and "Little Manhattan," as well as the TV series "Mad Men." The song's popularity and influence extend beyond the jazz world, as it has been covered by artists in other genres such as rock, ska, and reggae. The song's enduring appeal can be attributed to its catchy melody, memorable lyrics, and its ability to transport the listener to a place of romance and adventure.
Chords (as played by Medeski Martin and Wood):
Intro: Fm Ab° Fm7
Verse:
Fm6 Abmaj7 Fm6 Abmaj7
Night and stars above that shine so bright
Fm6 Abmaj7 Fm6 Abmaj7
The myst'ry of their fading light
Eb7(#9) Ab7(#11) Eb7(#9) Ab7(#11)
That shines upon our caravan
Fm6 Abmaj7 Fm6 Abmaj7
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
Fm6 Abmaj7 Fm6 Abmaj7
Across the sand so I may keep
Eb7(#9) Ab7(#11) Eb7(#9) Ab7(#11)
The mem'ry of our caravan
Chorus:
Bbmaj7 Abmaj7
This is so exciting, you are so inviting
Fm7 Bb7
Resting in my arms as I thrill to the magic charms
Eb7(#9) Ab7(#11)
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
Fm6 Bb7-9 Eb7(#9)
My dream of love is coming true within our desert caravan.
Line by Line Meaning
Night and stars above that shine so bright
The darkness and the stars shining so bright above us
The myst'ry of their fading light
The mystery behind the light of the disappearing stars
That shines upon our caravan
The light that falls upon our moving caravan
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
As we silently travel, you sleep on my shoulder
Across the sand so I may keep
As we cross the sandy terrain, I wish to keep
The mem'ry of our caravan
The memory of our journey together in the caravan
This is so exciting
This adventure is very thrilling
You are so inviting
You are very attractive and alluring
Resting in my arms
You are resting comfortably in my embrace
As I thrill to the magic charms
As I am thrilled by the enchantment surrounding us
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
With you by my side under the blue sky
My dream of love is coming true
My wish for love is being fulfilled
Within our desert caravan
During the trip in our desert caravan
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RACHEL MARY BERKELEY PORTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind