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
Could Be Anything
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
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You'll be 24 in May
We've on and off a couple months
And your mom set out the table-cloth
Talking Jesus over tea
And she's staring right at me
Like I'm some sort of anti-Christ
For teaching you there's more to life
But you don't know where to start
So I try to fix
The glue never sticks
I thought you could be anyone,
Anyone but this
Cause you're a supernova
And I wish that you could see
That the hardest part of loving you it seems
Is that I love who you could be
You've been working for a wage
You say "it's a little phase"
That you're going through a reset
But it's been that way since we met
I wish I didn't doubt
That maybe this you'll time you'll come around
See that your future is an open door
But I can't unlock the key to yours
Cause I'll love you until the end
But I can't do this again
So why try to fix
The glue never sticks
I thought you could be anyone
anyone but this
Cause you're a supernova
And I wish that you could see
That the hardest part of loving you it seems
Is that I love who you could be
These lyrics from Medeski Martin and Wood's song "Could Be Anything" tell a story about a relationship in which one person has high hopes for their partner's potential and dreams, but feels frustrated and unsure about how to support them. The song begins with the singer at their partner's parents' house, highlighting the age difference between them and the fact that their partner's birthday is coming up. They have been together on and off for a few months. During a conversation with the partner's mother, the singer feels judged and seen as an "anti-Christ" for encouraging their partner to explore beyond their current circumstances.
The singer acknowledges their partner's potential and refers to them as a "supernova," emphasizing their brilliance and uniqueness. However, the frustration lies in the fact that their partner seems stuck and unsure about how to pursue their dreams or even where to begin. The singer tries to "fix" things, but their efforts never seem to have a lasting impact. They wish that their partner could see the greatness within themselves and the possibilities that lie ahead. The chorus expresses the difficulty of loving someone for who they could be rather than who they currently are, and the pain that comes with it.
In the second verse, it becomes clear that the partner is going through a phase of working for a wage and considering it a temporary situation. However, the singer doubts the partner's ability to change and worries that they will always remain in this state. They want to believe that the partner's future is full of opportunities, but they feel unable to provide the key to unlock it. The song concludes with the singer expressing their unwavering love, but also acknowledging their own limitations and doubts about pursuing the relationship further.
Overall, "Could Be Anything" explores the complexities of loving someone for their potential, feeling frustrated by their lack of progress, and ultimately questioning the long-term viability of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
At your parents for the day
Spending time with your parents for a whole day
You'll be 24 in May
Your upcoming 24th birthday in May
We've on and off a couple months
Our relationship has been inconsistent for a few months
And your mom set out the table-cloth
Your mother prepared the table with a tablecloth
Talking Jesus over tea
Engaging in a conversation about Jesus while having tea
And she's staring right at me
Your mother is looking directly at me
Like I'm some sort of anti-Christ
She looks at me as if I am an embodiment of anti-Christ
For teaching you there's more to life
Because I taught you that there is more to life
Than being where you are
Than just staying in your current situation
But you don't know where to start
You are unsure of how to begin
So I try to fix
I attempt to solve
The glue never sticks
But the solutions never work out
I thought you could be anyone,
I believed you had the potential to be anyone
Anyone but this
Anyone other than what you have become
Cause you're a supernova
Because you have an extraordinary brilliance
And I wish that you could see
And I hope that you can recognize
That the hardest part of loving you it seems
That the most challenging aspect of loving you appears to be
Is that I love who you could be
I love the person you have the potential to become
You've been working for a wage
You have been employed and earning a salary
You say 'it's a little phase'
You claim it's just a temporary period
That you're going through a reset
That you are in the process of starting over
But it's been that way since we met
However, it has been like this ever since we met
I wish I didn't doubt
I wish I didn't have uncertainty
That maybe this time you'll come around
That maybe this time you'll change your perspective
See that your future is an open door
Realize that your future is full of opportunities
But I can't unlock the key to yours
But I am unable to unlock the key to your future
Cause I'll love you until the end
Because I will continue to love you until the end
But I can't do this again
But I cannot endure this situation again
So why try to fix
So why bother attempting to solve
The glue never sticks
When the solutions never work out
I thought you could be anyone
I believed you had the potential to be anyone
anyone but this
anyone other than what you have become
Cause you're a supernova
Because you have an extraordinary brilliance
And I wish that you could see
And I hope that you can recognize
That the hardest part of loving you it seems
That the most challenging aspect of loving you appears to be
Is that I love who you could be
I love the person you have the potential to become
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: elijah woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind