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
End of the World Party
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
kaidan no sono mata mukō
zenzen ī koto mo nai shi nē
sono te o hīte miyō ka?
sanzan tsumazuita dansu o
sō saidan no ue de odoru no?
bōzen ni me ga kuran jau kara
kandakai koe ga heya o umeru yo
saitei na imi o uzumai te
tōzen ī koto mo nai shi
sā omoi kiri haki dasō ka
"mijikai kotoba de tsunagaru imi o
kao mo awasezu ni kegirau wake o
sagashi temo
sagashi temo
mitsukara nai kedo
hanikami nagara okottatte
me o fuse nagara warattatte
son'na no dōse tsumara nai wa!"
hoppu suteppu de odorō ka
sekai no sumikko de wan tsū
chotto kuratto shisō ni naru shūmatsu kan o tanoshin de
patto furatto kie chai sōna
tsugi no shunkan o nokosō ka
kuru kuru kuru kururi mawaru sekai ni you
bōkan sha dake no kūkan
rēsu o saishū densha ni nori kon de
"zenzen ī koto mo nai shi nē kono te o hīte miyō ka?"
nandaka itsumo to chigau
unmei no itazura o shinji te miru
sanzan tsumazuita dansu o
sō omoi kiri baka ni shiyō ka
"tsumaran ugoki kuri kaesu imi o
oto ni awase te ashi o fumu wake o
sagashi temo
sagashi temo
mitsukara nai kara
kanashī toki ni odori tai no
naki tai toki ni warai tai no"
son'na wagamama tsukare chau wa!
poppu ni sensu o utaō ka
sekai utsumui chau mae ni
kyutto shichatta kokoro no oto o dōzo
mada mada wasure nai wa
nante kirei na nagame nan deshō ka!
koko kara mieru fūkei
kitto nani hitotsu kawara nai kara
kareta jimen o hau no
hoppu suteppu de odorō ka
sekai no sumikko de wan tsū
chotto kuratto shisō ni naru shūmatsu kan o tanoshin de
patto furatto kie chai sona
tsugi no shunkan o nokosō ka
sayonara o genki de
owaru sekai ni iu
The lyrics of "End of the World Party" by Medeski Martin and Wood describe a party that takes place on the border between reality and illusion, where everything is possible and boundaries are blurred. The first verse mentions a "joke-filled border" and a "staircase on the other side" where "nothing is good enough." The singer invites their listener to take their hand and cross over to that other world. The second verse describes a stumbling dance on a small stage, where the world is spinning but the people are holding on together. The chorus asserts that even if things are meaningless, they should be experienced to the fullest. The bridge emphasizes the idea of searching for meaning and connection in a chaotic world, and finding joy in both sadness and laughter. The song ends with an invitation to dance and enjoy the present moment, to let go of the past and embrace what's to come.
Overall, the lyrics present a surreal, whimsical vision of a party at the end of the world, where anything is possible and the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. The singer and their listeners are invited to let go of their inhibitions and embrace the moment, finding joy in both the absurdity and beauty of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
jōdan majiri no kyōkaisen jō
The boundary between joke and reality is becoming blurred
kaidan no sono mata mukō
What lies beyond the stairs once again
zenzen ī koto mo nai shi nē
There’s nothing good about it, huh?
sono te o hīte miyō ka?
Shall we hold hands?
sanzan tsumazuita dansu o
Tripping in the dance
sō saidan no ue de odoru no?
Dancing atop a small stage?
bōzen ni me ga kuran jau kara
Everything is turning black, so
dō deshō issho ni koko de!
What should we do, let’s stay here together!
kandakai koe ga heya o umeru yo
A loud voice fills the room
saitei na imi o uzumai te
Wondering about the worst possible meaning
tōzen ī koto mo nai shi
There’s nothing good about it after all
sā omoi kiri haki dasō ka
Let’s just get all these ideas out into the open!
"mijikai kotoba de tsunagaru imi o
The meaning we find with short words
kao mo awasezu ni kegirau wake o
Creates mismatches we can’t reconcile
sagashi temo
Even if we look for it,
sagashi temo
Even if we look for it,
mitsukara nai kedo
We won’t find it
hanikami nagara okottatte
Feeling shy, getting angry
me o fuse nagara warattatte
Hiding our eyes, even though we’re laughing
son'na no dōse tsumara nai wa!"
It’s not like it’s going to amount to much anyway!
hoppu suteppu de odorō ka
Shall we dance a happy step?
sekai no sumikko de wan tsū
A one-two in a corner of the world
chotto kuratto shisō ni naru shūmatsu kan o tanoshin de
Enjoying the uncertain end of the world a little bit
patto furatto kie chai sōna
I feel like disappearing suddenly
tsugi no shunkan o nokosō ka
Will I leave behind the next moment?
kuru kuru kuru kururi mawaru sekai ni you
In this spinning, spinning, spinning world
bōkan sha dake no kūkan
A space just for fools
rēsu o saishū densha ni nori kon de
Let’s get on the last train to rest
"zenzen ī koto mo nai shi nē
There’s nothing good about it, huh?
kono te o hīte miyō ka?"
Shall we hold hands?
nandaka itsumo to chigau
Somehow this is different than usual
unmei no itazura o shinji te miru
Seeing if fate is playing tricks on us
sanzan tsumazuita dansu o
Tripping in the dance
sō omoi kiri baka ni shiyō ka
Shall we just turn these thoughts into foolish actions?
"tsumaran ugoki kuri kaesu imi o
The meaning of repetitive, boring movements
oto ni awase te ashi o fumu wake o
Contributing a sound as we step
sagashi temo
Even if we look for it,
sagashi temo
Even if we look for it,
mitsukara nai kara
We won’t find it
kanashī toki ni odori tai no
We want to dance in sad times
naki tai toki ni warai tai no
Want to laugh in times of tears
son'na wagamama tsukare chau wa!
Such selfishness will tire us out!
poppu ni sensu o utaō ka
Shall we sing a fan song?
sekai utsumui chau mae ni
Before the world is turned upside down
kyutto shichatta kokoro no oto o dōzo
Please listen to the sound of my tightened heart
mada mada wasure nai wa
I still haven’t forgotten
nante kirei na nagame nan deshō ka!
What a beautiful view it must be!
koko kara mieru fūkei
The landscape as seen from here
kitto nani hitotsu kawara nai kara
Surely nothing will change
kareta jimen o hau no
Sweeping the dried-up ground
sayonara o genki de
Goodbye, take care
owaru sekai ni iu
As we say at the end of the world
Writer(s): Christopher B. Wood, John Robert King, Billy Martin, John Medeski
Contributed by Connor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.