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
First Time Long Time
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you know deep down you're never gonna get it back
You can try all you like
You'll never get as high as the first time
When you dive so deep you never wanna come up for air
And you would if you could, but you can't live your whole life down there
You know I'm right, you know why
And I could walk out on the water
I know you'll just roll your eyes
You're gonna learn to love another
So will I
We'll never get as high as the first time (ooh)
We're never gonna get as high as that first time (ooh)
In your tiny bed when I was a friend of a friend
It was all a blur, I can't say I remember it
But it's gotten so good in our minds
We'll never get as high as that first time
And I could walk out on the water
I know you'll just roll your eyes
You're gonna learn to love another
So will I
We'll never get as high as the first time (ooh)
We're never gonna get as high as that first time (ooh)
Never get as high as the first time (ooh)
And I could walk out on the water
I know you'll just roll your eyes
You're gonna learn to love another
So will I
You're gonna learn to love another
So am I
We'll never get as high as the first time (ooh)
We're never gonna get as high as that first time (ooh)
We'll never get as high as that first time (ooh)
We'll never get as high as that first time (ooh)
We'll never get as high as that first time
The song "First Time Long Time" by Medeski Martin and Wood explores the idea of chasing a feeling or experience that can never be fully replicated. The lyrics depict the singer's longing for a particular high or intense emotion, which is compared to the feeling of trying to recapture the initial experience.
The first paragraph describes the singer's desire for something so intensely that they stay up all night yearning for it. However, deep down, they realize that they will never be able to retrieve what has been lost. Despite their efforts, they will never be able to reach the same level of "high" as they did the first time.
The second paragraph delves into the idea of diving deep into a certain experience and not wanting to resurface. The singer acknowledges that they cannot stay immersed in that state indefinitely and must come up for air eventually. Their realization that they can never recreate that initial feeling serves as a reminder that they will never be as high as they were the first time.
The third paragraph explores a specific memory where the singer and another person were together in a small bed. This memory is portrayed as a blur, indicating that it was a moment of intense emotions and possibly illicit or taboo circumstances. Despite the blur, the memory holds a certain allure, but the singer acknowledges that they will never reach that same level of "high" again.
In the final paragraph, the singer expresses their understanding that their desire and attempts to achieve that same high are futile. They acknowledge that they and the other person will eventually move on and learn to love someone else. This realization serves as acceptance that they will never reach the same level of intensity or "high" as they did the first time. The repetitive chorus emphasizes this point, reiterating that they will never reach that same level again.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're up all night 'cause you want it so bad
When you stay awake throughout the night because you crave something intensely
But you know deep down you're never gonna get it back
But you are aware that you will never regain what you have lost
You can try all you like
You can make countless attempts
You'll never get as high as the first time
But you will never experience the same level of euphoria as you did the initial time
When you dive so deep you never wanna come up for air
When you immerse yourself so deeply that you never wish to resurface
And you would if you could, but you can't live your whole life down there
And even though you would stay there forever if possible, it's not practical to live in that state indefinitely
You know I'm right, you know why
You acknowledge that I am correct, and you understand the reason
You'll never get as high the first time
You will never experience the same level of intensity as you did the initial time
And I could walk out on the water
And I have the ability to defy logic and walk on water
I know you'll just roll your eyes
I am aware that you will respond skeptically or dismissively
You're gonna learn to love another
You will eventually develop affection for someone else
So will I
And I will also learn to love someone else
We'll never get as high as the first time (ooh)
We will never reach the same level of bliss as we did the initial time
We're never gonna get as high as that first time (ooh)
We will never experience the same level of excitement as we did during that initial occasion
In your tiny bed when I was a friend of a friend
In your small bed, back when I was connected to you through a mutual acquaintance
It was all a blur, I can't say I remember it
The memory of that particular moment is hazy, and I am unable to recall it clearly
But it's gotten so good in our minds
But over time, we have built up an idealized image of how great it was
We'll never get as high as that first time
Yet, we will never achieve the same level of elation as we did during that initial experience
You're gonna learn to love another
You will eventually develop affection for someone else
So am I
And I will also learn to love someone else
We'll never get as high as the first time (ooh)
We will never reach the same level of bliss as we did the initial time
We're never gonna get as high as that first time (ooh)
We will never experience the same level of excitement as we did during that initial occasion
We'll never get as high as that first time (ooh)
We will never achieve the same level of elation as we did during that initial experience
We'll never get as high as that first time (ooh)
We will never reach the same level of euphoria as we did the initial time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Dylan Guthro, Gordie Sampson, Carleton Stone, Donovan Woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind