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
Nocturne
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And green leaves turn to gold
Then I remember last September
You and I said goodbye
Whispering that we would be returning
When autumn comes again
Now autumn roams the hills once more
Now here am I with, alone with only memories
Only lonely memories, autumn memories of you
Love, when the leaves are turning
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
Love, when a heart is so blue
It shadows bright October's golden charm
The flaming moon reminds me of
The night of love that we once knew
Each tiny star is but a prayer
That when it's fall again, love will call again
And you'll be beside me to make
My autumn dreams come true
Love, when the leaves are turning
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
Love, when a heart is so blue
It shadows bright October's golden charm
The flaming moon reminds me of
The night of love that we once knew
Each tiny star is but a prayer
That when it's fall again, love will call again
And you'll be beside me to make
My autumn dreams come true
The song "Nocturne" by Medeski Martin and Wood is a beautiful ballad that reminisces about a lost love during the autumn season. The song opens with the line, "When autumn sings her lullaby And green leaves turn to gold," which sets the tone for the entire song. The autumn season is often associated with change, and this song speaks to how this change can bring back memories of loved ones who are no longer present in our lives.
The second stanza explores the theme of broken promises. The singer recalls a promise to return when autumn comes again, but the other person did not keep their vow. As a result, the singer is left with "only lonely memories." The repetition of "autumn memories of you" emphasizes that these memories are tied to the season and are even more poignant because of it.
The chorus of the song then shifts to the singer's yearning for their lost love. As the leaves turn and the season changes, the singer feels a "hungry yearning for [their] arms." The poetic language used in the chorus, such as "bright October's golden charm," highlights the beauty of the season but also the singer's longing for their loved one. The final stanza offers a glimmer of hope as the singer prays that love will call again and that their autumn dreams will come true once more.
Overall, "Nocturne" is a beautiful exploration of love, loss, and the changing seasons. The song is musically and lyrically rich, capturing the emotions of nostalgia, longing, and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
When autumn sings her lullaby
As autumn arrives and nature falls asleep, I reminisce.
And green leaves turn to gold
As the leaves change colors, things that were once vibrant and new can eventually come to an end.
Then I remember last September
The changing of seasons is a reminder of the past and everything that has happened.
You and I said goodbye
An inevitable ending to something that was once so great.
Whispering that we would be returning
Holding on to the hope of a reunion in the future.
When autumn comes again
A specific time for the reunion to happen and for life to move through its cycles.
Now autumn roams the hills once more
Time has passed and autumn returns, but things are not the same.
But you forgot your vow
Even though we hoped to reunite, one person failed to keep their promise.
Now here am I with, alone with only memories
I am left alone with only the memories of what was once known.
Only lonely memories, autumn memories of you
These memories hold me back and make me long for the past.
Love, when the leaves are turning
When the seasons are changing I am reminded of love.
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
I crave the comfort of your embrace.
Love, when a heart is so blue
During times when I am feeling blue, love is what brings me strength.
It shadows bright October's golden charm
Love can surpass even the beauty of the natural world in autumn.
The flaming moon reminds me of
The moon, a symbol of movement and cyclical changes, reminds me of our past love.
The night of love that we once knew
A night in the past where love was pure and real.
Each tiny star is but a prayer
Every star represents a hope for the future and a chance for love to come around again.
That when it's fall again, love will call again
I hope that when autumn returns, love will also be rekindled.
And you'll be beside me to make
I need you by my side in order to make my dreams come true.
My autumn dreams come true
I dream of us together again in the season of autumn.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOSEF MYROW, KIM GANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind