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
Your Name Is Snake Anthony
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were good, man
We were traveling all over Finland, England, we went over to London, too
We were up and down the Hudson river
We were shedding a lot; we lived in our sheds
Go to church where the blinking light was
Park by the Olympic sized swimming pool
Why, he could help you move your fine Chinese, if you needed them moved
He also helped us find the start of wind
What he really helped us find was,
To discover that we were the best
When Snake Anthony came out on the road with us
We went to the West of Highway 61, we didn't go to the East
You can go to the West-South,
you can go to the East-North, no one ever does
They just want to go to Phoenix, to find the start of wind
If you go West of 61 you're going to have to have tone,
you're going to have to have time,
and you're going to have to have space
And uuuh-huh, Snake Anthony was not a small Japanese woman
When Snake Anthony came out on the road with us,
We knew we were the best, the very best
When Snake Anthony came out on the road with us
, the band was at its peak, touring extensively across different countries. The lyrics take us back to 1992 when they were in their prime. The band members were living in sheds, shedding a lot, i.e., practicing their music intensely. They would go to church where the blinking light was and parked by the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Snake Anthony was a friend who knew Mr. William and helped them move Chinese furniture while also helping them find the start of wind. However, the real thing he helped them discover was their potential to be the best.
The lyrics also mention going to the West of Highway 61, which is a road in Mississippi that is significant in blues music history. The band suggests that going west of it requires tone, time, and space. They imply that it is a tough undertaking and that Snake Anthony was not a small Japanese woman suggesting that he was someone who could handle the challenge. In conclusion, the song is a nostalgic tribute to their past and to the people who helped them along the way, particularly Snake Anthony.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in 19 and 92
In the year 1992, a significant period in the singer's past.
We were good, man
The singer and their companions were skilled and maintaining a positive attitude.
We were traveling all over Finland, England, we went over to London, too
The singer and their companions were extensively traveling throughout many locations in Northern Europe.
We were up and down the Hudson river
The artist and their companions were traveling along the Hudson river persistently.
We were shedding a lot; we lived in our sheds
The artist and their companions were undergoing significant personal and musical growth while living in isolation.
Go to church where the blinking light was
To locate a certain place, the singer must find a church with a blinking light.
Park by the Olympic sized swimming pool
The singer must park their vehicle nearby a pool of an Olympic size.
Snake Anthony knew Mr. William
The person named Snake Anthony was acquainted with another individual, Mr. William.
Why, he could help you move your fine Chinese, if you needed them moved
If assistance was required for relocating valuable Chinese items, Snake Anthony could be relied on.
He also helped us find the start of wind
Snake Anthony assisted the artist and their companions in discovering the beginning of a natural phenomenon, wind.
What he really helped us find was,
Although Snake Anthony was credited with helping the group locate the start of wind, he actually assisted them in realizing their true potential.
To discover that we were the best
Snake Anthony helped the artist and their companions realize that they were exceptionally skilled and capable.
When Snake Anthony came out on the road with us
After befriending Snake Anthony, the singer and their companions resumed traveling with him.
We went to the West of Highway 61, we didn't go to the East
The singer and their companions avoided traveling to the East of Highway 61 and instead journeyed to the West.
You can go to the West-South,
you can go to the East-North, no one ever does
Although potential travel options are presented, most people neglect to traverse them.
They just want to go to Phoenix, to find the start of wind
The majority of people travel to Phoenix in order to locate the start of wind.
If you go West of 61 you're going to have to have tone,
you're going to have to have time,
and you're going to have to have space
To travel to the West of Highway 61, it would require the ability to meet specific requirements such as persistence, availability and openness.
And uuuh-huh, Snake Anthony was not a small Japanese woman
The singer implies that Snake Anthony is not who he purposely or inadvertently misrepresented himself to be.
When Snake Anthony came out on the road with us,
We knew we were the best, the very best
The singer and their companions were confident of their abilities after traveling with Snake Anthony.
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.