MSMW

MSMW

Since no one knows, I will clue everyone in….”Medeski, Martin, and Wood” is my FAVORITE band …well Jazz band….and is among my few all time favorites (all favorites being equal regardless of genre), which I will divulge in a later post I am sure. They just released there second album with John Scofield on Sept. 26th. The first was “A GO GO” released in 1998. This was a John Scofied album featuring MMW. The new album “OUTLOUDER” is a true collaboration between all four artists. Recorded in just under a week at Shacklyn, MMW's downtown Brooklyn studio this is the first release on MMW's independent label Indirecto Records. For more specifics and thoughts from the artist go to www.myspace.com/medeskiscofieldmartinandwood

This is an early review, but when I picked up “OUTLOUDER” I was expecting something different given the vibe of MMW’s last release “End of the World Party (just in case)”. Oh, I highly recommend “End of The World Part” if your interested in giving MMW a listen. Given my expectation I was .…mmmm….less than ecstatic upon listening for the first time. Since then I have listened a few more times. Every track on “A GO GO” was very listener friendly, which is logical since this is an improvisational album and the first was not. With that said, this album defiantly has tracks that are as friendly just not all of them. The sound on the album is jam up of course! It’s from MMW’s label. All in all I like the album, my minimal disappointment arrives in some of Scofields work on a few tracks. Some of his soloing just does not sound as fluid or as solid as I like. He has never been one of my favorite guitarists, so these parts leave me unsatisfied. There I said it……..not a Scofield fan. I feel Scofield just does not have the improvisational skills that Medeski, Martin and Wood have or maybe it’s just the way he chooses to phrase things.

BOTTOM_LINE: Good album but I do not like it as much as there first work together. Not in my top five MMW works.

ANY MMW FANS MUST COMMENT!!!!!.....pleeees?