AAJ Review: Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline, Woodatock Sessions, Vol. 2

[jkelman]

My review of Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline's Woodstock Sessions, Vol. 2, today at All About Jazz.

In retrospect, it was inevitable; why it took so long for veteran jazz jam band Medeski, Martin & Wood to get together with Nels Cline is anybody's guess. The über-guitarist has, since joining Wilco a decade ago, managed to significantly raise his visibility, but anybody who suggests that he's been "moonlighting" in the alt-country/alt-rock/alt-alt band to pay the rent hasn't been paying attention. Like keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin and bassist Chris Wood, Cline's career has been largely associated with jazz—well, before Wilco, that is; that's all changed now—through his lengthy association with Cryptogramophone Records and albums with his longstanding Nels Cline Singers including Draw Breath (2007); his imaginative tribute to Andrew Hill on New Monastery (2006); and his similarly long tenure with Cryptogramophone label head, violinist Jeff Gauthier's Goatette on releases like Open Source (2011). But that's only part of Cline; he's as much Jimi Hendrix as he is Jim Hall, and if he's happier than the proverbial pig in poop with Wilco, that's only because he shares the group's love of roots music and seminal '60s bands like The Byrds.

Woodstock Sessions, Vol. 2 ain't any of that, however, though Cline's tremolo-driven guitar on the closing "Cinders" certainly speaks to his rootsier tendencies, despite Wood's percussion being more textural than propulsive, and Medeski's similarly tremelo'd Fender Rhodes creating a more ambient cushion. And by the end of the five-minute piece, everyone has transcended any such categorization into a place of even greater freedom, with Wood's upper register slide bass guitar and Cline's even more stratospherically electro-processed guitar harmonics drawing the 63-minute collective improvisation, performed live in front of a studio audience, to a surprisingly soft close.

Continue reading here...

[Bungalow Bill]

This seems interesting...

[mozo-pg]

Skak-man is such a brilliant album. I collected 3 or 4 additional releases during this era. Saw them live in Ottawa and then things just dropped off for me. I'll try to check out the Woodstock Sessions and return back in the fold.

[jkelman]

Skak-man is such a brilliant album. I collected 3 or 4 additional releases during this era. Saw them live in Ottawa and then things just dropped off for me. I'll try to check out the Woodstock Sessions and return back in the fold.

MMW has always been hit or miss for me. I agree on Shak-Man....also loved the Radiolarians series. But this one I definitely liked big time. As great as Sco and MMW are together, I think this combination is more exploratory; yes, there are grooves but sonically taken to much further extremes and Cline is, well, Cline. As someone who does not love everything I've heard from MMW, I heartily recommend this one.....

...as for jumping back on the wagon? Well, that we'll have to see, IMO.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

Love MM&W, and quite like Nels Cline. Will buy this soon.

[mozo-pg]

MMW has always been hit or miss for me. I agree on Shak-Man....also loved the Radiolarians series. But this one I definitely liked big time. As great as Sco and MMW are together, I think this combination is more exploratory; yes, there are grooves but sonically taken to much further extremes and Cline is, well, Cline. As someone who does not love everything I've heard from MMW, I heartily recommend this one.....

...as for jumping back on the wagon? Well, that we'll have to see, IMO.

I'm also going to pull out my small collection of MMW CDs and reflect back.

[FrippWire]

I bought this a few days ago since I'm a fan of both MMW and Nels. I figured it's a safe purchase; there's no way it's gonna suck.

[jkelman]

I bought this a few days ago since I'm a fan of both MMW and Nels. I figured it's a safe purchase; there's no way it's gonna suck.

I hope you still feel that way, once you've heard it. I agree with you, but ya never know; that said, I think it's pretty clear that it cranked my Evinrude :

[JSS]

Thanks for the review. Is that soundcloud link representative of the album?
Nels seems like a perfect fit with them.

[jkelman]

Thanks for the review. Is that soundcloud link representative of the album?
Nels seems like a perfect fit with them.

Yes and no. I didn't listen to the whole soundcloud show but with improvisers like MMW + Cline, the best prediction is nothing is predictable.

That said, overall electrified approach is similar ans u's a good enough approximation (given they're doing all improv) that it's a safe brat that if you like the soundcloud show, you'll like the album, different though it may be....

[FrippWire]

I listened to the disc today and loved it. I love how it veers from space jazz to rock improv.

[g.bremer]

Now that I've digested this album for a few months, I can say that I completely agree with this review. Anything released by any of the members of MMW is an auto-buy for me, and this didn't disappoint at all! I never really gave Nels Cline serious attention before, but this collaboration has made me a believer. I love how far they pushed their sound on this, and I really hope for another collaboration with him in the future.

I last saw them at Poisson Rouge in NYC a few years ago, and this was a great extension of what they were doing live at that time.

And where is volume 1 anyway

[jkelman]

Now that I've digested this album for a few months, I can say that I completely agree with this review. Anything released by any of the members of MMW is an auto-buy for me, and this didn't disappoint at all! I never really gave Nels Cline serious attention before, but this collaboration has made me a believer. I love how far they pushed their sound on this, and I really hope for another collaboration with him in the future.

I last saw them at Poisson Rouge in NYC a few years ago, and this was a great extension of what they were doing live at that time.

And where is volume 1 anyway

Turns out Volume 1 is of Woodstock Sessions series and is NOT MMW, it's another artist (can't recall). Woodstock Sessions is a series coming from the studio, not a series coming from MMW.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

This is all sorts of excellent.