Author Archives: mmwshackproject
FAITU#22
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#22)
2011-08-26
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MMW w/ Cyro Baptista + DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Source info:
2011-08-26.sl.neumann-tlm170.115868.t-flac16
– ONE SET (tracks 1-19) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#22)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
In August 2011 MMW played 4 Fridays as part of a residency celebrating their 20th year together – this week’s FAITU pick is the last Friday. (We have the first Friday streaming, but the 2nd Friday was never recorded and the 3rd Friday is actually lacking Medeski, and I haven’t posted that show here on TSP yet.) The guys and guests are basically set up in a circle of sorts, with the audience surrounding on all sides and from multiple levels in this area of the museum.
MMW w/ Cyro Baptista + DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Billy & Logic get things started, after a brief explanation from Billy that the set’s going to start with some duo Turntable Sessions with everyone taking turns playing with Logic. illyB begins a soft snare shuffle of sorts, adds a bit of fill then Logic’s sounds start creeping in – this remains fairly abstract for the most part, little in the way of what we might call “groove”.
John & Logic continue the abstract explorations, with a seamless transition of Medeski swapping in for illyB. But at about the 2min mark of the Medeski/Logic Improv we get a sweet killer groove – I’m presuming the beat is coming from Logic in here since Billy is supposed to be gone (kinda hard to tell!). Space sounds emanating from both the keys and the turntables, but the accompanying groove feels good, if not perhaps a little familiar … reminds me of something Mago-ish, but not quite … eventually this drifts into open space …
DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Chris & Logic begin after another seamless transition with Wood focusing on some wacky bowed action for the beginning of the interplay, with Logic responding in kind – this creates a perfect Halloween soundscape! Once Chris drops the bow though we get some great plucking work from him, with Logic once again following Wood’s lead by moving from the haunting sounds to dropping a beat. Chris moves to electric around 4min and this just plunks along real smooth-like. Chris digs deeper as the beat wears on – this is an incredible solo from him over Logic’s sounds! PHAT!
The session comes to a quick pause before Cyro Baptista jumps into the fray. Things begin like the sound of outdoor bugs, then Cyro starts whooping/chanting, Logic drops a beat, and things take on a very tribal-like feel. Logic plays with some vocal samples a bit too in reaction to Cyro’s vocals, there’s just some wild crazy sounds at times, all driven by this beat from Logic and the whoops/chants from Cyro. This peters out to silence …
Cyro Baptista 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
A twinkle of keys, bassline drops in with some cymbal work along with Cyro/Logic colouring, and BOOM! Sugar Craft, a Logic sit-in staple, is off and running – oooh yeah! Cyro’s hand drum work in that space at the top is PERFECT! The 5 of them work this old MMW classic up, around and over. There’s a wonderful mid-tune percussion/DJ breakdown, and when the head of the tune returns it feels so good. It’s a short version of the tune, which leads out in a trippy way – Cyro adds so much fun to the MMW flavour!
The Sugar dissolves into a murky organ-led Improv, lasting only a minute or two but with contributions from everyone on stage, creating some more Halloween soundscapes. This works as almost a bridge or lead into the next Improvisation, where Chris kicks in a groovy bassline and everyone jumps on to ride this for a few minutes before it falls apart into an Open Improv of sorts, driven mostly by the Drums/Percussion, but lasting only momentarily before we enter …
Chris Wood 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
The Church Of Logic – oh, I REALLY dig this groove! This version sounds like a bit of a spazzed-out take, choppy, anxious and jittery. The ’98-’99 takes on this tune were considerably smoother … but this is a VERY rare tune for the band to pull out and a treat to hear. Their treatment of many older tunes during 2011 sounded a little odd, unfamiliar to the band, making for fresh or odd takes on some of these older tunes. So this is a bit of a frantic prayer session in the Church of Logic before we head into another hyper-version of an older tune, but with a twist …
Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho Improv pushes out away from the tune proper, just using it to frame the improvisation that drives and pulses forward into another Improvisation that almost uses what sounds like the Down The Tubes bassline from the MSMW Out Louder release, but not quite. Nevertheless, that bass gets this next section really moving before it mellows down a bit after a couple of minutes into something from a reggae dream … drifting off …
Billy Martin 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
The organ Back & Forth begins, and this tune is like a circus event jammed into a few musical minutes – the song sounds carnival-esque. Billy jumps in on snare and a bass drum pulse under John’s organ; Cyro starts some wacky chanting with Logic adding some sounds; then Chris kicks in with that KILLER bassline for this tune, soloing over this mess of sound … a brief lull of sorts, Chris jams back in on top of it all – this is nasty! – and then another lull before the tune proper finally kicks in. I love this track, which showed up in ’06 and hung around for a bit until the Radiolarian tunes obliterated its set presence, but 2011 saw the band basically abandoning Radiolarians as they played mostly requests and improvisations throughout the year, which in turn coloured song selection at shows not following those “rules” they had on the spring and fall tours. There’s a pause when the tune finishes, and Billy talks about how they donated the tune to Patagonia to raise money for the environment. Not sure if you can still order the album or the track, but here’s a link with more info.
No Ke Ano Ahiahi is up next, and is nice and soothing after some of the hard groove and chaos we’ve heard thus far – this tune is ALWAYS welcome in a set, at least to my ears, and generally has excellent placement no matter where it’s found. It always feels right.
John Medeski 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Partido Alto starts hopping, VERY playful opening – this tune is PERFECT for the 5 guys on stage to mess around with. Lots of space and they all are so familiar with the tune. Good, good fun.
Another small break and then, at the request of DJ Logic, they send us out with the groove to end all grooves: BUBBLEHOUSE! ‘Nuff said … a pleasantly groovy Friday Afternoon In The Universe at the Whitney Museum …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#20+#21
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#20 & #21)
1998-04-23
1998-04-24
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~ 1998-04-23 ~
MMW 1998-04-23 ticket stub
Source info:
1998-04-23.akg460b.30374.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-6) –
– DJ LOGIC SET BREAK (tracks 7-10) –
– SET II (tracks 11-18) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS – The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#21)
My first 2 MMW live shows. Life changed forever. I’d been listening to the band for a few years by this point, had maybe 15-20 cassettes of live gigs and was digging it and knew I had to see them live. The shows I had were all from ’95-’96, nothing from ’97, so when I went to these April ’98 gigs it was like encountering a *completely* different band. What? A DJ? Huh? What are these songs? Lots of new music … unknown sounds … and I was hooked!
The band was really working the tunes that would be released in the fall of ’98 on the album Combustication. But, most of these songs were debuted in the spring of ’97 and played throughout the year, so not having access to any ’97 recordings (mid’90s in Atlantic Canada = slow acquisition of live shows) basically meant I’d no idea what the band sounded like now … but the next 2 days would open my ears to that and beyond …
MMW 1998-04-23 ticket stub
**Thursday, April 23, 1998**
– SET I –
I can recall a small Canadian contingent that all came from my home area (Saint John, NB), and we were all gathered centre on the floor, against the railing that divided this middle section of the floor from the step-lower front section of the floor. None of us had seen MMW live, but we’d all heard them either peripherally or with some degree of focus (that would be me and one of my buddies). The tech guys (Kenny?) are flittering around the stage, and some guy comes out and grabs the stand-up bass and starts plunking away — I’m thinking he’s soundchecking the thing, but it sounds cool (I’ve been fooled by tinkering soundchecks before in altered states of consciousness though, so I wasn’t buying this one … yet). Then the dude starts whacking the main body of the bass — I’m like, what’s he doing?! Then back into the groove. Then 2 other guys come out from each side, one sits at the keys, the other at the drum kit, and we move from an opening Bass Solo > Basso Profondo, and we’re off! At this time I’d never seen a picture of the band — well, maybe one in the back of Relix, in the up-and-coming section or something, but I really had no idea what the band looked like so when Chris came out, and the lights didn’t change, we didn’t realize the show had even quite begun until we were already swept away into it. Nice. No idea how special that was at the time, but it grabbed me right into what MMW were doing onstage — I was hooked. I’m not sure I can even think of *any* other gig that opens with a bass solo, and Basso Profondo, it turned out, was a new tune to the band’s repertoire — I think it’s their own tune? — but was never really played much. A handful of times ever, so nice to have caught a performance — and especially nice that performance was captured by a kind-hearted taper who shared his efforts. Thanks, Brian!
Back to the show … Lifeblood pulses out the end of Basso Profondo, and this was a tune I recognized — at the time I’m sure I was thinking it was Lifeblood or Henduck — HA! Used to confuse those two a fair bit … similar in structure … and so we enjoyed this familiar Shack-man groove, and it was the only tune I knew for this short but sweet set. Lifeblood flows into the warm groove of Gonzo, unknown to me at the time, always welcome to my ears now. The song found more of a home in the live show as an encore or closing number, sometimes with an acoustic outro post-’99, but at this point it’s new and floating around more and here it was in the middle of the set, leading us to what was for me one of the most beautiful moments I’ve had at a show: hearing No Ke Ano Ahiahi for the *very first time*, not knowing what it was, but just soaking it in. Sooooo lovely. If my wife and I ever actually had a wedding, I always imagined this as the song we’d use for our first dance, and I’m pretty sure she’d concur. We were together seeing MMW for this first time, and hearing this song for the first time together always made it special to me with her. I just love it and could hear it any time. We’ve heard some great versions together, one happening the very next night …
Then the fun of Roland Kirk’s Hip Chops closes this 49min 1st set, a new song for the live shows as of ’97, and another tune that was never overplayed with this being its only performance on this tour, and ’97-’98 seeing the bulk of its performances, a few in ’99 and only a couple scattered since. Check out Kirk’s recording here from his Gifts & Messages album:
… and check out Roland Kirk more if you haven’t — the guy can lock a groove!
– SET II –
Once again, I recognize very little in this set which is both exciting and, well, at that time I liked having more of a handle on what I was going to see live so it was a little confusing too — while the 1st set was mostly new music, it was the trio and I was loving it. The 2nd set with DJ Logic would prove to just confuse me on top of all the new music as I had a hard time picking out Logic’s sounds at various times, while other times it was obvious. I’m not a fan of DJs, I just don’t really get it, but I can appreciate something about it — and I trust MMW wholeheartedly, so if they wanted to get down with a DJ, then I was game to hear it. The opening improvisation set the spacey tone for what the keys and Logic could do together — hmmm, this could be interesting — which slams into Sugar Craft and showcases Logic as a percussive DJ perfectly. He has real purpose in that tune, which would become a tune they would play with him just about any time he would return to sit in over the next decade and beyond.
Medeski c.1998
After the Open Improv, with some degree of groove about halfway in, moving > Sugar Craft, which showed us what the new w/DJ sound was like, the band explores some more open space coloured by Mr. Logic, and then we drift into a VERY welcoming groove with Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus. ITAHTLMJ is probably the earliest MMW melody I remember, specifically solidified in my memory from the moment my buddy threw on this new MMW disc his brother had purchased – his older brother was *always* buying new music, so we had access to lots of sounds as a result. We’d heard MMW before that, but that’s the moment where they really *clicked* for me, I guess, since it stands out so much. That swirling keyboard that starts the studio version on the Shack-man album had me hooked – never heard anything like it before! For this performance, it’s the bassline that gets us going while John and Logic sprinkle some sounds until John brings in that key sound as just a long sustained note, then the groove is in and we’re boppin’ our heads – and dancing! That’s what I remember at these first shows is dancing!
Next up was a brand new song to me and it’s a great boogie. Coconut Boogaloo brightens up the set at this point – it’s a nice cheery groove – but that busts apart as the tune comes to an end and then, what at the time I’m sure was just chaotic madness, out comes COMBUSTICATION itself! The namesake tune, buried on the album as a hidden track that surfaces minutes after the closing track, Hypnotized, wraps up, and this crazy groove REALLY rocks you to the core. It’s hilariously HEAVY!
Just Like I Pictured It was one of my favourite titles to later discover, but on this night it was a brand new song that soothed our souls after we were Combusticated! I remember loving the way the beat kind of lilts along … feels good …
What follows is about my favourite sequence of the gig. After Billy introduces everyone, a little groove starts building, mostly Logic and illyB at first, but then John and Chris jump in and after 1.5min or so a groove begins that has eluded me for lo these 18 years: This looks to be the very first known performance of what would become Toy Dancing only 2 shows later – they mess around with it loosely again the next night in Boston, but by Philly’s performance on 4/25 it’s pretty much Toy Dancing as we know it – well, the song, just like the rest of them, goes through mutations and variations of sorts, but at this time it is in its infancy and VERY cool to hear. Then suddenly the pace is picking up as the groove morphs and we are in a full-on BUBBLEHOUSE! Nice, another tune I recognized! There’s a reason everyone calls out for this song, and it’s not just because it’s one of the only titles folks know (even if they don’t know what song it might apply to), but it’s because this is one FREAKIN’ KILLER groove! John moves to the piano for part of this performance and things spin into a jazzy area, but still just pumping – illyB is locked in tight. The band keeps driving it until the end builds tension between Medeski and Logic, and boom, we’re done. Billy intros the band again, Logic swirls some sounds, and it’s goodnight.
The band comes out for a classic encore of Chubb Sub, another welcome and familiar tune to my ears. Billy apologies that they’ve run out of time, and only have until 11pm, but that they’re gonna play it out – great news, but I was honestly a little miffed because the band came on *almost* an hour late – huh? Never heard why or anything, and I was totally satisfied with the breadth and depth of music played, and hopefully the late start was beyond their control … I just pictured them drinking wine backstage or something … HA! Anyway, an incredible introduction to the live MMW experience – and I was so stoked to head to Boston the next day for more grooves!
**Friday, April 24, 1998** >>> 1998-04-24
That 2 night stand changed my life, with MMW’s music taking more and more of a hold on me, until over the next few years I’m addicted beyond control … and The Shack Project is born …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
~ 1998-04-24 ~
MMW 1998-04-24 ticket stub
Source info:
1998-04-24.akg391.29340.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-7) –
– SET II (tracks 8-21) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS – The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#21)
My first 2 MMW live shows. Life changed forever. I’d been listening to the band for a few years by this point, had maybe 15-20 cassettes of live gigs and was digging it and knew I had to see them live. The shows I had were all from ’95-’96, nothing from ’97, so when I went to these April ’98 gigs it was like encountering a *completely* different band. What? A DJ? Huh? What are these songs? Lots of new music … unknown sounds … and I was hooked!
The band was really working the tunes that would be released in the fall of ’98 on the album Combustication. But, most of these songs were debuted in the spring of ’97 and played throughout the year, so not having access to any ’97 recordings (mid’90s in Atlantic Canada = slow acquisition of live shows) basically meant I’d no idea what the band sounded like now … but the next 2 days would open my ears to that and beyond …
**Thursday, April 23, 1998** >>> 1998-04-23
**Friday, April 24, 1998**
– SET I –
A quick little Drum Intro gets us rolling into Coltrane’s epic classic Africa — new to MMW’s repertoire as of this spring ’98 tour, and the band is just tearing this piece apart over the tour with this night’s performance being no exception. Each performance the band gets more confident with the song, and again it’s a shame this is yet another tune lost to the ages without surfacing again much, if at all, after ’98. Thank goodness for the TAPERS! And then Africa hooks onto a tune/groove that’s been labeled “Chris & Tam” — I think this is like a groove MMW developed out of what they were doing with Africa. The two pieces seem to live in the same world, and were almost always played together during their time in the live shows. Brilliant work from illyB on the TAMbourine!
MMW 1998-04-24 poster
Next up is a tune that we heard the night before in Portland, but during the 2nd set — Coconut Boogaloo was an instant success in getting our asses moving. The song boils down to this cool little bluesy swirl of sound at the end of the track, which is basically a tiny intro to Just Like I Pictured It – another instant classic. That loping bassline groove is so soothing … and the title is one of my favourites – HA!
Then *SOMETHING* is played – it lasts 1min 37secs and is fantastic. Does anyone recognize this? I’ve been hearing it for almost 20 years while listening to this show so my perspective is skewed … it just sounds so familiar … but it trickles over to the start of Latin Shuffle – clever title, eh? illyB begins the Latin shuffle, John trickles in on the ivories, and Chris drops in on his acoustic – this is a nice tune and the guys rock it from the time they debuted it a year prior. The band shuffles into a short Bass Solo to finish up. Then the 3rd performance ever of Tubby, which is a super fun tune that goes through a number of phases over the years. On this night it ends the set with a feeling of positivity … and we take a break …
– SET II –
I remember the guys walking on and each banging woodblocks to start. You can hear Logic creep in under the percussive beat then gradually John and Chris move to their respective instruments and, well, chaos ensues for a wee bit. Then the sounds get a little spacey and creepy – you can hear him approaching – this ensues for wee bit until the bass drops and Dracula has arrived. He plods along for a while, until illyB kicks it in, we get some “woos” from the crowd at the breaks during this ramped up “chorus” section of the tune, and then it drops back down into its gentle approach, back and forth – and I knew this tune too, unlike the entirety of the first set, so latching onto that was welcome …
At this point, I recall looking around the theatre and noticing nobody was *not* paying attention – everyone seemed focus on the band, the music, and getting down. I always recall this set as a very warm feeling from a crowd that was completely into the moment.
The Improv that busts out the end of Dracula – because the guys play right through with a wonderful flow to the set for over 50 minutes, culminating in a piece of musical beauty, but we’ll get to that – this next Improv is just so good! Is it something? Sounds like it must be, but damn, these cats can pull this stuff from the ether … and this moves smooth and nicely into the 2nd ever appearance of the Toy Dancing melody, noted as an Improv based off the tune but it’s not quite the tune just yet – that will solidify more the next night in Philadelphia.
Sugar Craft jumps into the flow next – hmmm sounds familiar to me at the time? From last night, right? COOL! More impressive work from Logic in here. The music moves us to Golden Lady, which I have thought was just a wacked version of the Stevie Wonder tune all these years, but I really don’t know. I have hard time singing along with MMW’s take – HA! Check out Stevie’s Golden Lady here:
… I think the bass might be the key between them, but can’t say for sure … Regardless, this is the song’s first appearance and it gets some attention through ’98, but not much after, which is too bad because it’s hauntingly intriguing. I think that’s the Mellotron John is using on this track, which interacts nicely off Logic’s work. Chris and Billy hold us steady as the lady moves along … until it’s time to Start/Stop – a very apt title. Loving this groove with Logic working well here too, he and John playing off each other. I love how this song pushes out into space, further and further, so the groove Stops, but then it Starts again and we’re dancing along. Over the years the guys will really push out that space between the groove sections, sometimes where you forget they’re even playing that song until the head comes back around.
MMW 1998-04-24 ticket stub
We’re coming up to the 50min mark, and as Start/Stop fizzles out the sounds crossover into something exquisitely beautiful, starting to sound familiar from the night before again, oh yeah: No Ke Ano Ahiahi. Loved this song/melody from the first moment it took me away … the placement here is perfect at the end of 50 solidly grooving and wild minutes. Just so nice …
Then we have a 30min sequence that finishes up the set with the music getting even weirder, maybe …
Improv > My Little Suede Shoes, a Charlie Parker tune – these 2 pieces make for an interesting 10min, folks. The Improv starts out very dark, and creeping, with Chris bowing a quick riff, percussive fills all over from Billy, while John and Logic soundscape the atmosphere. This seems to grow, building more tension along the way, with spaz fills from Billy on the kit now, wild sounds from everyone else – it’s getting noisy in here! This building up gives way to a skittery shuffle from Billy, space sounds from John, but then the coolest little melody surfaces that’s sure to make you shine – or, at least make My Little Suede Shoes shine! Check out Charlie’s original:
… interestingly, MMW only ever played this melody like 3 times, with this being the 2nd. Heard again late in ’98, but not since. The next Improv comes out darkly, moving along in this dark groovy space. Again, so good it should/could be a tune, but improvisation seems just as likely. There’s this cool shift between an organ pulse and the groove, then at around 3.5min in this track the Spy Kiss bassline comes out STRONG for like 30secs, then the music veers away and begins to disintegrate … suddenly it’s just Logic and illyB in this weird techno-tribal beat, things getting kind of subdued until BANG!
Combustication combusticates all over our ears! DAMN! That’s wild! Don’t think this one sounded “familiar” to me from the previous night’s chaos – just wrapping my head around the live MMW experience was crazy enough! But this madness gives way to the closing tune, which couldn’t have been better:
NIGHT MARCHERS lead us out, and it is so raunchy and groovin’! LOVE IT!
Another unknown for me in the encore with Gonzo, but recognized from the night before in Portland, a James Booker tune you may as well check out in addition to the other covers:
… Gonzo was new on this April ’98 tour, but has stuck around in the band’s live shows since with varying consistency, used mostly as a closing tune or encore, and eventually being one of the tunes the band would bless with the acoustic outro treatment. On this night, it’s straight up electric groove and sent us out into the night smiling …
That 2 night stand changed my life, with MMW’s music taking more and more of a hold on me, until over the next few years I’m addicted beyond control … and The Shack Project is born …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#17+#18+#19
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#17 & #18 & #19)
2002-09-26
2002-09-27
2002-09-28
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~ 2002-09-26 ~
John Medeski @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-26.neumann-ak40.12562.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-5) –
– SET II (tracks 6-17) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#17)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 **
– SET I –
Pulling noise from space, the band jumps into the abyss and builds such a solid groove by the 4min mark it has to be planned – doesn’t it? NOPE! On fire is what they are! @4:40 the intensity turns up to eleven, John hits the Clav HARD and things are digging deeper, then the touch lightens a bit while the hold of the groove remains. illyB is breaking it down while John is really messing around and Chris attempts to hold a through-line for the bass. @6:48 or so John twinkles a melody of something – what is that? Man, this opening improvisation is rich, rich, rich! Things lock in more firmly and the trio rumbles along nicely playing this brand new tune they just composed on the spot, and continue to compose until the beat keeps pulsing but John lays down some smothering key work until everything dissolves to nothing @9:49 where a quick hit of the keys begins a shift into our next journey, something more slow and methodic. Nice ride from Billy, smoky Wurlitzer (I think?) from John and Chris establishes a plunkily falling bassline. Suddenly, another new song written within the first 20min … wild. This slinky groove leads to more Open Improv exploration that eventually leads into the full on blues we’ve been feeling as we head on down to …
Lonely Avenue, one of MMW’s oldest covers, this Ray Charles classic never disappoints – and the trio’s treatment of this tune is always raunchy and nasty. This performance lives up to the hype, with John seeming especially murky in his organ sounds which bleeds over nicely into the spacey introduction for the next tune, taking up the last minute of this track before it rolls over to track #3 and we are …
Uninvisible leading to heady beats and dancing – oh yeah, that fuzzy bassline comes in, so HEAVY you can *feel* it, John’s making some atmosphere, and then illyB kicks the beat. We vamp, just loving that bassline, and now John comes in with his main melody playing off Chris, and the groove feels so solid. SO SOLID. LIKE CONCRETE. But fluid, like water … out the end of Uninvisible Pappy Check appears and moves ever so nicely into the set closing Partido Alto – some of these transitions between tunes are just so good.
John Medeski @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
– SET II –
Some open space is explored and John’s honking the Melodica a bit, and just towards the end of the track you start to realize they’re about to hit a Ten Dollar High, and the price is right my friends – cheap but quality. Love how this builds and builds with John on the organ into kind of a hammy classic ending which burbles into a Bass Solo descending into the eerily groovy Shacklyn Knights where a short Drum Outro leads us out to hear the sweet Creole Love Call (that’s John’s part) coupled with the bassline from Your Name Is Snake Anthony (thank you, Chris) all while illyB kicks it down. This medley arrangement appeared during the spring ’02 tour with the Uninvisible Horns led by Steven Bernstein, but has remained as the way MMW bring Snake Anthony to the live stage (aside from a July ’02 performance where Col. Bruce actually tells the Snake Anthony story … kind of).
A Drum Solo runs out of Snake Anthony’s Creole Call and begins the driving groove of the 2nd half of the set, exploring some nice kit work from illyB before he just starts pounding it and we are on Fire! Hendrix-style! And, where there’s Fire, there’s Smoke (or vice versa, usually) and that Smoke evaporates smoothly into The Dropper – damn, I wish I could catch this tune live! – and that drops crazily into Felic, which is one of the wilder tunes from The Dropper album, not to mention from MMW’s overall repertoire. Felic is just nuts! The charge of Blue Pepper brings us back to more earthly planes, sorta, to wrap up the set.
And for the first of 3 nights in a row, we get an I Wanna Ride You, this one fully electric, preceded by a brief Organ Intro from John – love when he does that. The next 2 nights will find this tune in the encore slot again and again, but with some twists …
** Friday, September 27, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-27
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-28
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
~ 2002-09-27 ~
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-27.ew-z30x.29153.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-8) –
– SET II (tracks 9-16) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#18)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-26
MMW 2002-09-27 ticket stub
** Friday, September 27, 2002 **
– SET I –
Not so noisy as the previous night’s opening, instead it’s more moody and murky – it’s like John’s just laying his arms on the keys at times, maybe. Clattering percussion from illyB, some bird calls, and Chris is doing some high-over-the-bridge bowing, moving back onto the neck. Thumps from Billy as this Open Improv keeps veering away from groove in favour of sound exploration. At some point in here you either start chuckling or gain a deep focus – or both. After the 4min mark the band starts to begin an inkling towards something more melodic …
When track #2 starts the band had already laid the ground work and they jump into a groove that just keeps pushing and developing. Man, these cats listen to each other so well. Subtle responses and twists. We’re into bluesy territory here, but post-5min that really becomes evident. @7:35 the groove breaks down to like an elemental level, still moving, tweaking – cool sounds from John in here as well as what Chris is pulling out. Billy moves over to some percussive toys. @8:19 Chris begins a weird strum and things begin to get a little stranger before heading out into even more open space – @10min things get real loose and over the next 6min or so the band follows each other away from any semblance of composition and melody. We’re once again in chuckle/focus space, and all you can do is enjoy the ride. Just as the track reaches the end there’s some great interplay developing between Chris and Billy, then Billy drops out and we get some alone time with Chris and his bass – music to my ears. The solo begins delicately out of the space he and Billy were just sharing. This turns into a nice solo, well built and a great journey that almost never gets into that wild space Chris reaches until one minor outburst just before 2min, which he reins in, then begins that nice walk down the line …
And we’re moving into Shacklyn Knights – ooh this is a weird and groovy tune. It’s got a haunting quality to it that doesn’t really reach a height, the developing groove sounding like it might fall apart, but then vrooosh, the tune is rollicking along in full force now beginning a run of tunes to keep you dancing till set break. The Knights leads to a Drum Solo > C-Jam Blues > Buster Rides Again – this run is hoppin’ quick with energy. Then a Big Time > Jelly Belly pairing closes the set in a fine PHAT groove celebration.
– SET II –
There’s that HEAVY bassline again: Uninvisible kicks off the set with a bang! The tune gives way to some Open Improv exploration that finds itself nicely flowing into Lifeblood – oh, it feels good when illyB starts that weird shuffle. In an interesting and unique move Lifeblood peels away into a Bowed Bass Improv Solo, accompanied for a while by some scattering sounds from John and Billy, until it’s just Chris who eventually drops the bow and begins hammering his way to another Ten Dollar High; $10 and solid grooving later we’re hitting a Pappy Check and it once again, just like in the previous night’s 1st set, leads into Partido Alto – but listen to each night’s take on this move. The percussive Partido opens into a Drum Solo, not too long before Billy drops the Fire beat and the other 2 jump in … fizzling down to Smoke for closing the set – I love the slink of Smoke’s feel.
In the encore slot Organ Intro > I Wanna Ride You takes us out again, only this time John moves to Melodica and we get an Acoustic Outro to the song – the guys basically play into the taper’s mics, so it sounds SUPER SWEET! As always, WE LOVE THE TAPERS and are so grateful they’re out there …
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-28
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
~ 2002-09-28 ~
Billy Martin @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-28.neumann-ak40.12564.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-6) –
– SET II (tracks 7-15) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#19)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-26
** Friday, September 27, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-27
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 **
– SET I –
Billy starts us off with an open beat, then John ZAPS our brains harshly for a moment, letting it fizzle out then another zap, not so intense as the first, some sounds from outer space, then it seems a little while before Chris contributes with a simple two plunk pulse. Billy has moved to the kit by now with this broken shuffle. John is still in outer space. Chris starts adding more notes and colour to his line. Billy tries finding a beat, something to drive things a little more. Just after 3min it sounds like things are jiving into a more cohesive whole, then it stops briefly, Billy kicks in a quicker beat, and what was just happening in a darker space takes on a more positive vibe, still coloured with dark undertones – these last 3 nights have started with incredible exploration of some dark places. 5min and my head is boppin’, but shucking to the side with jabs and bleeps, after 30secs the groove digs deeper – like all 3 of them, you can hear, lay into it. @6:40 we seem to be heading away from groove, full-on oppressive keys, and then what’s this? Oh, @7:25 illyB comes in nice and light, John hits the Wurly, (I think?), and this has a nice comforting vibe coupled with some slightly unsettling sounds – is that Chris making that banging pipe sound? I think so … thumping, then it takes a bit more life before there he is in a deeper register, filling in the bottom. By 10min the pace has quickened as the piece that began just over 3min ago develops into a 2nd section. The band rides this out, just nailing it, pushing the groove further, to the point where it starts to splinter while still holding tight – damn, I love those moments! – there’s almost like a brief swing around 18min, just before the groove does pull apart and things get a wee wacky for a minute or so, swelling into a noise of sorts undercut with some gospel pulse, until we are enjoying a mighty fine …
Philly Cheese Blunt! Suddenly this seems like the culmination of the past 20min, leading us to this revelation, this gospel. Preach it to me!
The Dropper > Open Improv/Intro > Sequel is one of the most interesting sections of these three gigs. The explosion into open space out of a killer The Dropper leads *very* uniquely into a weird open intro into Sequel – so Sequel, instead of beginning in a high energy space, starts in a more subdued way. VERY cool. Then a heady Big Time closes out the set with some head boppin’.
– SET II –
2nd set begins with DJ RPM sitting in for a Ten Dollar High, which is fun but he’s not asked to stick around for the rest of the set …
Then Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho charges up the crowd and leads a run > Think > Drum Solo, followed by a jivin’ Blue Pepper – these are dance numbers, folks! Shake it! Things get a little sultry with a stellar Bemsha Swing/Lively Up Yourself medley – like, can you hear these tunes separately now, without hearing traces of the other? I can’t.
Then the set ends with an Uninvisible one-two punch in Pappy Check > the title track, featuring some cool playing getting us from the Check into Uninvisible territory to close the set.
And then a familiar encore … just before John slams in with his organ, we hear Billy say, “This one’s called ‘I Wanna Ride You!’” And we’re off …
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
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| 25 | |||||
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| FAITU (Weekly Series) | ||
MMW 2012-04-20 @Stanser Musiktage, Kollegium St. Fidelis, Stans, Switzerland
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MMW 2004-05-28 @Harmony Park Music Garden, Geneva, MN
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FAITU#16
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#16)
1994-05-29
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Little Five Points, Atlanta, GA
Source info:
1994-05-29.akg414.26569.t-flac16 [TSP1994#2]
– SET I (tracks 1-5) –
– SET II incomplete (tracks 6-8) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#16)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
This show was a real treasure to listen to, by which I mean I found some special unique musical items that should prove VERY interesting for those of you interested in such stuff. I’d made some notes years ago when listening to this show and noted a couple of parts that had sounded familiar to me at the time, and then listening to this show over this past week I’ve paid fresh attention to those passages and discovered some melodies and music used here that don’t really surface again as more complete songs until years later in MMW’s performing history. Let’s dig into this week’s FAITU pick and find these treats along with the fun of hearing a young MMW in the early stages of developing their onstage explorations … this show is a perfect example of why this band is so rewarding with repeated listens, and how rich the music is …
MMW c.1994/95
– SET I –
Complete chaos! That’s how things begin — it’s MADNESS! Like they’re trying to scare the weak-hearted, thin the crowd … was there even much of a crowd? ’94 MMW in Atlanta? Sounds like a small group … this isn’t the band’s first visit to the venue though and the crowd seems engaged.
@3:50 this opening track takes on a nice funky feel — Chris’ bassline is super fun! This is the beginning of something more though, leading somewhere … to the first buried treasure my listening dug up this past week >>>
OH WOW! @6:45 the melody here that John strikes on the keys is something that eventually made it’s way into an acoustic tune, Ballade In C Minor, ‘Vergessene Seelen’, which the band didn’t debut until April 2007! That melody was sitting around that long … incredible. They bat this riff around and play inside its context for the next few minutes, getting funky and circling back to that head. Unreal … can’t believe I just found this melody — again! The only other place I’ve found it since it became an actual tune in ’07 was in the opening of an acoustic gig from April 2000, so it seemed at that point the band (or John?) felt the melody belonged more in the acoustic realm, tried it, and then left it for 7 more years before flushing out a more proper composition and arrangement, which was then released on the live acoustic album Free Magic, released in 2012, and the subsequent acoustic tours that fall in the spring of 2013 found the band just nailing Ballade In C Minor, ‘Vergessene Seelen’ and seemingly loving it. Haven’t heard from the tune since … mind you, the band’s schedule has been pretty sporadic these past few years as well … but interesting that ‘Vergessene Seelen’ translates into ‘Forgotten Souls’ because this melody is oft forgotten … anyhoo, we’re led back into more open space that gets pretty wacky for a few minutes before settling down into some calm open space with just some subdued keys, one long bowed note from Chris, and sprinkle of gentle percussive sounds from illyB … this all leads nicely into the first proper tune of the gig, 20min into the show …
Shack twinkles in, grows very smooth and organically, interrupted by the keys that closed out the preceding improvisational section, and then you’re suddenly shuffling along with the Shack groove and it feels good. The band brings the sound way down and intimate at times and then they just erupt into the celebratory groove — fun listen.
Billy lets loose with some quick scattered metallic percussive sounds before moving to the kit to drop the beat a little more proper, @1min Chris plunks in heavily and the mood is getting cheery folks … John weighs in tentatively with some sprinkles from his Clav, starts working it a bit more frenetically but still underscoring the groove that illyB & Wood are laying down … the mood is getting more ebullient yet again … tension building a bit … groove pulsing … a break here and there — will it kick in? … not yet … then just past 3min the Clav sprinkles bring in the happiness, you can feel it, but they’re still fuckin’ with us … and @4:20 (nice timing!) the swirl comes in and WE’RE SO HAPPY! And the happy feeling just keeps growing until it unravels over the last couple minutes … breaking down further and further … until it’s time for a wonderful …
Friday Afternoon In The Universe … oh yeah. Love the open tinkering that gets the piece moving — this is a composition of the utmost gravitas, if I could get serious for a moment. FAITU, also the moniker for this weekly series, is a song the band has never overplayed throughout their career and always delivers. It’s an incredible balance between that open exploration, but composed, and the discovery of a sweet, sweet riff/groove, also pre-written. But it sounds like a surprise every Friday Afternoon I spend In The MMW Universe …
MMW
Wiggly’s Way wiggles its way in, like really wiggles, and finally arrives to the full groove which still maintains this dragging pulse to it … like the beat is gonna fall behind, but doesn’t … how can it? *It’s* the beat! A great groove to wrap up the set — although you can hear the guys wonder if they’ve reached break time or not, and then, surprisingly to modern MMW listeners, John (not Billy) speaks up and introduces the band and whatnot and says they’ll be back after a break.
– SET II – INCOMPLETE
Unfortunately, we don’t have a full recording of the 2nd set, but what we do have is really great to hear and also provides the 2nd treasure I found while re-listening this past week. But first …
The set opens in fine form with a song I think we all love (you will if you don’t know it yet) and can’t understand why it fell by the wayside: PAKALOLO! Hits smooth in musical and herbal form … and always welcome. As far as we know from circulating recordings the tune debuted in spring of ’94 and was a treat from the start — this version does not disappoint.
Syeeda’s Song Flute, that oddity-to-my-ears in an MMW set, is up next and the band delivers a hard hitting version of such a sweet tune which busts out its ending into some Open Improvisation before finding a groove @5:42 on this last track which again sets the stage for a melody we don’t hear again until years later. The groove moves along and just past 9min something I’m calling “Mystery Gus” sneaks into the groove and then the melody hits in full @10:05 — WHAT IS THAT? DO YOU KNOW?! If you know, please leave a comment! The reason I call it “Mystery Gus” is because before this week I hadn’t placed that familiar melody, which I’ve now realized is a melody that John plays during instrumental takes on Whatever Happened To Gus at 4 acoustic gigs in early 1999 (1/14, 1/16, 3/20 & 3/23) — see The Shack Project 1999 page page for links to the shows.
Anyway, I’ve never been able to place that melody which I think belongs to some old jazz tune or familiar tune of some kind — it’s always eluded me. John mixes it into Gus the same way he mixes Creole Love Call into Your Name Is Snake Anthony. At this ’94 gig the melody drives the improvisation around it — or is it composed? We don’t really have enough of ’94 to know what else may have happened with this melody, or the Vergessene piece, but hearing that stuff in this gig this past week was muchos fun for this MMW addict …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
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