MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD Vossa Jazz Fest, Voss, Norway Saturday, March 22, 1997 Set 1: Syeeda’s Song Flute > Lorts de Fatour, Bass Intro > Henduck, Night Marchers, Caravan, Chubb Sub Set 2: The Lover > Open Improv > Hermeto’s Daydream, Think, Going Home > Where’s Sly?, Crosstown Traffic Encore: Bubblehouse
Trouble playing tunes?

MMW mid-90s

Source info:
1997-03-22.os.schoeps-mk2h.26918.t-flac16

– SET I (tracks 1-7) –
– SET II (tracks 8-15) –

– SHACK THOUGHTS –
These two Norway gigs (3/21-22) are the last before the band infuses their live sound with what will be many tunes that become Combustication, along with some other live-only treats. But even these last 2 gigs of the Shackman-era offer some goodies along with their supreme execution of the usual tunes at this point. Untitled Original #47 opens 3/21, and is never heard from again that I’ve heard but what a great groove the tune offers. The Lifeblood > Chinoiserie is a great combo to close the set — love John on Chinoiserie any time! 2nd set is a good mix of tunes executed in top form, with Jelly Belly > a small Drum Outro that illyB smooths into ITAHTLMJ being a nice moment, and another excellent combo in FAITU > Dracula.

3/22 offers yet another one-off tune when the opening Syeeda’s Song Flute slides into Lorts de Fatour — another tune that would be cool to hear again. There’s a short plunky Bass Intro > Henduck, Night Marchers never disappoints, and Caravan gets a cool work over along with being a bit of a surprise in the setlist as well. Hermeto’s Daydream is always a treat and the Going Home > Where’s Sly? makes for a nice juxtaposition.

SPRING 1997
And so we begin down the 1997 gig road. For me, I’ve been glad to have acquired what we do have of 1997 which seems to be a lowly circulated year. When I first listened to MMW in ’96 I had a number of tapes from 1995-1996 and then finally got to see the band in the Spring of 1998 for the first time — it was like seeing a different band in some respects. The key I’d been missing is having heard any 1997 material which to me seems like a huge transitional year for the band. They broke out a number of tunes in ’97 we never really saw much of not long afterwards (Disrobe, Fast Clicks) as well as the band having debuted many of the tunes that would end up on Combustication.

So enjoy these ’97 grooves folks and follow the evolution of, IMHO, the tightest improvisational group I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.

enjoy the grooves,
dug

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