Spontaneous Combustication
w/ Medeski, Martin & Wood 

(***Editor's Note: This is the long version of an interview I did with John Medeski that was supposed to be published in WELD- in edited form- for their upcoming show at the Alys Stephens Center on Feb. 10. Due to an unfortunate series of circumstances it did not run. Thus, I'm putting out- in its entirety- here. Hope you enjoy it....)

        When it comes to jazz fusion, there are few groups in contemporary music who can match the wide open eclecticism and technical prowess of Medeski, Martin & Wood. As one of the leading lights of New York's experimental music scene, for the past twenty years, the trio has been out on the road pushing the limits of audio exploration with their unique blend of avant-garde aesthetics, off-beat collaborations, and dance-friendly grooves. Equally adept at churning out abstract soundscapes, sublime melodies, and streamlined funk- often in the same breath- they have become the standard bearers for a new type of audacity in modern composition. At once populist and esoteric in their approach to their craft, the three members of Medeski, Martin & Wood have managed to win the unwavering support of both new music geeks and jam band aficionados alike, in what has been a remarkable rise from underground night clubs to mainstream music festivals. As master improvisers with thirsty ears and a seemingly infinite musical palette, there's a little bit of something for everyone in their singular brand of Third Stream artistry.  
Having recently put out a year-long series of monthly digital singles in honor of their twentieth anniversary, the group is set to take a much needed break from touring and recording in 2012 to give each other a chance to catch their breath and work on various projects outside of the band. Returning to Birmingham for the first time in several years to play a special acoustic show at the Alys Stephens Center on February 10, Weld caught up with keyboardist John Medeski to ask him about the band's unlikely career, the art of improvisation, the influence of Sun Ra, and why he doesn't like being labeled a "jam band." This is what he said....



Audiovore: You all just celebrated your 20th anniversary together as a group this past year. How has your original vision for the band stacked up against everything you've accomplished over the past two decades? Did you think you'd be able to take your music this far when you first started out?

Medeski: You know, we had a feeling….we knew there was something there. We didn't really have a plan you know. It was always about the music. I would say beyond anything I ever dreamed of. It's so different we didn't know what to imagine. We thought that what we had going had a little bit of value. There was a little chemistry there the very first time we played, so we just took that and when we first went out on the road we said, "Look, we need like forty or fifty people to show up a night and we could be playing this type of music." We couldn't play six nights a week in New York. It was once a month or something like that. So we just figured, "Hey, you want to go out, we'll see if anybody likes it and we'll hit some clubs and see if anybody relates to it." We felt like anybody could relate to it, but we didn't really know. We felt it more than we knew it. The whole thing's kind of been like a dream. Twenty years….it's hard to believe actually.

A: What's been the biggest surprise as you've grown up together as working musicians?

M: Well…that we still love playing together and it still feels fresh. I mean, I've seen so many bands that have been together for a long time and they don't talk to each other, they don't like each other…they ride in separate buses. And they get up and they play the gig and they play the same songs they did forty years ago- thirty years ago, twenty years ago- and, I don't know, for us it still feels great to play together and to hang out together. That's really the biggest surprise. That and- like with the live show- we keep growing.

A: So the spark is still there?

M: I guess so. It's hard to believe.

A: You all are very much rooted in the Downtown experimental music scene in New York City, yet many people outside of jazz/new music circles associate you with jam bands due to your penchant for improvisation, constant touring, and your appearances at festivals like Bonnaroo. Is the "jam band" tag something you all are comfortable with or do you find that label to be a bit limiting in its appeal?

M: I would say it's totally limiting. I mean, it's a weird term. You know, it's been around a long time- that quote/unquote "scene," or term for that scene- and there's nothing really we can do about it. When it was first happening we really were open. We were trying to see if there was something else, some other way to define it, but it didn't happen. I mean, the whole idea of "jamming" in the traditional sense- in the jazz sense of like a jam session- it's great, but it sort of implies a lack of thought to me. We're very careful. We consider what we do spontaneous composition. The truth is, we've never been calculated, like I was saying. You can't pick your audience. And we didn't try to. We just played our music and whoever liked it would come. And to me, that scene sort of attracted itself to us, and that's partly because the music has some groove to it and there's some improvisation. That scene wasn't around when we first started. It didn't exist. Phish was out on the road, but that term came around after we were out there. You know, that's what the audience sort of came up with. Nobody was paying attention to the music…the critics, the record labels…nothing. The scene just really built itself on live music. It's about live music. I mean, there's so many different bands out there playing live. That part of it is great. But to be honest, at a certain point a lot of the noodly guitar- for me- is boring [laughs]. But that's me [laughs again]. I definitely come from more of a jazz background. I listened to funk and r&b, but I didn't really check that stuff out. But, you know, all music is good really.

A: There's only two kinds right? Good music and bad music….

M: Yeah, but even then it's just a matter of opinion [laughs].

A: Speaking of improvisation, live you all seem to thrive off the need to push each other- and the energy of the music- in different directions to see what happens and have created a vast common language within which to speak to one another. What is it about the live context that seems to bring out the best in you all as performers?

M: You know, recording has only been around for a short period of time in the scope of human history, and music is about live communication. When we first started recording we didn't know why we wanted to record, because, what are you trying to capture? So, for us, it's what music is really about. It's the truest way to touch somebody. It's like a direct transference of energy. It's not filtered through all the intellect of recording. And you're also not separated out in the room and not getting any of the energy of the individuals. You're receiving the notes and the music. So, it's like half the experience [of playing live].

A: It's the crucible of the moment….

M: Yeah. For us that's what it's all about. Being in the moment for that moment. It's what we thrive on. It's what improvisation is. So really, if you're listening to a record of improvisation, it's not really about the moment you're listening to it, it's about the moment you played it [laughs]. Don't get me wrong, I listen to it all the time and love it and I've learned a lot and still do. It's still interesting. I love recording music and there's a whole art to making a record and creating this work, but what's fascinating to me is having somebody's idea and realizing it with a group of people. It's like, "What is that? What is that?" If you add more individuals things are gonna change. Things are gonna change because of the addition of the people and their energy...and their everything. And, I always feel like the collective thing is better than what one guy can come up with because you're entering all these other elements and your entering the crucible of reality and all these other things and…it's life…it's including life in the art. Music has it's power. The vibration is powerful and the vibration coming from the instrument itself is very different from the vibration coming through your headphones or the speakers in your car stereo. It's a different experience. It can be inspiring or it can be fun, but getting the benefit of each sound is good. It's about a feeling.


A: You've mentioned that you often go into something akin to a trance when performing live. How important is the subconscious to you in terms of improvisation?

M: None of it's really important. What's important is to be beyond all of it: conscious, subconscious, ego…everything. To just let the music come out and do whatever it needs whenever it needs to, and just allowing your ear and your heart to take you where things need to go, what needs to happen. You know, I think ultimately all that stuff is coming out: subconscious- even conscious thoughts- whatever you take in intuitively and embed in yourself will come out. It's really hard- or impossible- to nail down. You know, some of the nicest people in the world….you don't hear much from their music. And some people who are mean, awful people can play some of the most beautiful, heartwrenching music. I mean, Miles Davis is a perfect example. He was not a nice person, but he could play like nobody else. It's so undefinable.

A: Your last three albums [the Radiolarians series] were born out of compositions and improvisations developed live while out on tour. Yet, this past year you took a very different approach and released a series of monthly digital singles as part of your 20 year anniversary? What made you decide to take a more focused approach this time around?

M: It's just a different kind of focus. Radiolarians was very focused in that we wrote the music, then we toured on it, then we recorded it. You know, there's so many different ways to create, so we just sort of set the limits and decided on the parameters of how we were going to create those records. And what it was about was, a lot of times you go out on the road, you make a record, and then you tour on it. So you do all this work in the studio, and then you get on the road and things change….sometimes it gets better, sometimes not. So what we did with Radiolarians was include the live performance in the process of the creation of the music. We wrote the music, then we played it live on tour, and then we recorded it after we had it mutated through the live performance. Then, with the twenty singles, we thought it might be fun to see what the digital realm might do for us. I guess the idea was a different way of focusing: forcing us to select twenty tunes in the course of a year. There's so many different ways to compose and to approach things in a different form. The structure we set up was, "Hey, we're gonna do this many tunes, and they're sorta going to be released as A and B-sides, and it's not about making a decent record, it's about letting songs be the whole thing." Also, it was something we had never done before. We had an occasional tune here and there, but we always made records. When we were creating Combustication, or The Dropper, or Shackman there was an overall vibe and feel and concept to the record. And, you know, Radiolarians had it's own concept and focus. Each record has a focus. This time we decided we weren't going to worry about the focus and just focus on each tune and let them be what they are for what they are, not how they fit within a collective whole. Like a single. I think we've done a few single tunes over the years, but not that many in a run.

A: Digital 45's?

M: Yeah, sort of. 78's….[laughs].

A: You've spoken before about the ever-expanding musical vocabulary you all like to explore as a group, collaborating with djs, spoken word artists, and musicians from across the spectrum of the sonic arts. What is it about staking out new territory that you find so appealing? Do you still see new horizons for you all as a group?

M: Yeah, as long as we keep playing together. It's in our nature- our individual nature- to grow like that and keep growing. We want to grow. We want to get better and learn more.  It's what we do and what we've always done. It's what we do as individuals. We all individually do things- we all have other groups- and that all comes into the band as well. So, having that richer, more varied life allows you to change and grow. It's all about playing with different people.

A: You began your career as a classically trained musician. Who were some of your earliest influences? Are there any artists you would point to as having laid the groundwork for your own aesthetic? In jazz or otherwise…

M: Not really, you know. It's like, what I appreciate at this point is that it would be unfair to single anything out because I would be leaving something else out. Also, it's just the same stuff we've all heard. Everything's available. There's no mystery in music out there. Sure, there's people out there that you know that I don't know, and bands that I love that maybe you haven't had time to check out yet. But everything's out there for us. We've heard a lot of the same things, so you know, I can't really say there's this one artist in particular, because I love so many. There's so many incredible musicians out there still.

A: You almost got to play in a touring band with Jaco Pastorius as a teenager. How did that come about? Why didn't you get to tour with him?

M: I was 15 or 16, and I was playing with him. I was in a band with some friends in Ft. Lauderdale and they were friends or students of Jaco, and he used to come play with us. And…he liked me. Sometimes he'd get me to play Beethoven for him before the gig and then he'd play piano for me with all these amazing harmonies of his. He was an incredible piano player…incredible harmonies…a master. And we played together a bunch of times in different settings. Did everything from straight ahead jazz to the more electric trio kind of things we were doing, and he'd sit in and play and take over the rest of the night. And we'd play his tunes…other stuff. I even sat in on a country recording with him one time. He was in the studio recording and I was in the studio in another room- I think I was actually making my classical demo for auditions for colleges- so I went on over and played on that for a second. And he liked me and was really, really encouraging and was just a wonderfully empowered musical spirit, and he asked me to go out on the road with him in Japan, but my mom wouldn't go for it. At the time I wasn't too happy about it, but I think it worked out all right.

A: Are you a fan of Sun Ra? I know you all have worked with members of the Arkestra in the past.

M: Yeah. He'd be in the top echelon- to answer your other question- of influences. I love Sun Ra as much as anybody. I mean, Sun Ra was an early explorer of sound. And I like to explore sound. And there's certain keyboards that he played that I wanted to check out because he played them. And I don't really pick instruments according to what people play, I do it according to what it sounds like when I play it and what I relate to and what I'm hearing. But Sun Ra is such an inspiration in every way: the instruments he chose, the voices, the melodies he created, the harmonies. Everything about him: his soloing, the image he created for himself, the spiritual side- or whatever you want to call it- that he was into. All that. It's a never-ending inspiration. His whole life is an inspiration. And he's from Birmingham, you know, so whenever I come to Birmingham I can't help but think about that. You feel that energy and that spirit…that Sun Ra spirit.

A: He got dropped off here…

M: Yeah, apparently so.

A: Do you have any younger players you pay attention to? Anyone you think is pushing the envelope in new and exciting ways?

M: That's a hard one to say. Yeah, I hear things out there. There's so much great music out there…younger players. There's this band the Crash Kings that I really like. They're kind of poppy, keyboard based, no guitar [laughs] kind of stuff. I really like those guys a lot. I mean, there's a lot of great musicians out there: Jason Moran, Craig Taborn…guys from more of the jazz world. Rudresh Mahanthappa is a great sax player. The thing is, especially in jazz, there's sort of this new, really intelligent, soulful music out there. It's a pretty amazing era right now I think. More in the jazz world than the pop world. Pop music is in a lull I would say [laughs]. It's in a post-indie rock world waiting for something to happen. Plus the industry is so screwed up….

A: You all will be giving a rare acoustic performance when you play here in town at the Alys Stephens Center. Are there any particular dynamics you enjoy about the acoustic setting that are missing from an electric show? You all started out as a largely acoustic trio….

M: Well, you know, piano is my first instrument. The piano itself is an orchestra. It's an incredible instrument. It has unlimited colors and within its range it has a lot it can do. And it forces a certain kind of listening. It just creates a different atmosphere. It forces you to go a little deeper…both the audience and us. Which we like. It's about music. It's really about an experience and a journey. We never set out to be a dance band, you know? We play music. We love so many dance-influenced musics it's definitely part of our fabric, but it's never been like, "You have to dance to our music." That's never been a rule. Our rule has been to do whatever you want and whatever you feel. The most important thing is to come along for the ride and be open minded….that's the only thing we really care about. If you're open minded, we're going to get into things and we're all going to go there together. And the more we stay together, the more we can really go someplace special, rather than that old comfortable place you recognize from sitting on your couch with the headphones on. That's not what we're about. It's about here and now.

A: You all are known as a very groove-oriented band. Are you a believer in the old adage "jazz is the teacher/funk is the preacher"?

M: I think it's great. James "Blood" [Ulmer] was right on the way I see it. It's true. But, you know, jazz is also a preacher. It has some preaching to offer. It's a great line. There's so much to be said. There's so much truth to it. Jazz is an incredible teacher. It's a super advanced language. It's roots are the results of the melting pot of America. It's a beautiful thing and it's opened up all over the world. There's all kinds of versions of it. People get inspired by it and influenced by it. That's why I'm baffled by all these people claiming "what" jazz is today. But what are you gonna do? I wouldn't necessarily call MMW jazz. I mean, for a long time I haven't even cared what it means. I just know I love certain music. It's all relative to your perspective. It's just names….words.

A: What can fans expect from you all in 2012? Any big plans? Any end of the world party tunes in store for the coming year?

M: I don't know. We're touring a little less this coming year. We're each doing other things- more projects- but we're not going to be out much this year. So, if you see us out there you better go, 'cause we're not going to be doing as many festivals and stuff as we've done in the past. We'll be out together in the fall, so, we'll figure out something to celebrate the end of the world.