Combustication

Amazon.com's Best of 1998
The rather plainly named Medeski Martin & Wood have almost single-handedly returned the spotlight to the more out-there fusion between bop jazz and on-the-one funky rock music. Wheezing and huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, Medeski Martin & Wood plow into their songs with abandon. The drums of Billy Martin push the band out and away rather than gathering them neat and tidy, while bassist Chris Wood delivers the rhythms that somehow manage to keep every musical tidbit strapped to the deck. For his part, keyboardist John Medeski slaps and whacks his keys with inspired malice, all the while leaning heavy on the volume pedal. With the addition of DJ Logic further warping this band's sound, Medeski Martin & Wood have reached escape velocity and are now orbiting the planet. They may never come back. --S. Duda

Amazon.com essential recording
On their Blue Note Records debut, MMW move away from the diffuse, free form jams that characterized their 1996 release, Shack-Man, but the organ trio's trademark free-jazz-daring meets groove-happy-funk approach isn't diminished by move. The return to the more tightly focused approach that characterized Friday Afternoon in the Universe, may be motivated by commercial concerns (how many more Phishheads can they possibly convert?) but it's also a musical triumph; Combustication is the trio's finest of their six recordings. DJ Logic's warbling scratches enliven "Start-Stop" and "Church of Logic." Poet Steve Cannon recites some appropriately fried verses on "What Ever Happened to Gus," and the band takes Sly Stone's "Everyday People" away from Madison Avenue and into the Southern Baptist church. But is it jazz? Well, as Lester Bowie once said to a similar inquiry, "It depends on what you know." --Martin Johnson

Tracks:

Sugarcraft
Just Like I Pictured It
Start/Stop
Nocturne
Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho
Whatever Happened To Gus
Latin Shuffle
Everyday People
Coconut Boogaloo
Church Of Logic
No Ke Ano Ahiahi
Hypnotized

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

The rather plainly named Medeski Martin & Wood have almost single-handedly returned the spotlight to the more out-there fusion between bop jazz and on-the-one funky rock music. Wheezing and huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, Medeski Martin & Wood plow into their songs with abandon. The drums of Billy Martin push the band out and away rather than gathering them neat and tidy, while bassist Chris Wood delivers the rhythms that somehow manage to keep every musical tidbit strapped to the deck. For his part, keyboardist John Medeski slaps and whacks his keys with inspired malice, all the while leaning heavy on the volume pedal. With the addition of DJ Logic further warping this band's sound, Medeski Martin & Wood have reached escape velocity and are now orbiting the planet. They may never come back. --S. Duda

Amazon.com essential recording

On their Blue Note Records debut, MMW move away from the diffuse, free form jams that characterized their 1996 release, Shack-Man, but the organ trio's trademark free-jazz-daring meets groove-happy-funk approach isn't diminished by move. The return to the more tightly focused approach that characterized Friday Afternoon in the Universe, may be motivated by commercial concerns (how many more Phishheads can they possibly convert?) but it's also a musical triumph; Combustication is the trio's finest of their six recordings. DJ Logic's warbling scratches enliven "Start-Stop" and "Church of Logic." Poet Steve Cannon recites some appropriately fried verses on "What Ever Happened to Gus," and the band takes Sly Stone's "Everyday People" away from Madison Avenue and into the Southern Baptist church. But is it jazz? Well, as Lester Bowie once said to a similar inquiry, "It depends on what you know." --Martin Johnson

Customer Reviews:

Unique.......2007-01-03

MMW has always defined their own style and paved their own musical way.......this is another classic example of how NOT to cater to big labels. These guys teeter on the fence of jazz and jam........nice combo for most of the listeners who wouldn't know how to react to pure jazz.

Some of the Best of MMW.......2005-01-25

With each new album that MMW puts out they continually push the limit of what is considered jazz. Combustication is definately one of those albums. This keyboard-bass-drum trio combines their special blend of free-formed acid jazz with guest dj logic's turntables. This album shows why MMW are one of the most exciting and innovative bands of their time.

Finally.......2005-01-24

Some destrucured jazz that i love so much !!!
Du blue note en force....
Wai good sound from titan !!!

MMW at their best.......2004-09-09

This is truly one of the better MMW albums. This album has songs which are upbeat (like Sugarcraft and Latin Shuffle), but in general are more laid back than other MMW albums. The slower tempo allows us to see another side of this trio which is great.

I have to admit that it took a while for this album to stick to me when I first bought it. At the time, I was primarily into MMW for the faster grooves that they have on other albums (Shackman and Last Chance to....). I listened to it a few times and put it on the shelf for a while until I gave it another try. Since then, this CD has been on heavy rotation in my stereo.

Somewhere in the middle..........2004-02-10

MMW has changed over the years, from a more straight-up funky avant-garde jazz band to a group of studio experimentalists exploring sonic textures as much as the intricacies of the groove. DJ Logic, who appears here, may have been an impetus for this shift, and the two studio albums since this release show this heightened sense of experimentalism even though Logic doesn't appear on them. Here, the band is beginning to launch off in these new directions but still stays very grounded in what worked for them in the past. My favorite here has to be the B-3 soul version of "Everyday People," which brings out a gospel feel I never noticed in the original. The fact that MMW can interpret a pop standard in an enlightening new way displays their depth of understanding of music as a whole. These guys are bringing jazz back to its edgy roots by pushing it forward. This is a flawless disc and an easy way to discover them and become a convert to the growing MMW fanbase. Still waiting on a new release, guys, it's been awhile!

Average customer rating:

essetnial if you plan on living on planet earth any further
a couple of gems here
mind blowing
original better
original better

Combustication Remix
Medeski Martin & Wood
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Bubblehouse EP
Combustication
Tonic
It's a Jungle in Here
Shack Man

ASIN: B00000ID4N
Release Date: 1999-04-20

Tracks:

Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho (Illyb Remix)
Whatever Happened To Gus (Guru Remix)
Start-Stop (DJ Logic Remix)
Nocturne (Automator Remix)
Sugar Craft (Yuka Honda Remix)
Satan's Church Of Hypnotized Logic (Bill Laswell Remix)

Amazon.com

While it's fairly standard practice to follow up a popular album with an EP of remixes, it's not something that happens every day in the jazz world. Then again, Medeski Martin & Wood are not an average jazz band. With the addition of DJ Logic for the Combustication album, MMW pushed their sound further outside the realm of jazz music, and this remix project confirms what we knew all along: MMW are headed even further out and they probably won't be coming back anytime soon. Best to stop worrying about what to call their music (avant jazz space funk?) and just dig it. The Combustication Remix EP is heavy on the beats and, thanks to the likes of The Automator, Guru, and Yuka Honda, heavily influenced by hip-hop beats. The best (and oddest) remix on the EP, however, doesn't come from a hip-hop big shot, but rather the king of space funk himself, Bill Laswell, who squeezes "Satan's Church of Hypnotized Logic" for all it's worth while still keeping the track's crucial icy-hot keyboard riff intact. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews:

essetnial if you plan on living on planet earth any further.......2000-07-09

I don't think there is an album out there that is reflective of the hip-hop, dance/club, and jazz culure. Oh wait! Yea there is. It's the Combustication remix EP. If you want to spend a mello evening with your girlfriend and listen to some music, just pop this title in. What will end up happenning is she will leave because your too into the music and thus too complex. But you'll be okay with that because you'll have a cutting edge collection of Medeski, Martin, and Woods Music that grooves hard. So keep an eye on it so your friends don't take it.

a couple of gems here.......2000-04-03

as a huge fan of the combustication lp i was interested in hearing the remix ep. my only regret is that there aren't more tracks on it. all six tracks are good, but a couple stand out more than others. tracks three and five maintain more of the mmw groove while still exploring new twists in the songs presented. the ep presents a much stronger hip hop/trip hop feel than the combustication album, and as a result is a testament to the versatility of mmw's music.

mind blowing.......2000-03-18

this is the best modern jazz band around, and the best groove band ever. the fact that they put out a remix ep of their latest album merely concretes the fact that they're much more advanced than any band in this field today. the guru track is dope...

original better.......2000-02-18

I like Combustication way more than this. Some of the mixes are interesting, but I must admit I don't really see the point.

The thing with Ted Bundy is pretty cool.

original better.......2000-02-18

I like Combustication way more than this. Some of the mixes are interesting, but I must admit I don't really see the point.

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