Note Bleu (Medeski Martin & Wood, 2006)

For a nice retrospective of most of the career of Medeski Martin & Wood, just pick up this disc and their old label predecessor, Last Chance to Dance Trance (Perhaps). Then all you need to find is a yet-to-be-published compilation for their next label (Indirecto) and your life will be complete.

The Blue Note years for MMW marked increasingly diverse instrumentation, especially by John Medeski, who has probably done more for jazz mellotron than, well, anyone? Other than one track from the acoustic Tonic ("Hey Joe") there is plenty of wurlitzers and turntables to go around. Even the horn section and guitar (Scofield in for Ribot) make their return on some tracks. All and all it isn't exactly pure jazz (they opened for Dave Matthews....talk about a concert I would walk out of after the opening act), the musicianship is first rate and they certainly recognize that "tradition" in jazz as far more been about taking risks and trying new things rather than getting wrapped up in the past. I think Wynton Marsalis would mug me with his trumpet for saying that...!