M.Neumann The renowned keyboard-bass-drum combo from Brooklyn continues to defy anything approaching conventional logic, and at this stage in the band's ongoing two-decade long career I'm ready to admit they can do no wrong.

Volume Two of the trio's otherwise unrelated instrumental trilogy of albums offers another eclectic mix of mismatched but not uncomplimentary styles: space-rock improvisation, acoustic acid-jazz psychedelia, toe-tapping trip hop beats, and free-form instant composition, all fused into a unique and singular style. The ten selections here, together with Part One (and presumably the as-yet unheard Volume III), not only set a new creative benchmark for such an already wildly idiosyncratic group, but also breathe a gust of fresh air into the stale conventions of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

The new album is more immediately aggressive than its predecessor, beginning with the unexpected assertiveness of "Flat Tires" (fans of mid-'70s Magma and King Crimson are hereby put on alert), and continuing with the inner-city film noir soundtrack of "Junkyard". Beatnik groove fests follow jarring Post-Rock improvs follow swinging Jazz-Funk dance exercises, all composed and played with disarming grace and virtuosity, not to mention a playful sense of humor: listen to the seemingly spontaneous "ijiji" (among others) for proof.

As it was in Part One, the music here was fleshed out in front of an audience while on tour before the trio even approached a recording studio, giving the subsequent album(s) all the energy and vitality of a live recording. And after such a challenging set of original music the smoky late-night blues of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" is the perfect cushion for a soft landing: pure magic, and (almost) entirely acoustic.

Onwards now to Part Three, and what promises to be the final chapter of a potential five-star trilogy.

js I’m not sure why this wasn’t released until 2011, but this is a recording of MSMW’s 2006 tour which was in support of their album, “Out Louder”. MM&W first worked with Scofield on his 1998 release, “A Go Go”. That album had its moments, but overall the first meeting between Scosh and MM&W seemed a little tentative and not near as relaxed and confident as their 2006 endeavors. The big difference is that in 06 all members were given equal input, whereas in 98 MM&W were operating more as hired hands. The end result with the 06 music is that it takes on much more of the MM&W character; sprawling eclectic jams where almost anything goes and enjoying the ride trumps a defined destination. In many ways MM&W resemble a 60s experimental rock band more than a fusion band. Their relaxed approach to improv and disregard for linear focus often brings to mind rock experimenters like early Pink Floyd and Amon Duul. Their use of rock sounds like a heavily distorted organ on “What Now” add to that effect. The make or break for this CD to the potential buyer lies with how appealing you find MM&W’s neo-hippie sensibilities.

Although this live album moves away from the more focused control of 98’s “A Go Go”, probably the best cuts on here are the funk jazz numbers from that first album. The band approaches these old songs with much more abandon and confidence, and the rhythmic backbone of these Schofield numbers is a little stronger than the group improv creations from their 2006 studio album. With these two live discs evenly divided between compositions from both the 98 and 06 studio albums, its possible funk-jazz fans might gravitate more to Scofield’s 98 compositions, while avant-garde rockers might prefer the later group efforts.

Overall, adding one of the best fusion guitarists around to one of the best jam bands in modern history results in some great instrumental jazz rock. One recommended cut is “Miles Behind” in which the band spoofs, and pays tribute to Miles’ (and McLaughlin and Jarret) work on “Live Evil”. Medeski’s distorted electric piano ride, that mimics the kind of atonal assaults that Jarret and Corea use to produce for Miles, is some of the finest playing in his recorded career.

SaltyJon Medeski, Martin & Wood are a great band, and this, their debut album, is a great testament of that. Before listening to this album, I really only knew them for their funky organ-driven jazz and their adventurous spirit when it came to their playing. This album keeps the adventurous spirit, but it's all acoustic jazz. Medeski sticks to piano and Wood sticks to double bass, giving it a really nice organic sound.

Right from the beginning you can tell these guys are a talented bunch, all displaying an excellent proficiency on their instruments and a good feel for what to play and when to play it. They have some free jazz sensibilities sometimes, and their love for a nice funky feeling is apparent even here on their debut album. Though the album's long (72 minutes, plus my version has a bonus track, "Can't Get What You Want") it never seems to drag, thanks to consistently solid playing from all the members of the group. Plus, every member gets a chance to show off his chops with various solos.

It's definitely a worthy inclusion to any jazz collection...really, any music collection. If you enjoy acoustic jazz trios who can keep things moving and interesting, then this album is definitely for you. I would point out "best tracks" but I feel like it's all of a uniformly high quality. Four stars from me.

M.Neumann Since their first recorded efforts in the early 1990s the Brooklyn combo of Medeski Martin and Wood have created a diverse body of music drawn around an unlikely blend of be-bop rock, trip-hop jazz, and (as the title to this collection implies) groovy beatnik party tunes. On paper the combination looks more than a little contrived, but don't worry: it all fits easily together into one incredibly cool sound.

This 1999 compilation sums up the band's first half-decade together, before they signed to the Blue Note label and plunged headlong into even more challenging, uncharted territory (see: "Combustication", and later albums). The tracks here, a baker's dozen in total (including one live performance and several new mixes of older material), are arranged in random chronological order, the better to represent the uniformity of vision in the group's wide spectrum of style.

Thus the irresistible groove of the album opener "Chubb Subb" leads to the escalating bohemian funk of "Bubblehouse", and the edgy acoustic improvisation of "Hermeto's Daydream" (the oldest and jazziest selection here) precedes the (affectionate) mock spiritual vibe of "Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus". And let's not overlook the nifty Latin swing of the awkwardly named title track, yet another album highlight.

The secret to the band's success over the last two decades is more than simply cosmetic: this is a well-balanced trio of dedicated artists. John Medeski's Hammond organ gives the music its grindhouse gospel flavor; Chris Wood's acoustic upright bass supplies the sterling jazz credentials; and Billy Martin's fluid drumwork is the furnace bringing the strange brew to a rhythmic boil.

MMW would later evolve into something even more eclectic and sophisticated. But the roots of their unique style were already strong in these early recordings. This set not only collects a generous sampling from those embryonic years, it also makes a good introduction for newcomers to one of the more exciting groups now pushing out the boundaries of popular music.

M.Neumann This year 2000 live set was a radical departure from the Brooklyn trio's already challenging blend of trip-hop jazz funk fusion. Setting aside their battery of electronics, the band reconfigured itself as a strictly acoustic, traditional jazz combo (piano, bass, drums), playing frenetic be-bop in the lower Manhattan club of the album's title.

The tightly constructed free-form jams (not a contradiction with these guys) cover a mix of original tunes and covers, from Coltrane to Bud Powell to Jimi Hendrix, performed with one ear (only indirectly, and from a distance) tuned to rock 'n' roll. Note the wide range of influences in their music. Note too how the Coltrane song ("Your Lady") is one of the more swinging numbers in the set, while the Hendrix chestnut ("Hey Joe") is transformed by reverse osmosis into the smoothest cocktail lounge jazz.

The scarcity of rock music dynamics might scare away any doctrinaire Jazz-Rockers, but the pure acoustic sound quality (achieved, amazingly, with only two microphones) only clarifies the unique MMW style. Strictly speaking, the album probably deserves an elite two-star rating (for confirmed fans only). But the music here is far too dynamic and exciting to warrant anything less than a solid four-star rave. As the title clearly implies, the album is not unlike a bracing slap in the face.

js “Fly in a Bottle” is a documentary that follows Medeski, Martin and Wood while they are on tour developing the music that will become “Radiolarians”, as well as some of the recording sessions for that same album. The music on here is excellent, MM&W have a come a long way over the years. They were always a talented band from the start, but their confidence has grown. The funky tunes are funkier than ever, and the psychedelic jazz-rock tunes are more powerful, imaginative and original. Almost any music fan might enjoy watching their concerts and even some of their recording sessions, but a lot of the rest of this DVD is for hardcore fans only.

Along with the footage of MM&W playing music, you also get a lot of footage of them on tour visiting ecological tourist spots and talking, hanging out etc, which is where I think a lot of non-fans will probably start losing interest. They seem like nice sincere guys, but they aren’t particularly entertaining or charismatic, which is often the case with nice sincere guys. There are also some artsy short videos that follow the main feature, some more entertaining than others. Fans of MM&W may want to pick this up, it’s a well-made video and the music is excellent, but non-fans may find this lacking in substance in places.