"Jamband" Jazz

[JazzCat]

What are your guys thoughts on these kind of "hippy" type jazz bands. Bands like Medeski Martin and Wood, Soulive, etc. I really like MMW, and there's this band called Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey that are pretty good. Sex Mob is amazing, if they fit into this category. But i think a lot of the time, the people going to these shows have no idea whats going on in front of them, and this gives some of the bands a pass to shit-around alot up there. What do you think?

[Chaz Longue]

Good music is good music regardless of genre or style, imho.
I'd be tempted to throw the Ellington quote in here, but in this crowd, it's a cliche.

I've only seen MMW a couple of times and they bored me to tears, but Medeski travels in such interesting company, I haven't written him off.

Sexmob seem entirely a different story. Much more interesting to my ears.

MMW, Soulive, JD Logic on a triple bill at Memorial Auditorium Friday 6/04/2004 as part of the expanded 9 day Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington Vermont, btw.

[chuckyd4]

In the winter issue of Signal to Noise , there was a long article on Phish's keyboardist, Page McConnell. I thought there he made an interesting point with regard to Phish's fans and their music - something to the effect of "We're nowhere near as good as they say"; but conversely, to people who write them off, "We're far better than they say we are".

I think that's a fair assessment of what I know of these bands - especially MMW. It's really quite capable stuff, for what it is, but unapologetically boring compared to what their legion of fans claim about them. That said, the reason they have that legion of fans is by and large due to their night in-night out touring schedule, building up an audience the old fashioned way - by building a trusting, hard-working, dedicated relationship with them. That, IMHO, is something to be applauded.

I would put Sex Mob in a totally different category then the other groups you mentioned - minus whatever six-degrees type connections there are between Medeski (in particular) and Steven Bernstein.

[Pete C]

I've seen Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey twice. I think the pianist, Brian Haas, is really excellent, but I could do without so much rock star-type stuff from the bass player. I first saw them at last year's Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, and had no idea what to expect. I caught them recently at Tonic in NY and I was the oldest person in the audience. A real treat was that the excellent free jazz sax & flute player Elliot Levin sat in for about 20 minutes.

[JazzCat]

Great point about JFJO bass player. I also think he could stand to play the BASS once in a while instead of a wah-wah pedal. He solos like he's playing a guitar, and doesn't seem to show knowledge of any such thing as a walking bassline, although I'm sure that this is not true, and I'm certain that i am, and I am, exaggerating.

[Il Anto]

I don't know if this fits, but I always loved this bootleg I have of David Murray playing with the Grateful Dead.

[Pete C]

Anto, how's tricks?

I just caught Charlie Hunter last night, after the Leo Smith show at Tonic. Once again I was about the oldest person in the house, after all my contemporaries & elders from the first show left the house.

I like Hunter. His techinque is pretty awesome, and his music is fun--an instrumental mix of jazz, funk, blues, R&b, & rock with a bit of a trancey element. His following is a talkative bunch, I must say. I was only slightly familiar with him before. For those who don't know him, he plays a 9-string electric guitar and plays simultaneous bass lines to accompany his themes and improvisations. I know other players do this, but Stanley Jordan is the only one who comes to mind, and his style and touch is very different.

[mke]

Originally Posted by Pete C

he plays a 9-string electric guitar

I believe it's an 8-string.

[Pete C]

Could be. I thought I counted 6 pegs on one side and 3 on the other.

[gnhrtg]

Eight it is, 2 and 6. But then he might have been experimenting further.

Being a guitarist, I was totally floored by his playing on "Duo" with Leon Parker when it came out. I didn't, don't, get much out of the numerous bands projects, though. Has anyone here heard the new duo release with Bobby Previte?

[JazzCat]

Your right, his playing style is extremely different from Jordan's. Hunter's side project, Garage-a-Trois, with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and a sax player named Skerik is prettty fun as well.

[Salvador Dali Lama]

I don't care to ever hear another MMW album again, but I see them live as often as possible. their shows are great. their records kind of suck.