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Jazz Articles about John Medeski
Medeski, Martin, Cline, and Metzger In Free Flight
by Dave Kaufman
Just after midnight at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on December 30, 2025, a late set got underway. Billed as a Phish After-Party, it featured John Medeski (organ and keys), Billy Martin (drums), Scott Metzger (guitar and bass guitar), and Nels Cline (guitar). Phish was in the middle of its annual Madison Square Garden New Year's run (December 28-31, 2025), and people clearly came looking for the celebration to continue. Many were in for quite a surprise.
Continue ReadingJohn Zorn: Gnosis: The Inner Light
by Nenad Georgievski
John Zorn's album Gnosis: The Inner Light serves as a poignant memorial and homage to the creative genius of one of modern music's most visionary composers, Ennio Morricone, who played a vital role in shaping Zorn's musical path. Decades ago, Zorn captivated audiences with The Big Gundown (Nonesuch, 1986), a groundbreaking release that boldly reimagined Morricone's compositions. Now, with Gnosis: The Inner Light, Zorn once again pays tribute to the maestro's enduring influence, delving into mystical realms and creating a ...
Continue ReadingClub d'Elf: You Never Know
by Chris M. Slawecki
You Never Know is the Club d'Elf studio album that captures the whirling, overlapping orbits of acoustic, electric and exotic sounds of the floating improvisational collective, which has recorded and performed together for more than two decades, with crisp studio clarity. But more importantly, You Never Know celebrates light born from darkness. Bassist and bandleader Mike Rivard, the sole constant in the collective's 24-year run, suffered a near-death experience from a pulmonary embolism which struck him while he ...
Continue ReadingFor John Medeski music has always been about healing
by Leo Sidran
For John Medeski, music has always been about healing. “Music just kind of sucked me up," he says. “For me having music was a great way to deal with the hard things in life.Best known as one-third of the avant-garde jazz / funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood along with Billy Martin and Chris Wood (aka MMW), Medeski began playing piano as a kid, growing up in Florida. By high school, he was sitting in with the likes ...
Continue ReadingWill Bernard: Pond Life
by Mark Corroto
All great performances, be they athletic or musical, start with a solid base. For guitarist Will Bernard that is a trio with drummer Ches Smith (Ceramic Dog, Snakeoil) and completing Bernard's bass (sic) with both the acoustic and electric input of bassist Chris Lightcap. Upon this foundation Bernard is inspired to expand his music with the help of keyboardist John Medeski and saxophonist Tim Berne. Medeski can be heard on the guitarist's 2008 album Blue Plate Special (Palmetto Records) and ...
Continue ReadingClub D'Elf: You Never Know
by Chris May
Near-death experiences can reboot the mind, separating the important from the trivial. It seems to have worked like that for bassist and composer Mike Rivard, founder and leader of Boston's world-dub-jazz band Club D'Elf. A few years back, Rivard was nearly felled by a pulmonary embolism while seeking spiritual insight in the Amazonian rain forest. A long, dark period of depression followed, before Rivard emerged recharged into the light, having been sustained in large part by gnawa, the Moroccan trance ...
Continue ReadingJeff Cosgrove / John Medeski / Jeff Lederer: History Gets Ahead of the Story
by Jerome Wilson
William Parker gets deserved acclaim for his abilities as a bassist and his activism and leadership in the avant jazz community but not as much for his composing. Drummer Jeff Cosgrove tries to correct that with this project that features Parker's music played by an organ trio with no bassist. Cosgrove's partners in this venture are John Medeski on organ and Jeff Lederer on various reeds. Both are adept at covering the wide variety of gut-bucket grooves, spiritual ...
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