Medeski, Martin, & Wood
Saturday, January 23rd, 1999
NYC - Soho @ Magic Shop
National Public Radio - Anthem program
w/ Hosts: Renee Montagne & Rick Karr

FM > ? > CDR

1. Radio Host Intro [1:26]
2. radio hosts talking [0:50]
3. Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho [3:12]
4. radio hosts talking [0:38]
5. Medeski shows his instruments[6:03]
6. Jimmy Smith - A Night [2:03]
In Tunisia
7. Bob Beldin talks [9:21]
8. talking w/ MMW [1:41]
9. Olde Wyne [4:02]
10. talking w/ MMW [0:36]
11. radio hosts talking [0:27]
12. Sugarcraft [4:36]
13. talking w/ MMW & Logic [3:09]
14. Logic solo [1:02]
15. talking w/ MMW & Logic [3:09]
16. Night Marchers [4:04]
17. radio hosts talking [1:33]
18. listening booth with [13:46]
DJ John Darin Murph
19. talking w/ MMW [4:41]
20. Improv [5:23]
21. talking w/ MMW [2:24]
22. Bubblehouse [4:27]

tracks 6, 7, and 18 have nothing to do with MMW


Detailed Info:

FIRST HOUR

1. MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK: MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD -- Co-host Rick Karr hosts a performance chat with innovative jazz combo Medeski Martin & Wood. Emerging from the Downtown New York jazz scene, the group has consistently challenged the boundaries of jazz by integrating traditional jazz improvisation with funk rhythms, and most recently with hip-hop grooves. They begin by playing their tune "Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho". Keyboardist John Medeski then takes Rick on a tour of the vintage instruments in his sonic arsenal.Medeski Martin and Wood's most recent release is COMBUSTICATION, available on the Blue Note label. (10:30)

2. BLUE NOTE 60 PREVIEW -- We hear music by keyboard player Jimmy Smith -- long a fixture on the Blue Note Records jazz label -- in an example of music made with a Hammond brand B-3 organ. (1:50)

3. BLUE NOTE ANNIVERSARY -- This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of Blue Note Records, one of America's premier jazz record labels. Co-host Renee Montagne talks to Bob Belden, a producer for the label, about "the Blue Note sound" and the influence the Blue Note organization had on the development of jazz. (9:15)

4. MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK: MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD II -- Rick returns to our session with featured artists Medeski Martin & Wood for a performance of the classic New Orleans tune "Olde Wine" and a discussion with keyboardist John Medeski about the way the Blue Note sound influenced musicians hundreds of miles from the label's New York base. (6:30)

5. MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK: MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD III -- Rick continues his talk with the members of Medeski Martin & Wood. They open with a performance of "Sugar Craft", originally from their COMBUSTICATION album. They discuss the ramifications of working with hip-hop DJ Logic, who in turn demonstrates his style of turntable art. Members of the band then talk about their Hawaiian retreat -- "the Shack" -- where they recorded their 1997 release, SHACK-MAN. They close this set with a performance of "Night Marchers", which originally appeared on that record. (16:30)

6. CHARLES BROWN REMEMBERED -- We hear part of bluesman Charles Brown's performance of "When Did You Leave Heaven" from the 1996 album HONEYDRIPPER. Brown died on Thursday of congestive heart failure at the age of 76. (1:45)

7. ANTHEM ADDRESSES -- Renee tells listeners how to get in touch with us at ANTHEM. (:45)

SECOND HOUR

8. LISTENING BOOTH -- Rick joins Washington DC music journalist and DJ John Darin Murph in the listening booth to sample some recent jazz releases. They talk about ANIMATION IMAGINATION, the latest release from trumpeter Tim Hagans and the first release from Blue Note Records this year; we hear the track called "The Original Drum & Bass" and another called "hud doyle.com." They then listen to a track called "Love Dance" from REUNION, the new recording by guitarist James Blood Ulmer and the band Odyssey. They move then to a recording by the band Harriet Tubman, called "Where We Stand," from the album I AM A MAN. Finally, they talk about vocalist Jimmy Scott, whose voice has perplexed and delighted jazz fans for decades. Jimmy's new album is HOLDING BACK THE YEARS. We hear his version of Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love". (12:49)

9. JAZZ POETRY -- Renee talks to Sascha Feinstein, a poet and the co-director of the Creative Writing Program at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He is also the co-editor of the books "The Jazz Poetry Anthology" and its companion volume, "The Second Set;" and the editor of "The Bibliography of Jazz Poetry." They discuss the tradition of "jazz poetry"... a genre of writing that includes both writing about jazz and jazz musicians, and writing that tries to emulate jazz rhythms. We hear excerpts from poems by Langston Hughes, Jayne Cortez, and Michael Harper, and Feinstein talks about how jazz poetry has left a lasting mark on the tradition of American literature. The poems featured in this conversation are "Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes; "Bumblebee" by Jayne Cortez; and "Dear John, Dear Coltrane" by Michael Harper. (8:00)

10. SEKOU SUNDIATA -- Renee talks to spoken-word artist Sekou Sundiata (SAY-koo sun-dee-AH-tah) about the traditions of musicality in spoken-word performance. We hear a performance of his piece "Ear Training" from his latest CD, "The Blue Oneness of Dreams." "The Blue Oneness of Dreams" is available from Mouth Almighty/Mercury Records. (7:15)

11. MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK: MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD IV -- Rick returns to Magic Shop studios in New York for the last set of our session with jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood. They discuss their difficult relationship with the label "jazz", talk about the process that resulted in naming their group like a law firm, and demonstrate their improvisatory technique -- "going nowhere," they call it -- before slipping into an improvised groove. They conclude with a performance of "Bubblehouse" from the 1997 release SHACK-MAN. Medeski Martin and Wood's most recent release is COMBUSTICATION, available on the Blue Note label. (16:50)

12. ANTHEM CREDITS -- Renee tells everyone who's responsible for the two hours of radio we call ANTHEM. (2:30)


numbers 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 are missing, but they have nothing to do with MMW, so it doesnt matter