Radiolarians 3

MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD: Radiolarians III
Indirecto, 2009

JAZZ/INSTRUMENTAL ROCK – This final disc in MMW’s self-released Radiolarians series is great fun: brighter in tone but equally varied in content, with several tracks feeling like multiple tunes welded together (not medleys, just divergent ideas combined in surprising ways). Catchy yet unpredictably adventurous, with a nice strain of freedom (mostly from Medeski on keys) running through and around the tight grooves. This might well be my favorite MMW album.

* * * * * | Every track worthwhile. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9

1. 7:50 – perky synth riff & funky walking beat; turns jazzy, heats up, ends soft
2. 4:27 – 1st half: dramatic solo piano; 2nd half: twisted gospel-blues stomp
3. 9:12 – moody start, exotic chugging-dub atmosphere, solos get a bit wild
4. 5:39 – upbeat but grubby rock tune, catchy and fun, lots of overdubs
5. 6:02 – a happy New Orleans beat with some weird twists: understated
6. 6:30 – perky organ, funky glide, bluesy bursts… starts great, loses steam
7. 8:42 – happy li’l latin thang, straight-up jazz with an airy sweep
8. 5:27 – 1960s spy movie sound, amps up the cheez with organ & lush piano
9. 5:33 – 1970s cop show meets futuristic reggae, swaggering & staggering

[ Fo ] 09/16/09