John Medeski
Anthony John Medeski ( born June 28, 1965 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American organist, keyboardist and composer of the jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood.
He plays piano and keyboards, especially B-3 Hammond, melodica, mellotron, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, Moog Voyager Synthesizer, Yamaha CS-1 Synthesizer.
Career
Medeski was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on. After piano lessons since the age of five (his father was a pianist ), where he became acquainted with Bach, Beethoven and Debussy, he learned from 1978 with Lee Shaw Jazz piano techniques. After excursions into African folk music and commitment as a theater musician, he started early with musicians such as Mark Murphy to play ( famous for his hit " Senor Blues" ) and Jaco Pastorius. From 1983 he studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston, temporarily even with Dave Holland, George Russell and Joe Maneri. In addition, Medeski discovered the Hammond B -3, with which he accompanied in addition to Dewey Redman, Billy Higgins, Bob Mintzer and Alan Dawson also the Boston blues singer Mr. Jelly Belly. In the late 1980s Medeski was a member of the Either / Orchestra ( The Half -Life of Desire ).
In 1988, Medeski his studies and played from 1990, after moving to New York, the renowned jazz club Village Gate with different bands. After a collaboration with Bob Moses Medeski accompanied him on a tour of Israel, during which he met bassist Chris Wood. A year later, he teamed up with Billy Martin and Chris Wood, the trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. 1994 accompanied Medeski John Zorn's Masada Quartet together with Marc Ribot and Billy Martin.
Work
His technically brilliant as atmospheric game he brings ( on the John Scofield album A Go Go from 1997 so for example in collaboration with his bandmates Martin & Wood), as well as in rather more experimental music a both more accessible groovy jazz funk, eg on the side of John Zorn (Electric Masada ) and David Fiuczynski ( Lunar Crush ). He often uses various effects and synthesizers to create special sounds.
Particularly well known Medeski was with the trio Medeski, Martin & Wood with Billy Martin and bassist Chris Wood. This band was known existing since 1991 with a funk / jazz sound, ranging from rather bluesy structures to sound experiments and takes in contemporary electronic music also in terms of arrangements and bonds.
In 2000, Medeski collaborated with The Word, a Southern rock band. Since 2006 he plays the organ in the formation John Medeski & The Itch with Eric Krasno ( Soulive ) and Adam Deitch.
Discography
With Medeski, Martin and Wood
- Notes From the Underground, 1992
- It's a Jungle in Here, 1993
- Friday Afternoon in the Universe, 1995
- Shack -man, 1996
- Farmer's Reserve, 1997
- Bubble House, 1997
- Combustication, 1998
- Combustication Remixes, 1999
- Last Chance to Dance Trance ( Perhaps ), 1999 ( compilation of earlier pieces from 1991 to 1996 as well as live recordings)
- Tonic, 2000
- The Dropper, 2000
- Electric Tonic, 2001
- Uninvisible, 2002
- End Of The World Party ( just in case ), 2004
- Note Bleu - Best of the Blue Note Years 1998-2005, 2006 ( anthology of the previous six Blue Note Records albums )
- Out Louder, 2006 ( as " Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood" )
- Let's Go Everywhere, 2008
- Radiolarians I, 2008
- Radiolarians II, 2009
- Radiolarians III, 2009
As Piano Accompaniment
- Jazz Composers Orchestra - Flux (1992 )
- Mandala Octet - The Last Elephant (1992 )
- Ken Schlaphorst - When the Moon jumps, (1993 )
- David Fiuczynski - Lunar Crush (1994 )
- Dougie Bowne - One Way Elevator ( 1994)
- Ken Schaphorst - Over the Rainbow (1996 )
Swell
- Kennedy, Gary: John Medeski, in: Nuclear Field, Barry (ed.): The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz ( 2nd edition ), vol II, London 2002, p 741