On September 26, Indirecto Records releases “Out Louder”, the improvisation-fueled date from John Medeski, John Scofield, Billy Martin, & Chris Wood. It is the inaugural release for Medeski Martin & Wood’s Indirecto label. “Out Louder” is jam-packed with irresistible grooves and spontaneous improvisation, music made not above nor below, but rather in some altogether hipper place.
Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood first recorded together on Scofield’s “A Go Go” (Verve 1998), a disc that has become a must-have classic. That project united jazz guitarist Scofield with the eclectic improvisational jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood on material composed by Scofield and interpreted by all four musicians.
“Out Louder”, however, is a genuine four-way collaboration between Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood. “‘A Go Go'” was John’s record and we were essentially sidemen, where “Out Louder” musically comes from all of us” explains Wood.
Scofield adds that much of the material was composed when the foursome “would play free stuff, listen back, make a song out of it, and then go back with that idea in mind and play free again.”
Recorded in under a week at Shacklyn, MMW’s fabled downtown Brooklyn studio, “Out Louder” reeks of the scruffy, spirited basement in which it was created. There’s the undeniably funky “Little Walter Rides Again,” the free jazz excursions of “Miles Behind,” and the improvisation-rich take on Peter Tosh’s reggae anthem “Legalize It.” This is music not of this world, yet rooted in the earth tones of jazz, funk, and blues. Music from the heart, for the mind, and made to shake the earth, not to mention the body.
And there is more to come, as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood embark on their first-ever tour (dates to come), showcasing their collaborative, instinctive sound. Look for them to perform music from “Out Louder” and “A Go Go, with several yet-to-be-released tunes poised to be thrown into the mix.
