Medeski Martin & Wood have always had a tendency to play “out,” gravitating toward heady, avant-garde jazz licks and atonal riffs while dropping just enough straight-ahead funk grooves to pacify their jam-band fan base. When they teamed up with guitar guru John Scofield on his A Go Go (1998), the outcome was hip but tame, and the trio’s playfulness took a back seat to Scofield’s melodic songwriting. On Out Louder — the first studio collaboration between Scofield and MAW in eight years — the artistic input feels more balanced, and the resulting 12 tracks range from New Orleans Meters-style funk (“Little Walter Rides Again”) and breakneck-paced free jazz (“Miles Behind”) to outer-space boss nova (“Tequila and Chocolate”) and Frisell-esque lyrical guitar balladry (John Lennon’s “Julia”). A handful of tunes bear Scofield’s trademark pop hooks, but more often than not the improvised melodies take shape organically, giving the album a gritty, basement-studio vibe.
Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood | Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave, Boston | November 16 | 617.931.2000
