Dropper (Dig)

Medeski Martin & Wood, Medski,martin&wood | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00004ZDM5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,747 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Funk Rock
  • #23 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Acid Jazz
  • #26 in Music > Rock > Jam Bands > Funk Jam Bands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First impressions are not always accurate, February 24, 2001

By 

"littlealvy" (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dropper (Dig) (Audio CD)

Upon first hearing this album, I was turned off at first. Expecting music to groove to, like previous recordings, I had a difficult time finding the beats at first. After 3 or 4 listens I realized that this album was absolutely incredible. The beats are just as cool as earlier works, but they are surrounded by a sound landscape that is amazing once you understand it. Whereas albums like Last Chance... sound amazing the first time you hear them, The Dropper takes time to get used to. Many of friends my heard me playing Last Chance... in my car and wanted to borrow it immediately. However, those songs can become played out to a certain degree. With The Dropper, there is so much more for the ear to take a hold of. For a first timer, I would recommend purchasing Last Chance to Dance Trance. But the hardcore MMW fan needs to have this one in their collection. It may not seem to groove right up front, but the substance of the record is enormous comparatively. The Dropper is a reward for the veteran MMW listener.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MMW continues to grow and put out great discs., October 26, 2000

By 

Jason Hibbard (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dropper (Dig) (Audio CD)

It's been a good year for Medeski, Martin + Wood. Putting out a disc of such high caliber as the live, acoustic "Tonic" would be enough for most groups, but MMW have given us its electric equivalent. "The Dropper" is more great stuff from a band that has yet to slow down or rest on its laurels, even with a big-label contract.

The album is not really tune-based like earlier MMW; there is a lot of exploration of dense textures and rhythms. Grooves are a little fleeting here, sometimes appearing for just a minute before falling out in favor of a new direction in the music. Now this kind of thing may scare some people off, but those folks would be missing out. If it's not immediately accessible to some, be patient. Repeated listening will pay off.

The generally dark sound of the album is reminiscent of "Combustication", but the vibe is a little more aggressive here, helped out by the quality of the recording. I don't know sound engineering technology, but this CD sounds sharp. Every sound has depth to it that makes it feel like MMW are playing in a room with you, and you can reach over and feel the heat radiating off the band's amps.

I'm not going to go track-by-track or discuss MMW's genre mixing (though I will say that just listening to "Tsukemono" will completely blow any preconcieved boundaries between genres out of your head); I'm just a fan recommending one helluva good chunk of music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shards of Music, July 29, 2002

By 

Jeremy Baldwin "Radio Host" (Ypsilanti, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dropper (Dig) (Audio CD)

Imagine a window with four panes of glass in it. Let's say one pane is Duke Ellington, one pane is John Zorn, one pane is Jimmy Smith and the last pane is Sonic Youth. Now drop this muti-faceted window on a cement floor and then jump on it while wearing your mama's combat boots. All the little shards of glass from the four panes get all mixed up and intermingled with each other. This is basically a description of what Medeski, Martin and Wood's latest CD, The Dropper sounds like.

Medeski, Martin and Wood are a three-piece band that usually falls under the term Jazz although the majority of their fanbase seem to be rock fans. They are known for their super-funky, organ driven jams. They often mix elements of hip hop and avant-garde into their music also. The three men of MMW came up in New York's downtown jazz scene playing with various outfits like the Lounge Lizards, the Either/Orchestra and various John Zorn ensembles. At some point the band crossed over to a more mainstream audience partly because of their musician admirers who include the members of Phish.

You are not too likely to find a John Zorn disc in a college fraternity house, but these days you are probably pretty likely to find a copy of a MMW album like Shack man or Combustication. This crossover is a pretty cool thing in most ways. It turns on a whole new audience to improvised funk and jazz. Their success probably helped pave the way for other acts like Galactic and Soulive. The downside of course, is that it is a lot harder to see MMW in an intimate venue.

In recent years it seems the band might be trying to move away from its mainstream success. Last year they released Tonic which was an all-acoustic record and a far cry from the funk/hip-hop sound of their previous two albums. This latest offering once again is a left turn for the band. The Dropper consists of thirteen tracks that at times could be better described as soundscapes than as songs. Bizarre scraping and creaking noises reside along side Medeski's trademark organ and piano stylings. The band has reached a level of telepathic group playing that
few outfits ever achieve. Wood (bass) and Martin (drums) are one of the most synched up rhythm sections out there. Even through all of the strange noises and discordant bursts of music, there always seems to be a backbeat to hold it all together. The sound is sometimes industrial sounding, but also always organic at the same time. The bands music is more akin to trip-hop and ambient styles on this record than their typical jazz and funk. It is obvious that MMW treated the studio as another member of the band this time around. While this album has a live sound, it is not what they sound like live, if that makes any sense. Guests like Marc Ribot on guitar, Marshall Allen on sax as well as several
violinists also add to the overall sound.

I find this CD to really enjoyable. It is sometimes dark and brooding, but always interesting. This latest effort by MMW might scare off some of the fratboys, but others will see the beauty of this music and will be happy that they did.