June 28: Medeski, Martin & Wood

It's been a few years since Medeski, Martin & Wood (MMW) last visited Ottawa. Hard to believe that this trio of now-veteran musicians—who turned a curious combination of powerful grooves and freewheeling, left-leaning improvisation into a veritable cottage industry—has been together for nearly twenty years. It was, in fact, keyboardist John Medeski's 45th birthday the night of MMW's performance at the 2010 OIJF, and when drummer/percussionist Billy Martin announced it before they launched into an encore of "Chubb Sub," an early hit for the trio from Friday Afternoon in the Universe (Gramavision, 1995), the audience sang an impromptu (and unprompted) "Happy Birthday."

John Medeski

It was a fun and funky way to finish an evening that ran the gamut from extreme-textured improv to the kind of greasy grooves that have made MMW an unequivocal favorite amongst the jamband community. While most of the audience from the previous Towner/Fresu show remained, the crowd did expand for MMW, with a more youthful demographic to boot—a challenge facing all festivals, and one to which OIJF is attuned.

The set list covered a lot of ground, starting with "Agmatia," a sizzling track from the trio's collaboration with Downtown Scene's composer/altoist John Zorn, Zaebos: The Book of Angels Vol. 11 (Tzadik, 2008). What has made MMW stronger over the years is its outside affiliations, both as a group and individually. Medeski has been a participant on Zorn's label for many years, dating back to Bar Kokhba (Tzadik, 1996), one of the albums that kicked Zorn's Radical Jewish Culture into high gear. Martin has worked with everyone from Iggy Pop to Tin Hat Trio, while Chris Wood has recorded with drummer Stanton Moore, Gov't Mule and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. The strength of working outside the purview of MMW while still remaining committed to it means fresh ideas brought in on a regular basis, to keep things equally moving forward within the band's evolution.

"Agmatia" also kicked MMW into high gear, for a set that ran continuously, with no true breaks during its entire 90 minutes, as the trio shifted to two tracks from one of its best-selling records, Combustication (Blue Note, 1998)—first, the New Orleans-centric but (as always) slightly off-kilter "Coconut Boogaloo," followed by the more relaxed, behind-the-beat backbeat-driven "Just Like I Pictured It," where bassist Chris Wood—switching from acoustic bass to a well-traveled Hofner Beatle Bass—delivered a gritty slide solo that led into a potent keyboard mix from Medeski.

Billy Martin

For fans of analog keyboard gear, Medeski's as close to a modern god as it gets. Organ, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer, melodic and more contributed to a collective keyboard sound that's dense and in many ways otherworldly, as Medeski created swirling, dervish-like textures and gritty electric piano sounds pushed to the stratosphere with an arsenal of electronics. That Medeski seemed to know—to feel—where everything was and how to use it on a subconscious level made for some of the most exciting moments of the set. The most visually engaged performer of the trio.

MMW also referenced its jazz roots, performing a medley of Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia in Times Square" and Sun Ra's "Angel Race," beginning with Martin on some clanging but tuned percussion, ultimately settling into a funky groove bolstered by Woods' simple but effective bass line as Medeski delivered a piano solo that swung hard and made clear that MMW's more electro-centric music still comes from a place of tradition.

Chris Wood

The trio also focused heavily on material from its recent three-volume Radiolarians series, collected into the Radiolarians—The Evolutionary Set (Indirecto, 2009) box. As the box proved with the live disc included, MMW may be great in the studio but they're far better live, where there's invariably an enthusiastic audience to provide plenty of feedback. Though it's perfectly clear from the concentration going on between the three players that they'd be as committed for a crowd of a hundred as they were, at their OIFJ performance, for a few thousand.

June 29: John Geggie and Friends

Ottawa bassist John Geggie has been spending every night of the 2010 OIJF hosting the late night jam sessions, as he has for many years now, and this has been an especially active year so far. But the jams tend to be inherently more centrist. For a broader picture of Geggie's interests as an improviser, his annual Geggie Concert Series—where he recruits artists from around the world for an evening of "without a safety net" music that has, in the past, included pianists Marilyn Crispell, Craig Taborn and Bill Carrothers, saxophonist Ted Nash, guitarist Vic Juris and many others—has long been the place to go during the festival off-season. Geggie's appearance at the 2010 OIJF Improv Invitational series found the exploratory bassist bringing back three musicians with whom he has worked in past Geggie Concert Series shows, and gave concert-goers a taste of what goes on at his series throughout the year.

From left: Cuong Vu, John Geggie, Jim Lewis, Jim Doxas

Trumpeter Cuong Vu was in Ottawa back in 2006, not long after wrapping up a world tour with Pat Metheny in support of the guitarist's The Way Up (Nonesuch, 2005), to play with Geggie and guitarist Kevin Breit in what remains one of the bassist's most memorable shows. Since then, Vu has released a record with his longstanding trio, Vu-Tet (ArtistShare, 2008), and worked with pianist Myra Melford's Be Bread group, on albums including The Image of Your Body (Cryptogramophone, 2006) and is an educator in the Seattle area. Toronto-based trumpeter/education Jim Lewis is also no stranger to Geggie's series, in addition to being a regular participant at Jazzworks' summer jazz camp, just outside of Ottawa, which takes place each year in August. Along with jam session drummer {Nick Fraser}}, Jim Doxas has been one of Geggie's longtime drummers of choice—and for very good reason—not to mention recording and touring regularly with pianist Oliver Jones and singer Sophie Milman, as well as working the nightly jams at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. But while Vu, Lewis and Doxas have performed with Geggie before, they've never actually played together in a quartet, as is the bassist's preference. Geggie's shows are always experiments, and while some work better than others, they're always worth the experience. Geggie's 2010 OIJF performance was one where the trip was terrific, the ultimate destination even better.

Ever the democratic leader, Geggie split compositional duties between himself, Vu and Lewis. Lewis' "Lineage" started the set, setting the tone for the performance, as well as a high bar that the players reached and exceeded time and again. As was the case with most of the charts, Lewis' knotty theme—played by Vu and Lewis in unison, with the two trumpets diverging into harmony at the end of each phrase—became a roadmap for individual and collective improvisation. With Vu exclusively on trumpet, Lewis leaned more heavily on flugelhorn, which added some textural variety (and warmth), though the two players clearly possessed their own style and voice. Additionally, Vu combined extended techniques and effects including digital delay to turn his solo on his own "Acid Kiss" into one of the highlights of the set, with Doxas hitting hard and Geggie tightly locked in for some of the set's most visceral moments. Lewis' solo was an equally imaginative combination of angular phrasing and especially controlled embouchure that changed his trumpet's tone from tart to compressed. Virtuosity was in evidence, but soloing and collective free play always possessed a clearly musical purpose that went far beyond mere technical displays, and despite the more outré nature of many of the songs, there was plenty of lyricism to be found as well.

Cuong Vu

As much as Vu commanded attention, Doxas was (as always) a charismatic player, whose loose, responsive approach has made him truly one of the best drummers in the country—and who really ought to be considered more on the international scene as well. With his often-present bell-belt thrown over his shoulder, he shook his body, clapped his hands and used the rims of his kit as much as he did more conventional sticks and skins. His cymbal work was especially impressive, getting more out of them than most drummers; and while he only took one extended solo at the end of the set, on Geggie's exhilarating closer, "Clubhouse Anthem," it was as compositionally focused, powerful and inventive as ever.

Geggie kept the tone of the introductions as dry and light as always, but his playing continued to demonstrate the rapid upward trajectory he's been on the past couple years, with the release of both Geggie Project (Ambiances Magnetiques, 2010) and Across the Sky (Plunge, 2010) a few months apart. Whether soloing with utter freedom or locking into a groove with Doxas in support of Vu and Lewis, Geggie has grown from a capable player to a consistently impressive and often surprising one, two qualities in clear evidence at his 2010 OIJF performance. Roll on Geggie Concert Series 2010/11!

comments powered by Disqus