Medeski Martin and Wood

Having tired of the process of writing and recording an album, then touring behind it to exhaustion, the jazz-fusion trio Medeski Martin and Wood reversed the process for their recent trilogy of albums, collectively called The Radiolarian Series. Instead, they composed and honed their songs on the road before hitting the studio to record each album. It’s the type of trick that will further endear the organ-drum-bass trio to their considerable jam following, but the resulting albums should thrill traditional jazz fans, too. The Radiolarian Series hosts some of the most purely enjoyable, rhythmically innovative soul-jazz Medeski Martin and Wood have recorded this decade.