Medeski Martin and Wood - Zaebos: The Book of Angels Vol.11 (2008)

2008 arrival of Vol. 11 - Zabeos: The Book of Angels by Medeski, Martin & Wood. The funkified Jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood plays Fusion music by way of the downtown New York Avant scene of the 1990s. John Medeski's fuzzy keyboards are equally indebted to the Meters, Jimmy Smith, Sun Ra, Chris Wood and Billy Martin provide fluid rhythms that can lock in like the JBs if the mood is appropriate. This ability to blend Jazz technique and structures with head-nodding grooves endeared the trio to the "jam band" community and its post-Jerry Garcia figurehead, Trey Anastasio of Phish, who joined the band live on several occasions.

A group that effortlessly straddles the gap between avant-garde improvisation and accessible groove-based jazz, Medeski, Martin, & Wood have simultaneously earned standings as relentlessly innovative musicians and an enormously popular act. Emerging out of the New York downtown scene in the early '90s, the group soon set out on endless cross-country tours before returning home to Manhattan to further refine their sound through myriad influential experimentations.

Under the moniker Masada, composer/musician John Zorn has been writing, and assembling musicians to play, music that fuses traditional Jewish forms with improvisational jazz, often with an avant-garde flair. THE BOOK OF ANGELS, a series of recordings showcasing Zorn's new Masada material, expands this ongoing catalogue. On ZAEBOS, VOL. 11, Zorn recruits the downtown jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin, & Wood to carry the torch.

The music resembles other Masada work in its balance of grooves, frenetic soloing, and swirling melodies derived from klezmer, the Middle East, and Eastern European traditions. But keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Chris Wood, and drummer Billy Martin bring their unique, groove-saturated stamp to Zorn's experimentation, resulting in an overall accessible performance that overflows with technical mastery.

Tracklisting:

01 - Zagzagel
02 - Sefrial
03 - Agmatia
04 - Rifion
05 - Chafriel
06 - Ahaij
07 - Asaliah
08 - Vianuel
09 - Jeduthun
10 - Malach Ha-Sopher
11 - Tutrusa'I


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