What Now finds Medeski and Scofield challenging each other as if they were Keith Emerson and Jimi Hendrix having it out at some late-night club, and Down the Tube, though essentially a simple funky blues, flirts with psychedelia, Scofield turning in some of his most startling playing of the set.

Thats not tó say that thosé looking for thé heavy jams wiIl be disappointed. Tequila and ChocoIate, for example, takés up with á simple bossa nóva rhythm that eventuaIly goes wildly ástray without losing tóuch with its fórm, and the Jóhn Lennon tune JuIia (which, honestly, bórrows only minimally fróm the original meIody) is a sóft, sweet, and sensuaI ballad that néver strays even cIose to the édge yet still managés to feel édgy. That idea of holding back doesnt last long, however, as that leadoff gives way to Miles Behind, a nod to electric Miles Davis minus the trumpet.Īlthough the players, particularly Medeski and Scofield, take several opportunities to reach for the outside fringes, Out Louder never becomes inaccessible, even during its freer-jazz moments.

Drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow rounded out the John Scofield Trio for 2004's cerebral and complex live album EnRoute. 2001's Works for Me featured a more traditional jazz sound, but for 2002's Uberjam and 2003's Up All Night, he was back to playing fusion. If ever MMW and Scofield decided to make something more permanent of their meet-ups, one can only guess where else they might go.The opening track, Little Walter Rides Again, serves notice that this isnt going to be an exercise in showing off but rather four envelope-pushing musicians picking each others brains and seeing what they find.Īn easygoing blues vamp with a funky, Memphis-style beat, the track keeps the quartet reined in while simultaneously allowing each musician to dance around a bit within its structure. Medeski, Martin & Wood (Out Louder) with John Scofield.

The session ends with a virtually unrecognizable improv on Peter Tosh's reggae anthem 'Legalize It' that spotlights Martin and Wood in lockstep groove. 'What Now' finds Medeski and Scofield challenging each other as if they were Keith Emerson and Jimi Hendrix having it out at some late-night club, and 'Down the Tube,' though essentially a simple funky blues, flirts with psychedelia, Scofield turning in some of his most startling playing of the set. That's not to say that those looking for the heavy jams will be disappointed. 'Tequila and Chocolate,' for example, takes up with a simple bossa nova rhythm that eventually goes wildly astray without losing touch with its form, and the John Lennon tune 'Julia' (which, honestly, borrows only minimally from the original melody) is a soft, sweet, and sensual ballad that never strays even close to the edge yet still manages to feel edgy. Although the players, particularly Medeski and Scofield, take several opportunities to reach for the outside fringes, Out Louder never becomes inaccessible, even during its freer-jazz moments. That idea of holding back doesn't last long, however, as that leadoff gives way to 'Miles Behind,' a nod to electric Miles Davis minus the trumpet. An easygoing blues vamp with a funky, Memphis-style beat, the track keeps the quartet reined in while simultaneously allowing each musician to dance around a bit within its structure. The opening track, 'Little Walter Rides Again,' serves notice that this isn't going to be an exercise in showing off but rather four envelope-pushing musicians picking each other's brains and seeing what they find. Not unexpectedly, the four musicians work hard here, but they also have a ton of fun. Both Scofield and MMW have continued to explore in the near-decade since A Go Go, and they come to this project with a greater understanding of their collective abilities as well as a willingness to explore the possibilities further. Out Louder isn't so much a rematch as an upgrade. That record opened the creativity gates for both the trio and Scofield, who fed off and goaded each other into territories neither party had previously gone separately. Out Louder reunites keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood with guitar great John Scofield, who employed the trio on his 1997 A Go Go album.

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