John Medeski

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John Medeski performing with Medeski, Martin and Wood in 2010

Anthony John Medeski (born June 28, 1965 in Louisville , Kentucky) is an American organist , keyboardist and composer of the jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood .

Career

Medeski was born in Louisville, Kentucky and grew up in Fort Lauderdale , Florida. After piano lessons from the age of five (his father was a pianist), during which he got to know Bach , Beethoven and Debussy , he learned jazz piano techniques from 1978 with Lee Shaw . After excursions into African folk music and engagements as a theater musician, he began playing with musicians such as Mark Murphy (famous for his hit "Senor Blues") and Jaco Pastorius at an early age. From 1983 he studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston , at times with Dave Holland , George Russell and Joe Maneri . Medeski also discovered the Hammond B-3, with which he accompanied the Boston blues singer Mr. Jellybelly in addition to Dewey Redman , Billy Higgins, Bob Mintzer and Alan Dawson . In the late 1980s Medeski was a member of the Either / Orchestra ( The Half-Life of Desire ).

In 1988 Medeski completed his studies and from 1990, after moving to New York, played in the renowned jazz club Village Gate with various bands. After working with Bob Moses , Medeski accompanied him on a tour through Israel , during which he met bassist Chris Wood . A year later he founded the trio Medeski, Martin & Wood together with Billy Martin and Chris Wood .

Act

Medeski plays the piano and keyboards, especially B-3 Hammond , Melodica , Mellotron , Clavinet , Wurlitzer E-Piano, Moog Voyager Synthesizer, Yamaha CS-1 Synthesizer. Medeski became particularly famous with the trio Medeski, Martin & Wood . This band, which has existed since 1991, became known with a funk / jazz sound that ranges from more bluesy structures to sound experiments and which also borrows from current electronic music in terms of the arrangements. In 1994 Medeski accompanied John Zorn's Masada Quartet together with Marc Ribot and Billy Martin.

He brings his technically brilliant and atmospheric playing both to more accessible groovy jazz radio (for example in the collaboration with his bandmates Martin & Wood on the John Scofield album A Go Go from 1997), as well as to more experimental music, e.g. B. at the side of John Zorn ( Electric Masada ) or David Fiuczynski ( Lunar Crush ). He often uses various effects and synthesizers to create special sounds.

In 2000, Medeski worked with The Word , a southern rock band. Since 2006 he has played the organ in the formation John Medeski & The Itch with Eric Krasno ( Soulive ) and Adam Deitch. He toured with Vernon Reid , Jack Bruce and Cindy Blackman in 2008 and 2011 to reinterpret pieces by Tony Williams ; In 2012 the album Spectrum Road followed with this “supergroup” .

Discography (selection)

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  • Kennedy, Gary: John Medeski, in: Kernfeld, Barry (ed.): The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd edition), Vol. II, London 2002, p. 741.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Now jazz rock also has its supergroup
personal data
SURNAME Medeski, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Medeski, Anthony John (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz organist, keyboardist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH June 28, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Louisville , Kentucky