John Medeski is a legendary pianist, both in the jam and jazz world—and he seems to be everywhere all the time. Outside of his continually groundbreaking work with his well-loved trio, Medeski Martin & Wood, the lauded pianist seems to pop up on projects and performances all over. He’s one of the busiest men down at the musical Mecca that is New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival each year, collaborating with an absurd array of beloved artists night after night, and stays busy throughout the year playing with a number of different groups and regularly traversing the country to sit-in with other famed artists.
In addition to his work with Medeski Martin & Wood, in the past decade he’s spawned projects like Hudson, a supergroup also featuring John Scofield, Larry Grenadier, Jack DeJohnette, and DRKWV, a collaboration he has with Lettuce‘s Adam Deitch and Skerik. More recently, Medeski has helmed what has become a Jazz Fest tradition, squaring off with fellow organist Wil Blades in late-night piano duels featuring members of Lettuce and other frequent collaborators. These varied projects are just examples of a few of the many projects the pianist is juggling at any given time.
Today, on June 28th, John Medeski celebrates his 58th birthday. Given the immense breadth of his work, there is truly an abundance of his music with which we could mark this special occasion. However, we’re choosing to celebrate the day with this throwback performance of Medeski, Martin & Wood at the Newport Jazz Festival back in 2005. You can enjoy the full concert below, courtesy of Jazz on MV.
Medeski Martin & Wood – Newport Jazz Festival – 8/13/05 – Full Show