I first heard John Medeski, like many have you have, as part of the trailblazing trio Medeski, Martin and Wood. On the recommendation of a friend, I went and saw MMW on tour in Israel, and was completely blown away from what I assumed was going to be another “Jazz Trio” performance. I remember sitting outside of the club after the show, completely shocked, trying to go over what I had just seen in my mind: The deep and ever-flowing groove, the use of exotic sounds like live record samples and synthesized rain drops, the complete hive-mind interplay of the three members, and the gritty, bluesy, funky musical flavors that always gets me going. That made a MMW fan of me for life, with many more live show attendances and record deep-dives. It was as part of this later exploration that I came across this wonderful interview and performance, from the long-standing interview series “Piano Jazz”, hosted by the legend herself, Marian McPartland:

There are many great cuts on this interview, but something about this recording stood out to me: Monk’s playful rhythms, played in a groovy, funky, almost Horace-Silvery way with a drumming left hand, but very virtuoso-like, going all over the keyboard with great fluidity and speed. Just the first two choruses were enough to make me sweat - It’s hard! John Medeski trained from a young age to be a classical pianist, and even in the Jazziest settings, his technique and facility is always there, giving his playing the appearance of being easy to play. Well, if you are so inclined, have at it and judge for yourself 🤓