Artist Medeski Martin And Wood

When three virtuosos get together to play funk-inflected jazz—and make a name for themselves by opening for Phish and collaborating with John Scofield—the specter of “jam” descends furiously, a spooky apparition that compels plenty of people to lose interest altogether. Such a reaction would be a mistake with Medeski Martin And Wood; at least give the trio a chance to play a couple of songs. Let the keyboards begin (is that a synthesizer?), allow the bass a few bars (is that a distortion pedal?), and by the time the furious percussion reaches a crescendo, there won’t be much to worry about at all. The band’s new feature-length documentary,Fly In A Bottle, provides a great window for any skeptics into what the band can really do.

Updated 10/26/2011