Fans of such choice MMW titles as Tonic, Farmer’s Reserve and the recent Free Magic can heartily attest to keyboardist John Medeski’s affinity for the acoustic arena. But fans can now hear him take his love for the piano to the next level on his long-awaited debut as a solo performer A Different Time, the inaugural release on the freshly resurrected “race music” imprint O’Keh Records that now serves as the jazz arm of Sony Music. Jambands.com had the chance to catch up with Medeski to talk about his unique and beautiful approach to his work of a single artist and find out about the next moves for Medeski Martin and Wood, among other keen insights.
What made you wait until 2013 to release a solo album and did you always have a solo LP in the back of your mind?
Piano is my first instrument. I have always played solo piano, concerts, background music, etc. It’s one of things you do as a piano player, and what I do when I’m alone. I have thought about making a solo record for years, but have been so busy doing other things that I never got around to it. I don’t know if anyone really cares and I don’t feel the need to put everything out there, show what I do or have a product. That’s not why I make music, but I finally set the time aside to record some solo piano music.
Did your participation in Gregory Rogove’s Piana project inspire your solo venture?
I was actually working on my own solo recording when Greg asked me to do Piana. I had a set up in a little cabin in the woods. It ended up just being a writing and practice session for me, but I got to do Greg’s record!
What prompted you to go with the 1925 French Gaveau for A Different Time over the Steinway?
I recorded for a couple of evenings, mostly on a Steinway (actually two different ones). Henry Hirsch, the engineer, kept encouraging me to try the Gaveau that he had in the studio, hailing its sound and how well it recorded. It was the last thing I recorded. When I went back and listened to everything, for some reason the set I played on the Gaveau felt like the record. The piano requires a much more controlled touch. It is much more difficult to get a beautiful sound out of it, but there is a lyrical quality that made me perform differently.
You’ve cited Oscar Peterson as a huge influence on your acoustic piano playing, but who are some other artists you’ve admired over the years that helped you shape the direction of A Different Time ?
Oscar was the first jazz pianist I remember hearing, but hopefully my music isn’t only shaped by who I’ve listened to. This is the greatest misconception I continually encounter, the concept of “influences” and what that means. This is more of a historian’s way of looking at things, which is not necessarily where things come from. We have teachers and musicians that inspire and we admire, but music comes from within. Techniques and tools are learned from many places and people, but when it comes time to make music, I don’t think about other artists. I AM inspired by a lot of music, and at this point, the list is huge!! Everyone you could imagine. some of my favorites for solo piano are: James Booker, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Ran Blake, Art Tatum, Keith Jarrett, Fred Hersch, Thelonious Monk, Jaki Byard, Jason Moran, Rubenstien, Cortot and the list keeps going…....but this record doesn’t sound like any of these artists.
As you get older, do you find yourself gravitating back to more acoustic forms of jazz?
I love acoustic music, always have. It’s natural. Pure vibration. A sound generated by striking, plucking, blowing, bowing or just singing. Nothing to plug in.
As someone who first got into jazz at a young age, how did you go about discovering the universe of great jazz albums as a youth?
I bought lots of records.
What inspired you to cover Willie Nelson’s “I’m Falling In Love Again”?
I love Willie. I love his tunes. “Who’ll buy my memories” is one of my favorite solo recordings by anyone and I’ve always thought about putting out a solo piano record called On the Rhodes Again. “I’m Falling in Love Again” is one of my favorites, but anytime I tried it, it sounded corny when I played it on piano. Something about the tone and nuance of the Gaveau made it possible to play more simply.
What was your first reaction when you got the call to be the first act signed to the resurrected O’Keh label? How did it come about?
I am not worthy. I contacted Wulf [Müller, longtime music industry veteran who heads Sony Classical] about putting this record out and he said yes. At the time I didn’t realize it was going to be on O’Keh. I’m just glad to get it out there. Maybe I’m the new Burl Ives…
What were some of your favorite titles from O’Keh?
So many great artists were on O’Keh. It’s one of those labels that anything that was on it was good:
Dorothy Love Coates and the Gospel Harmonettes
Mississippi John Hurt
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Louis Armstrong
Johnny Otis
Keb Mo
New Orleans Rhythm Kings
King Oliver
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Eddie Heywood
Are there any plans to bring MMW to O’Keh as well?
MMW is best doing things independently, but you never know what might happen.
Is MMW working on anything new presently?
We always have lots of ideas floating around. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen first. Right now, we have a few things in the works. We’re starting a collaboration with Alarm Will Sound, which we are excited about. We’re talking about another record with Scofield, a record with vocalists produced by Vernon Reid and doing a series of live in the studio recordings—for a small audience—collaborating with other artists.
How do you like it up in Kingston, NY? I grew up in the Wallkill area, and I am very interested to know your thoughts on the Hudson Valley area and what brought you up there.
More trees than people. That’s why I moved up here from NYC. It’s what I need for inspiration and to balance my lifestyle.
What’s the word on The Word? Is there any activity happening on that end of your spectrum?
We always talk about getting the word together again for something. We’ve reassambled for a few gigs over the years, almost made another record last year, but nothing concrete right now. It’s a lot to get together, with everyone’s schedule. I hope it happens.
Oh, I am currently in the market for a nice toy piano for my infant son. What do you recommend for him?
Ha. Well, honestly, get a real piano; even a cheap upright. You can sit him up there and let him touch it and bang it. My dad used to sit me up with him at the piano and I’ve seen some funny photos of me sitting at the piano when I was a baby. It’s never too early. Schoenhut make good toy pianos, they’re not cheap, but you can have them for a lifetime. I have a couple that I found and use that are at least 50 years old. But you can get great new ones at http://www.toypiano.com/.
