For over two decades, the trio known as Medeski Martin & Wood have pushed the boundaries of jazz fusion with their unique blend of improvisation, funk, and adventurous musicianship. In 2017, director Jason Miller set out to document the band as they recorded their first album in several years, secluding themselves at a picturesque studio in upstate New York. The result was “Not Not Jazz,” a title reflecting both the band’s genre-bending style and Miller’s goal to portray their artistic evolution through an intimate lens.
While MMW had amassed critical acclaim and a dedicated following over their career, this film offered a rare glimpse into their creative process. Gone were the traditional talking head interviews; instead, Miller’s camera drifted among the trio as ideas emerged organically through improvised jam sessions. We see the birth of new melodies that would later emerge as finished songs, shaped through real-time group discussions where playfully onomatopoeic noises were substituted for words.
Shot across several weeks, the documentary conveys the experimental spirit and joyful camaraderie sustaining MMW through three decades of musical adventures. From innovative instrumentals to funk-infused grooves, their distinct sound emerged at the crossroads of jazz, rock, and global rhythms. “Not Not Jazz” captures this fusion in its purest form—a continually deepening journey where each new artistic height begins as an idea struck up between friends with their instruments as the canvas.
Breaking Boundaries While Holding Tight to Tradition
The sound crafted by Medeski Martin & Wood has always marched to the rhythm of its own drumming. Emerging in the vibrant but insular New York jazz scene of the nineties, the trio was unafraid to meld genres into new funk-fueled forms. Where some saw sacrilege, MMW heard possibilities. Bass, keys, and percussion blended fluidly with jazz, soul, and global influences simmering together in the melting pot of their imagination.
Audiences soon discovered what critics had long known—that underneath the fusion lay virtuoso mastery of time-honored techniques. John Medeski, Chris Wood, and Billy Martin are dedicated students of their instruments, conversant in classical styles, and ever seeking to stretch their abilities. But they knew too that locking talents away serves no one. By carrying jazz spirit into rock clubs, their joyous improvisations reached new ears among crowds there to mosh, not analyze scales.
Three decades on, their defiant experimentalism rings true as visionary. MMW broke boundaries while holding tight to tradition, proving non-traditional need not mean inferior. Recording bluesy funk one day and teasing melodies from percussion the next, they followed no prescribed path. Instead, inspiration led wherever it willed, and the results and the musicianship within them still shine bright as beacons. Now appreciated as pioneers, their light then guided many to realms they’d never have otherwise found.
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Witnessing Creativity Unfold
Not Not Jazz provides a fascinating window into MMW’s inventive recording sessions. Across weeks spent at the Hudson Valley studio, Jason Miller’s camera intimately captures the band’s spontaneity in action.
In one scene, John Medeski plucks out a two-note hook on piano, joined swiftly by Billy Martin’s cymbal taps. From these simple seeds, a funky groove blossoms as Chris Wood adds wandering basslines. Conversing not through words but call-and-response riffs, the trio weaves a tapestry of sound on the spot.
Later, Martin introduces a percussive pattern that Wood transforms into a slinky bass melody. Medeski follows, crafting an atmospheric synth accompaniment to explore possibilities. Their musical dialogue flows fluidly, ideas building to a crescendo then dispersing to incubate new inspiration.
Throughout, their non-verbal communication impresses as much as the skills on display. A raised eyebrow or thoughtful nod suffices where ordinary collaboration demands elaboration. Three decades of partnership speak volumes unsaid.
The film highlights MMW’s continual dedication to evolving both as individuals and as an interwoven unit. Workshopped compositions take shape and break apart, reassemble, and reimagine until felt complete. In observing this living, looping creative process, we witness afresh the magic at jazz’s core—spontaneous communion.
A Visual Journey Through Creativity
Not Not Jazz is as much a visual feast as an audio one. Director Jason Miller crafts the film’s form with the same meticulousness that Medeski Martin & Wood bring to their songs.
Scenes oscillate gracefully between misty monochrome and bursts of vibrant color. In black and white, the past becomes vivid—archival footage capturing the band’s roots. Color reigns in present-day workshops, imbuing flowing improvisation with a glow not seen but felt.
Miller’s camera lingers with delicate attentiveness. Studies of hands coaxing rhythms from skins and strings convey the musician’s tactile relationship with their art. Interludes eavesdropping on unspoken interplay between the trios’ expressions are glimpses into creative communions.
Archival and new interviews provide historical context and insight, yet never disrupt progression. The story flows as a bassline woven throughout, grounded yet questing ever onward.
Pacing respects both linear narrative and the nonlinear nature of MMW’s process. Collaborative pieces emerge, deconstruct, then rebuild during sessions we inhabit as quietly as Miller’s lens. Like the results of these retreats, the film satisfies yet leaves yearning for further discovery.
In Not Not Jazz, form serves content as faithfully as the trio serves their muses. Style and substance intertwine, enhancing appreciation for creativity in all its modalities.
A Partnership Through Changing Tides
While musical bonds between MMW remain unbroken, Not Not Jazz acknowledges rougher waters along their journey. Recounting industry shifts leaving many genres adrift, the film looks frankly upon their own challenges weathering change.
Motivation ebbs for all at times, yet facing loss of passion alone can feel disorienting. As fame and obligations multiplied, maintaining direction grew complex. Individual struggles compounding only family can remedy—thus therapy united a trio crafting three decades of communion.
Their story undergoes full illumination; even tensions left unspoken feel known through the creative dialogue displayed. From collaborative sparks to sour notes resolved in understanding, this portrait captures a partnership finely attuned across disparate personalities.
Whether highlighting triumphs like trailblazing genre blendings or tumults forcing self-reflection, Miller details a relationship evolving fluidly as tides around it. Though jazz once reigned, their refusals to stagnate ensured surfing each wave successfully.
Ultimately presenting more than careers, Not Not Jazz pays tribute to a friendship proving itself family in sharing music’s depths. A nuanced examination, it serves well both enthusiasts and those merely curious what ties three lives so sweetly ’til now.
Finding the Beauty in Niche Spaces
Not Not Jazz makes no pretenses—it aims to please diehard MMW devotees above all others. Yet within its focused lens lie universal lessons about creativity’s trials and triumphs.
To be sure, endless jam sessions may bore casual watchers lacking jazz passion. However, most will appreciate stable relationships sustained through changing tides, seeing that familial bonds transmute musical sparks.
Miller’s delicate directing won acclaim. One review called his aesthetic “sensitive yet assured,” granting intimate access without intrusion. Awards noted history illuminated through personal stories rather than dry facts alone.
Of course, certain backgrounds went unexplained, hoping interest prompts independent learning. Deeper context around label shifts or therapy may have satisfied cursory viewers.
But in spotlighting MMW’s sacrifices, rewards become clear—that innovation emerges from risk and harmony from overcoming dissonance. Their music spreads further because a film ensured their journey was remembered.
In stories focusing diverse talents meshed by care, understanding, and patience, all find reflection. Not Not Jazz, though specialized, teaches that creativity thrives when niche spaces embrace varied voices connecting in collaboration.
Creative Journeys Worth Sharing
Throughout its running time, Not Not Jazz delivers a richer understanding of the creative process. By granting intimate access to MMW’s recordings and collaborations, it highlights how artistic expression arises organically from a dedicated partnership.
Miller’s documentary depicts more than technical prowess; it shows what sustains talent through changing times. By spotlighting Medeski, Martin, and Wood’s continuity despite challenges, their story inspires others facing uncertainty in pursuing dreams.
Though its contents immerse few beyond jazz aficionados, the film illuminates universal truths about relationships transcending risk through mutual care, respect, and shared visions. Its subjects prove creativity may flourish when nurtured by steadfast commitment through life alongside companions understanding mutual joys and struggles.
For those moved by MMW’s journey, further delights certainly exist exploring their albums. But even for those whose tastes differ, Not Not Jazz spreads hope that meaningful art and connections can emerge when individuals dedicate themselves to uplifting one another creatively. Some may find their own ways of doing similarly.
In the end, this review concludes the film achieves its aim—to shine light on a long-term collaboration proving creativity and community continually intertwine when partners support each other through difficult passages, upholding a vision greater than any sole effort could attain.
The Review
Not Not Jazz
Not Not Jazz offers an inspiring window into the ways enduring creative relationships may be nurtured through perseverance and commitment to shared growth. Despite its focused scope, the film's portrayal of MMW's collaborative journey resonates with hopes we all might find fulfilling partnerships sustaining our own pursuits of meaning and connection.
PROS
- An intimate glimpse into MMW's creative process and evolution as a long-term collaboration
- Captures the organic emergence of music from improvisation and group interplay
- Provides cultural-historical context around the band's career trajectory
- Direction and cinematography enhance appreciation for musical performances
CONS
- Specialized focus limits appeal outside dedicated jazz/MMW fan base
- Could have explored personal/artistic challenges faced by the band in more depth
- Minimal consideration of technical/production aspects of music-making
