Jazz Trio Medeski Martin & Wood to Perform Oct. 24 in Center for the Arts

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The UB Center for the Arts will present Medeski Martin & Wood at 8 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Mainstage theatre in Center for the Arts on UB's North (Amherst) Campus.

Organist John Medeski, percussionist Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood formed the band that bears their names in New York City in 1991. The members previously had played with such avant-garde jazz groups as the Lounge Lizards and John Zorn's Masada. The band's funky version of jazz-fusion and deep, improvisatory grooves earned them a stellar reputation on the club circuit as a live act. Nine years of tireless touring and nine albums later, Medeski Martin & Wood still is progressing, pushing the envelope and assimilating new styles -- and new fans -- into its universe.

The trio has taken cutting-edge jazz experimentation and delivered it to the eager ears of fans from all walks of life, bridging the gap between hard bop and hip-hop. As Billboard magazine put it, "The three are masterful improvisers in the truest of jazz traditions, making Medeski Martin & Wood one of the few jazz groups to ignite excitement among a young audience on a mass level."

The latest addition to Medeski Martin & Wood's recorded repertoire is "The Dropper." Recorded in the band's Brooklyn studio, "The Dropper" finds the trio continuing the marriage of hip-hop beats to the dissonant expression of free jazz -- somewhere between Ornette Coleman and the Beastie Boys.

Tickets for Medeski Martin & Wood are $20 for the general public and $17.50 for UB students. Tickets are available from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's and Movies Plus. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 416-870-8000. For more information, call 645-ARTS. For group sales, call 645-6771.