Medeski Martin & Wood line up new concert dates

Eclectic jazz-funk fusion specialists Medeski Martin & Wood will spend late fall on the road, focusing their efforts on the northeastern U.S.

The outing gets underway on Oct. 30 in New Haven, CT, and dates so far run through early December.

The latest Medeski Martin & Wood release is last year's "Uninvisible," which marked the group's third effort with producer/engineer Scotty Hard (Prince Paul, Wu-Tang Clan). Rather than composing pieces in advance for "Uninvisible," the band developed the songs during extensive improv sessions at its Brooklyn studio.

Other musicians were brought in during subsequent recording sessions to flesh out the music before Hard and the band edited and mixed the final album.

Though there is no singing on "Uninvisible," MMW did employ vocalists. Crash Test Dummies frontman Brad Roberts added hums and other flourishes to "Where Have You Been," and Col. Bruce Hampton tells a story on "Your Name Is Snake Anthony."

MMW played a four-hour set at this year's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, and their performance of "Mancha" appears on the upcoming 2-CD Bonnaroo live set, due on Sept. 30. The same performance will also appear on the Bonnaroo DVD, scheduled for release on Oct. 21, according to the group's official website.

Keyboardist John Medeski, drummer-percussionist Billy Martin and bassist Chris Wood have also been involved in other musical projects of late.

Medeski and MMW producer Scott Harding have composed and recorded music for "Suspiria," an art installation based on the 1977 Italian horror film of the same name by Darrio Argento. Medeski, Harding and Stan Douglas wrote, arranged and produced all of the music, according to MMW's website.

Medeski and Wood appear on the latest Gov't Mule and Chocolate Genius albums.

Martin will released his second "illy B Eats" remix album on in April. The CD is a compilation of remixes based on drumbeats from his vinyl-only album "illy B Eats--Groove, Bang & Jive Around."