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A high degree of musicianship and definitely worth exploring. Perhaps its the importance given the acoustic piano or the fact that this is a "live" recording but, whatever the reason, this is definitely my favourite MMW recording and by a big margin. I will make this short. I am not a big MMW fan but, after hearing this CD at a friends, I thought it was worth exploring.
Coltrane's Your Lady is a sublimely beautiful statement. Fantastic sonics, kudos FC. If I remember right, some of the audio or lighting and an engineer were all contained in a giant wine cask as Tonic had once served as a kosher winery, a once in a lifetime club if there ever was one. Back in the day, (10 yrs. Anyway this recording sparkles with all the energy I caught that night, many moons ago. I caught one of these acoustic Tonic shows, and it was the tops, pops. already )., I used to venture into NYC to catch these fellas in action, regularly. I mean these cats can take it out and then just swing with joyful abandon.
The great thing about this CD is that is a different MMW experience, but you can still it's them. "Afrique" and "Rise Up" were by far the best tracks on the CD. I had never heard anything acoustic from MMW until I picked up this album. I loved every minute of this concert.
So pop it into your player and enjoy. This album is best when listened to straight through, just getting bits and pieces will not do it justice. I own all of MMW's major releases, and I must say that TONIC is my second favorite, next to Friday Afternoon In the Universe. TONIC takes us back to the old acoustic MMW's acoustic style.
However, I've always had faith in the guys, and they gotta eat. It's what comes of playing for a young, appreciative audience be they hippies or not.
I've actually seen them playing this stuff live and it's just as intense here as it is in the club. The three are really communicating here, without all the bells and whistles, playing Coltrane tunes, creating monster grooves, and even doing some free-improv (which I'm not all the way into usually but it works well here).
I've dabbled in the MMW thing as a fan of classic jazz, and have felt mixed about their work. What's great about this live disc is their energy, enthusiasm, and group dynamic.
So get this for a wild ride into improvisational music. Sometimes they are right on the money, but other times it feels like they are trying too hard to fit with the hippie jam band scene, a scene which I really don't like.
But it's nice to hear them sink their teeth into some real acoustic jazz.
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