Matt Wilson Quartet + John Medeski: Gathering Call

Jeff Tamarkin on March 5, 2014

Matt Wilson spends the bulk of his time serving as one of the most propulsive and creative drummers in jazz today, tempering his dead-serious sticksmanship with a wicked sense of humor that often shows up in his music. He is constantly in demand by all manner of players but he’s also a prolific leader, and for this latest release, he’s appended his quartet (now featuring the fine cornetist Kirk Knuffke) with keyboardist John Medeski on piano. The result, not surprisingly, is swinging, full of surprises, a bit giddy and occasionally verging on a good kind of chaos. Wilson likes to draw from diverse sources, and here, that means everyone from Duke Ellington (the opening “Main Stem”) to Beyoncé, whose “If I Were a Boy” transitions into a slushy near-dirge blues that does the song a world of good.

Artist: Matt Wilson Quartet + John Medeski
Album: Gathering Call
Label: Palmetto