Songs

1. Hermeto's Daydream
2. The Saint
3. La Garonne
4. Orbits
5. Uncle Chubb
6. Rebirth
7. Otis
8. United
9. Caravan
10. Querencia

Album Review

Before they went electric and funky, John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood were acoustic and funky -- and a lot of other things -- on this exciting early CD. They ruminate like a conventional jazz piano trio when the whim hits them, or move outside when Medeski explodes into Don Pullen-esque clusters. Their metier, though, was clearly the neo-funk thing, for when Martin pulls off those crackling hip-hop and M-Base-related beats on tracks like "Uncle Chubbs" and "Orbits," the band really achieves liftoff. "Caravan" gets a rolling New Orleans funk treatment, and the finale "Querencia" is a lengthy excursion into dense avant-garde underbrush with a touch of the street in the beat. On several tracks, a three-brass, two reeds horn section add an extra level of excitement, and the trio tracks are recorded live to DAT (hence the exceptionally crisp sound). ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide