Medeski, Martin and Wood

During its nine-year run, Medeski, Martin and Wood has become all things to all people. The trio continues to satisfy the jazzbo crowd who count on the band’s Blue Note releases to bear the future-fusion torch. But somewhere along the way, the dreadlocked white-boy network stopped playing Hacky Sack for a minute and took notice.

That jam-band contingent is still highly enamored of MMW’s Booker T.-based instrumental jazz-funk, but later, when the band added the turntables of DJ Logic, and drummer Billy Martin became Illy B, hip-hop heads jumped aboard, too. Now MMW is mentioned in the same breath as the wildly eclectic Ozomatli, and the band’s most recent album, The Dropper, could appeal to just about any lover of the almighty groove.