In 2017, the avant-groove trio of John Medeski (keyboards), Billy Martin (percussions), and Chris Wood (bass) arrive at an old mountain-top mansion in the Catskills to record their first new album in seven years. With only their musical instruments in hand, and after their initial plan to record the album gets canceled due to an unexpected earthquake in Mexico, Medeski Martin & Wood — who are often dubbed as “heroes of the 1990s downtown New York jazz scene” and are well-known for their very improvisational and eccentric musical style that brought jazz from its usual clubs to rock venues — embark on a spontaneous and adventurous recording session fueled both by enthusiasm and curiosity, without exactly knowing what their final material will sound like. In a similar manner, Jason Miller’s long-awaited and unconventional documentary Not Not Jazz — the title being a nod to an old article that once described the music of MMW as being “not, not jazz” — remains faithful to the unique spirit of Medeski Martin & Wood’s eclectic and experimental musicianship and their singular creative process. Likewise similar to the group’s approach, Miller’s film is more about the “deepening” of what already exists rather than seeking out new modes.
Whether simply relying on talking head conversations with the three educated virtuosos (who share knowledge about their specialized instruments, amongst other things) — in addition to the group’s longtime faithful manager, Elizabeth Penta, who talks about her experiences and memories of working with the band, from their early days in the ’90s to the present — utilizing occasional archival footage of the trio’s Hawaii-set, 1996 recording sessions of Shack-man, their early touring days, live and TV performances, etc., or just simply observing these folks in their downtime, amicably reminiscing on yesteryear stories, Not Not Jazz’s rhythmic structure and prismatic narrative quite casually depict how a trio of different personalities has succeeded in constructing their particular artistic vision and easy chemistry. While the film’s overall bold aesthetic frequently oscillates between black-and-white and color photography — establishing vivid visual distinctions between rehearsals, pre-recording discussions, and preparations and the in-the-moment experience of said recording sessions and interviews, the vibrant pop of color communicating a certain magic and deep emotion in MMW’s music — Miller’s camera is delicate, emphasizing the members’ hand gestures on instruments, the subtle ways the threesome shape a meta-linguistic conversation with each other, and especially their facial expressions, as if seeking out the internal forces that spawn artistic creation. Another beautiful element of Not Not Jazz is the way it captures the natural landscape and surroundings of Hudson Valley, not only prizing it for the way its serene isolation lends to picturesque compositions, but most importantly as the perfect visual equivalent for Medeski Martin & Wood’s organic process and the natural flow of shared musicianship.
In its final act, Not Not Jazz mindfully digs into the less peaceful, romantic corners of Martin Medeski &Wood’s story, detailing the ways that the journey “from cult [club] heroes to stadium fills” wasn’t always an easy one. The lack of inspiration, the burden of fame, popularity and obsessive overthinking, mid-life crises, and the crippling sense of feeling lost or losing one’s purpose along the way — these are the demons the members, either individually or collectively, had to wrestle with. In fact, chronic artistic burnout even convinced the band to attend group therapy sessions — after all, as Penta comments, “being a band is like being married.” In this way, it’s perhaps more appropriate to consider Not Not Jazz less a straightforward musician doc — though MMK diehards or jazz aficionados will still surely be pleased with the final product — and more crucially something of a family portrait bearing out a long history of mutual affection and collaboration, support and struggle.
DIRECTOR: Jason Miller; DISTRIBUTOR: Oscilloscope Laboratories; STREAMING: August 9; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 17 min.
