It's a Jungle in Here

Last updated

It's a Jungle in Here
It's a Jungle in Here.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 19, 1993
RecordedAugust 2–4, 1993
Studio
Genre Jazz funk
Length54:50
Label Gramavision [1]
Producer Jim Payne
Medeski Martin & Wood chronology
Notes from the Underground
(1992)
It's a Jungle in Here
(1993)
Friday Afternoon in the Universe
(1995)

It's a Jungle in Here is the second album by the experimental jazz funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood, released in 1993. [2] [3] The trio supported the album by playing shows with Bio Ritmo. [4] "Bemsha Swing/Lively Up Yourself" is a medley of Thelonious Monk and Bob Marley. [5]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Trouser Press wrote that "the trio transports King Sunny Ade's 'Moti Mo' into a languorous sprawl cleverly accented by Soweto Township-like horns, summons the spirit of the Meters on 'Wiggly's Way' and burns down the joint on the scorching 'Beeah'." [8] The Washington Post noted that "Medeski is both the color and melody man, delighting in thickly layered organ blues lines and emphatic piano chords that add both texture and momentum to 'Shuck It Up' and the title track." [4] The Austin American-Statesman called the album "creative and challenging music, pumped up with strong street sensibilities and performed with undeniable virtuosity." [9]

Track listing

All songs by Medeski Martin & Wood except where noted.

  1. "Beeah" – 6:56
  2. "Where's Sly?" – 5:22
  3. "Shuck It Up" – 7:41
  4. "Sand" – 2:23
  5. "Worms" – 5:04
  6. "Bemsha Swing/Lively Up Yourself" (Thelonious Monk/Bob Marley) – 5:39
  7. "Moti Mo" (King Sunny Adé) – 7:57
  8. "It's a Jungle in Here" – 3:46
  9. "Syeeda's Song Flute" (John Coltrane) – 5:53
  10. "Wiggly's Way" – 4:09

Performers

Medeski Martin & Wood

Guest musicians

Production

References

  1. "Medeski, Martin & Wood". Chicago Reader. June 9, 1994.
  2. "Medeski, Martin & Wood Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. Milkowski, Bill. "Medeski, Martin and Wood: Uninvisible". JazzTimes.
  4. 1 2 Joyce, Mike (December 3, 1993). "Trio's Blender Set on Pulse". The Washington Post. p. N28.
  5. Andrews, Marke (November 26, 1994). "Changing sounds beyond description". Vancouver Sun. p. B10.
  6. Beatty, Brian. It's a Jungle in Here at AllMusic
  7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (October 11, 2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". Simon and Schuster via Google Books.
  8. "Medeski, Martin and Wood". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  9. Point, Michael (June 9, 1994). "The June Is Jazz Month calendar...". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 13.