I've always liked Wilco. But I never liked them more than when they hired Nels Cline—a legendary experimental NYC guitarist—to fill the shoes left by another sonic visionary, the late multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett.

And I've always liked Medeski Martin & Wood, but I never liked them more than when they risked alienating their sizeable jam band fan base by drawing upon their downtown roots and pushing their music way, way out.

That willingness to burn your own fans in the pursuit of advancing your art is one fairly good characteristic of artistic greatness—or at least a good path leading toward it. Which brings us to The Woodstock Sessions (Vol. 2), by MMW and Cline, a killer set of improvised cuts due out on April 22, that, as you'd expect, fuses jazz, soul, noise rock, space funk, and about everything else.

Here's one such workout, the eleven-minute "Bonjour Breeze." If you're into hardcore experimental soundscapes, listen all the way through. If you want to get straight to the classic big-beat MMW material, it starts about four minutes in. (I know, I know, it's cheating, but it's a long track, and there's really something for everyone here. Be a shame if people missed out.)

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