Medeski, Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just in Case)

Their name conjures up the image of a buttoned-down law firm, but this New York trio bridges avant-garde jazz and jam-band workouts, reminiscent of both John Zorn and Phish, with whom they’ve worked. Dark, sinister-sounding tracks like “Bloody Oil” reflect the group’s political outlook. But mostly, the album’s finds joy in such groove-based numbers as the buoyant funk of “New Planet” and the Latin-tinged “Mami Gato.” If the end is nigh, Medeski, Martin & Wood clearly want us all to dance the apocalypso.