20

Released in 2011 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Medeski, Martin & Wood, '20' is a curated collection of previously unreleased tracks spanning the trio's career. Rather than a standard 'best-of' compilation, the album serves as a sonic diary, featuring studio outtakes, live experiments, and remixes that highlight the band's evolution from a traditional acoustic jazz trio to a genre-blurring powerhouse. The inclusion of tracks like 'Me2' and 'Synesthesia' showcases their mastery of long-form improvisational tension, while collaborations with DJ Olive point toward their integration of hip-hop and electronic textures. The album is notable for its raw production quality, often favoring the 'first take' energy over studio perfection. It captures the band at their most experimental, bridging the gap between their Blue Note years and their independent era on Indirecto Records.