With a brand new album in hand, The Wood Brothers gear up for two shows in Newmarket.

Guitarist and singer Oliver Wood vividly recalls the first time he sat in with his younger brother’s instrumental jazz band, Medeski Martin and Wood. By that time, the elder Wood had been performing in his own blues-based bands for more than a decade and had settled down in Atlanta. Chris Wood, meanwhile, had established himself in Manhattan and achieved remarkable success as the bassist for MMW. It was during a shared gig in North Carolina that Oliver first hopped onstage with his brother’s trio.

“It was a really cool experience for both of us. It was like we had come full circle. We played as kids and didn’t know what the heck we were doing, and then we went out and, just by doing it for 10 or 12 years, we sort of mastered our craft,” Oliver said. “We both put in our 10,000 hours and got back together and played.”

The meeting led to other jams and collaborations between Chris and Oliver, who have now been performing together as The Wood Brothers for about five years. With a new album due out early next year, the duo is headed to Newmarket for two shows at The Stone Church on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5.

The brothers grew up in Boulder, Colo., where they were exposed to live music at a young age. Their mother was a poet and their father was a molecular biologist who played guitar and sang folk songs in his spare time. The boys often flipped through their father’s extensive record collection and discovered all kinds of music.

“He was a real good guitar player and singer in the folkie sort of world,” Oliver said. “He was a big influence on us. He was our first dose of live music—and music in general, really.”

Oliver picked up the guitar and cultivated a passion for the blues, while Chris took up bass and eventually veered toward jazz. Separated by four years, the brothers played together as teenagers and sometimes recorded themselves on a four-track recorder. But they parted ways when Oliver left for the University of California at Santa Cruz and Chris moved to New York.

“I guess by virtue of our ages and different ambitions, we went different directions after leaving the house,” Oliver said.

Oliver soon dropped out of college and joined his first real band, which later relocated to Atlanta. The band didn’t last long, but Oliver has now called Atlanta home for more than 20 years. After touring for two years with blues singer and guitarist Tinsley Ellis, he formed his own band and named it King Johnson, an ode to all the great Kings and Johnsons of blues history (Freddie, Albert and BB King, Robert and Lonnie Johnson, etcetera). Showcasing a rootsy, blues-based style, King Johnson remained active for more than 12 years and released five albums of original music.

“We never really made a great living, but I’m real proud of all the music we made,” Oliver said.

While Oliver was pursuing the blues down south, Chris was delving into the free jazz and fusion scene in New York. He soon linked up with keyboardist John Medeski and drummer Billy Martin and formed a trio that would help revitalize the nation’s entire jazz audience, attracting fans of rock and hip-hop.

During their fateful jam in North Carolina, Chris and Oliver rekindled the musical chemistry they’d shared since childhood. Oliver sat in with MMW on several occasions, and the brothers performed together whenever they had the chance.

“Chris and I started playing together when we got together for family functions and stuff like that,” Oliver said. “We just made an effort to do it and we had such a good time that we wanted to do more of it.”

Although the brothers took divergent paths, Oliver noted that jazz and blues share common roots. Their sound as a duo has a back-porch folk vibe, sometimes light and funky, sometimes deep and bluesy, always heartfelt and soulful. Their varied musical backgrounds create several shades and dimensions.

“We both had completely learned the language of music by that time, so the key was taking the two styles and putting them together and coming up with this new style,” Oliver said.

The duo eventually wrote some original songs and recorded a demo, which landed in the hands of MMW’s manager. She was an instant fan and agreed to manage The Wood Brothers, as well. She presented the demo to Blue Note Records and, before long, they had themselves a record deal.

The Wood Brothers first released a live EP of a 2005 show at the Tonic club in New York. John Medeski produced their first full-length studio album, “Ways Not to Lose,” released on Blue Note in 2006. “Loaded” followed in 2008, and the pair self-released an EP of covers called “Up Above My Head” in 2009.

The band initially played primarily at small theaters and clubs. But, after a few years of shows, they secured an opening slot on a tour with Atlanta-based country rocker Zac Brown. The Wood Brothers borrowed Brown’s drummer, Tyler Greenwell, and played in front of crowds as large as 20,000 people.

For their latest CD, “Smoke Ring Halo,” the band turned to Southern Ground Records. Due out early next year, the album features Greenwell on drums, along with guest appearances by John Medeski and others. Oliver said the pair has matured as a duo, but has also added some more lighthearted rock songs.

“I think it’s the best one yet,” he said of the new disc. “The longer Chris and I work together, the more of a collaborative system we develop.”

Although the CD won’t be released until after the New Year, copies are available for sale at The Wood Brothers’ live shows. They’re touring the Northeast in December, accompanied by drummer Christian Dugas. They’ll be at the Port City Music Hall in Portland on Dec. 3, exactly two weeks after Medeski Martin and Wood played the venue. Then it’s on to The Stone Church for the following two nights. The Dec. 4 show is already sold out, but tickets are still available to the Dec. 5 gig, which will feature opening act Clay Cook.

The Wood Brothers are no strangers to The Stone Church, and Oliver said they’ve played some of their best shows at the Newmarket club. He said touring with his brother is always a special experience. After 15 years of separate musical pursuits, they rediscovered their family roots.

“It’s kind of a blessing that we get to do this, because we live so far apart,” Wood said. “We have separate lives and our own families, so we really don’t see each other otherwise... It’s really our only chance to bond with each other as brothers, and as musicians.”

The shows begin at 8 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5 at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, 603-292-3546, www.thestonechurch.com. Tickets are $17.