Return to Index
THE YELLOW JACKETS - Cohearence
Mack Avenue Records MAC 1108
Russell Ferrante (piano, synths,) William Kennedy (drums, synths) Dane Alderson (electric bass) Bob Mintzer (tenor and soprano saxes, bass clarinet, EWI, flute) Recorded Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, no dates given
In the space of a thirty-five-year career, The Yellowjackets have soaked up many influences and have steered themselves from a smooth jazz fusion sound towards a more substantial, post-bop style without wholly jettisoning their formative traits or tinkering with Avant -garde abstraction. Their musical philosophy as evinced in the liner notes is to retain balance and “create a unified and coherent whole”. Consequently, they have made stylistic progress without alienating those who have followed them from the start whilst remaining fresh and relevant to listeners in tune with more recent trends.
Apart from the EWI (electronic wind instrument), which to my ears sounds like something retrieved from a Christmas cracker, the music is refreshingly free of gimmickry and offers a pleasing amalgam of contemporary and retro touches. With the exception of a version of the traditional ballad `Shenandoah`, all the pieces are by members of the band and comprise several asymmetric themes and a couple of tunes inspired by references to the jazz hall of fame, namely tributes to Coltrane and Eddie Harris. The latter’s funky `Swiss Movement` album is the source for an equally body popping “Eddie’s in the House” whilst “Trane Changing” is a take on “Giant Steps”, which after a curiously laid back piano prelude against synthetic string sounds launches into a jaunty rendition of the familiar tune in which the electric bass weaves a counter melody around Mintzer’s tenor. This is one of the album’s highlights. Additionally, there are some gentle folksy influences and a delightful nursery style melody predictably entitled “Child’s Play “which moves along to a skipping beat.
The talents of Ferrante, Kennedy and Mintzer are beyond question and need no special endorsement from me: they are as the phrase goes, `world class musicians` but I should mention their new bass player, Dane Alderson, an Australian born virtuoso who as well as supplying rock steady support and exciting contrapuntal embellishment contributes several lambent solos and proves himself to be worthy of the elevated company he finds himself in.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Mack Avenue Records MAC 1108
Russell Ferrante (piano, synths,) William Kennedy (drums, synths) Dane Alderson (electric bass) Bob Mintzer (tenor and soprano saxes, bass clarinet, EWI, flute) Recorded Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, no dates given
In the space of a thirty-five-year career, The Yellowjackets have soaked up many influences and have steered themselves from a smooth jazz fusion sound towards a more substantial, post-bop style without wholly jettisoning their formative traits or tinkering with Avant -garde abstraction. Their musical philosophy as evinced in the liner notes is to retain balance and “create a unified and coherent whole”. Consequently, they have made stylistic progress without alienating those who have followed them from the start whilst remaining fresh and relevant to listeners in tune with more recent trends.
Apart from the EWI (electronic wind instrument), which to my ears sounds like something retrieved from a Christmas cracker, the music is refreshingly free of gimmickry and offers a pleasing amalgam of contemporary and retro touches. With the exception of a version of the traditional ballad `Shenandoah`, all the pieces are by members of the band and comprise several asymmetric themes and a couple of tunes inspired by references to the jazz hall of fame, namely tributes to Coltrane and Eddie Harris. The latter’s funky `Swiss Movement` album is the source for an equally body popping “Eddie’s in the House” whilst “Trane Changing” is a take on “Giant Steps”, which after a curiously laid back piano prelude against synthetic string sounds launches into a jaunty rendition of the familiar tune in which the electric bass weaves a counter melody around Mintzer’s tenor. This is one of the album’s highlights. Additionally, there are some gentle folksy influences and a delightful nursery style melody predictably entitled “Child’s Play “which moves along to a skipping beat.
The talents of Ferrante, Kennedy and Mintzer are beyond question and need no special endorsement from me: they are as the phrase goes, `world class musicians` but I should mention their new bass player, Dane Alderson, an Australian born virtuoso who as well as supplying rock steady support and exciting contrapuntal embellishment contributes several lambent solos and proves himself to be worthy of the elevated company he finds himself in.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
