Perhaps out of ignorance, I have avoided the Yellowjackets because of my
distaste for the Rippingtons. I am a stick-in-the-mud-acoustic-jazz-snob.
And, I must admit, I am that to my own disadvantage and loss. Over the past
20 years, the Yellowjackets have released 20 recordings, counting Time
Squared. In that time they have sold beaucoups records, started their
own record company, and toured widely. Listening to Time Squared it
is easy to understand why. The band adopts a "Rhythm and Jazz"
stance that separates them from Spyro Gyra and scores of anemic new age
electric combos. Add to that, the band contains perhaps the four finest
electric jazz musicians around.
Equal in all parts, the band is a groove machine. Bob Mintzer is the
heir to Eric Dolphy’s bass clarinet crown, shoehorning this stubborn
instrument into a contemporary setting (hear "Smithtown").
Ferrante’s acoustic piano playing is in apparent high gear with great solos
on "Smithtown", "Go Go," and "V." Haslip and
Baylor are outstanding here as always.
I suspect that I will forever remain a stick-in-the-mud-acoustic-jazz-snob. I am glad, however,
that there is music like this to sneak up on me.
For more information, see Heads Up
Records and The Yellowjackets.
~ C. Michael Bailey
