For their twenty-fifth album, the Yellowjackets collaborate with the famous WDR Big Band Of Cologne. The legendary Fusion group re-visit and re-arrange eight tunes from their huge back catalogue from the past thirty-nine years plus two new compositions. The current Yellowjackets quartet consist of original band member Russ Ferrante (keyboards), Bob Mintzer (saxophones), drummer William Kennedy who re-joined in 2010, and bassist Dane Alderson. The lush brass arrangements suit the material and the re-invigorate tunes like ‘Dewey’ and the slick ‘Downtown’. Initially fast and flowing ‘The Red Sea’ develops into an intricate arrangement that fuses the quartet and the brass perfectly. The first new composition is the fine ‘New Day’ with its subtle horns and flute before it gets into a swift Fusion groove. The second new piece ‘Tokyo Tale’ is a more elaborate and explorative jazzy number. ‘Imperial Strut’ ventures through several tempos and moods but is worth the journey. ‘Coherence’ and ‘Revelation’ conclude an excellent set of big band interpretations of Yellowjackets tunes.
Track listings:
-
01 Downtown by Yellowjackets
-
02 Dewey by Yellowjackets
-
03 Mile High by Yellowjackets
-
04 The Red Sea by Yellowjackets
-
05 Even Song by Yellowjackets
-
06 One Day by Yellowjackets
-
07 Tokyo Tale by Yellowjackets
-
08 Imperial Strut by Yellowjackets
-
09 Coherence by Yellowjackets
-
10 Revelation by Yellowjackets
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.