Yellowjackets
| Yellowjackets | |
|---|---|
 Yellowjackets at the Leverkusener Jazz Days 2015 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | fusion |
| founding | 1977 as Robben Ford Group 1981 as Yellowjackets |
| Website | www.yellowjackets.com |
| Founding members | |
| Jimmy Haslip | |
| Robben Ford (1981-1982) | |
| Ricky Lawson (1981-1986) | |
| Russell Ferrante | |
| Current occupation | |
bass |
Dane Alderson (since 2016) |
| Bob Mintzer (since 1990) | |
Drums |
William Kennedy (since 2010, also 1987–1998) |
Keyboard, synthesizer |
Russell Ferrante |
| former members | |
saxophone |
Marc Russo (1983–1990) |
Drums |
Marcus Baylor (2001-2009) |
Drums |
Peter Erskine (1999) |
Drums |
Terri Lyne Carrington (2000) |
bass |
Jimmy Haslip (1981-2012) |
bass |
Felix Pastorius (2012-2015) |
The Yellowjackets are an American fusion band. Russell Ferrante is the main composer and arranger of the catchy mixture of jazz, rock, pop and Latin, the importance of which purists and fans of easy listening have not agreed on for three decades.
history
The band emerged from the existing line-up of the Robben Ford Group in 1978 ; Robben Ford put together a band from veteran session musicians with whom he recorded his album The Inside Story . Keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson discovered their musical affinity during these recordings. When the record company Robben Ford asked to record a more pop and vocal-oriented album, but the band members preferred to produce instrumental tracks, the Yellowjackets were founded as a "band within the band" and recorded their first album produced by Tommy LiPuma in 1981 . The musicians chose the name Wasps from a series of suggestions that Jimmy Haslip brought to the rehearsal - it has no deeper meaning. When Mirage a Trois, the second album under the band name was nominated for a Grammy in 1983 , the group had already disbanded.
In 1984 Haslip and Ferrante put the band together again: instead of Robben Ford on guitar, saxophonist Marc Russo now played. In 1986, drummer Ricky Lawson left the band to tour with Lionel Richie and was replaced by William Kennedy to record the Four Corners album . Musically, the band's style expanded in the direction of "World Beats".
With Politics , the group threw the electronic elements in their music overboard in 1988 and devoted themselves increasingly to acoustic jazz. The Spin , in the same style, was recorded in Oslo in 1989 by Jan Erik Kongshaug and was the last album with Marc Russo as saxophonist.
The remaining trio recorded the album Greenhouse in 1991 , which in turn ushered in a new musical era: the big band arranger and saxophonist Bob Mintzer accompanied them as a soloist , some pieces were accompanied by a string orchestra . The style of the Yellowjackets now switched to acoustic jazz. In early 1999 William Kennedy left the band and was replaced by Peter Erskine for a year. From 2001 onwards, Marcus Baylor played drums as a full-time member. The group made guest appearances again in 2002 at American and European festivals. In 2010 William Kennedy returned to the band.
At the beginning of 2011 the Yellowjackets appeared in Germany with the big band of the Hessischer Rundfunk ; The arrangers were Russell Ferrante , Vince Mendoza and Bob Mintzer .
Between 2012 and 2015 Felix Pastorius was part of the Yellowjackets as bass player. He replaced the longtime bassist Jimmy Haslip, who took a break. In 2019 the Yellowjackets will play a European tour again.
Discography
- Robben Ford: The Inside Story (1979, Elektra) produced by Steve Cropper
- Yellowjackets (1981; Warner Bros.), produced by Tommy LiPuma
- Miscellaneous: Casino Lights (1982; Warner Bros.), produced by Tommy LiPuma
- Mirage A Trois (1983; Warner Bros.), produced by Tommy LiPuma
- Samurai Samba (1985; Warner Bros.), produced by Tommy LiPuma
- Shades (1986, MCA)
- Four Corners (1987, MCA), produced by Yellowjackets and David Hentschel
- Politics (1988, MCA), produced by Yellowjackets and David Hentschel
- The Spin (1989, MCA),
- Greenhouse (1991, GRP),
- Live Wires (1992, GRP),
- Like a River (1993, GRP),
- Run for Your Life (1994, GRP),
- Collection (1995, GRP),
- Dreamland (1995, Warner Bros.)
- Blue Hats (1997, Warner Bros.)
- Priceless Jazz (1998, GRP)
- Club Nocturne (1998, Warner Bros.)
- Best Of (1999, Warner Bros.)
- Mint Jam (2001, Yellowjackets)
- Time Squared (2003, Heads Up)
- Peace Round: A Christmas Celebration (2003, Yellowjackets)
- Altered State (2005, Heads Up)
- Twenty-Five (2006, Heads Up), CD / DVD
- Lifecycle (2008, Heads Up)
- Timeline (2011, Mack Avenue)
- A Rise in the Road (2013, Mack Avenue)
- Cohearence (April 2016, Mack Avenue Records)
- Raising Our Voice (September 2018, Mack Avenue Records)
All but the otherwise labeled albums were produced by Yellowjackets.
literature
- Richard Cook Jazz Encyclopedia. Penguin, London 2005, ISBN 0-14-100646-3 .
- Wolf Kampmann (Ed.), With the assistance of Ekkehard Jost : Reclams Jazzlexikon . Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010528-5 .
Web links
- Web site Yellowjackets (English)
- Fan Site (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ according to Kunzler: Article on Ferrante. In: Jazzlexikon