YELLOWJACKETS

- LIFECYCLE

2008-10-06

The Yellowjackets are: Jimmy Haslip (elec. Bass), Russell Ferrante (piano, keyboards, and percussion), Marcus Baylor (drums, percussion), Bob Mintzner (tenor & soprano sax, bass clarinet) and special guest Mike Stern (guitars) You would think that a group that’s been around over 25 years would come up dry but the Yellowjackets are a picture of longevity on the Jazz scene. The Yellowjackets have done it again! Lifecycle is a smooth yet edgy jazz/ fusion classic in the making with special guest Mike Stern on guitars. There’s not one cut I didn’t like on this album. I especially liked track (5) measure of a man (R.Ferrante) which featured a polyphonic conversation between clarinet and guitar, with dissonant chords on piano. The improvisation on this piece is great and you can still subtly hear the main musical thought as the soloist play. Track (9) “Claire’s Closet” has a classical sound that is a change of pace at the beginning of the piece and the jazz piano solo is delightful, Russell Ferrante reminded me a little of Bill Evans with his solo. Overall, this album gets 5 stars and “Lifecycle” is bound to get Grammy considerations in my opinion. -Corey Jones

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