 Yellowjackets
It's Yellowjack season all year. In this their
25th year, the Yellowjackets have taken to the road in a U.S.
and world tour taking them to dozens of clubs and festivals.
In June they swarmed New York, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Redding, CA.
Earlier n July they buzz over to Europe. They will make a four day stop in Los Angeles to play at the Catalina Bar and Grill from July 27th through the 30th before continuing their whirlwind tour, bouncing between the U.S. and Asia (See tour dates at the end of this article).
The Yellowjackets stand-out as jazz musicians in the often justifiably, critically maligned fusion genre.
This crowd pleasing ensemble showcases the considerable chops and musical direction of Bob Mintzer.
They started 25 years ago, with a group of talented
musicians led by guitarist Robben Ford
intense sound incorporating elements of jazz, funk, R&B and rock.
Keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky
Lawson were first assembled
in 1977 as session players for jazz guitar virtuoso Robben Ford's
instrumental release, The Inside Story.
Although Ford's label wanted him to follow up with a more pop and vocal
oriented album,
the band, then known as the Robben Ford Group, preferred the
instrumental approach.
They renamed themselves the Yellowjackets, and released an album by the
same name in 1981.
Robben Ford left the group to pursue other project, but the band went
on.
They reassembled in time for the 1984 Playboy Jazz Festival, adding
percussionist Paulinho Da Costa and
their new lead voice, sax man Marc Russo.
In 1990 saxophonist, band leader, and composer Bob Mintzer joined the
group and has remained a creative force with the group ever since.
The Yellowjackets continue to please crowds worldwide with an
aggressive touring schedule.
 Bob Mintzer Bob Mintzer's experience like
his early gigs with Eumir Deodato, Tito Puente and the Thad Jones and
Mel Lewis Big Band were formative.
The routine of playing and performing on a daily basis was important
"because it gets you in the habit of coming up with a high level of
musicianship on the spot." Some of his earliest arranging jobs were for
Buddy Rich's band. Bob Mintzer Buddy encouraged Bob to write a chart
for his big band.
One of his most influential stints was with the Thad Jones and Mel
Lewis Big Band. At first, he played every Monday night at the Village
Vanguard, playing for about six months until Thad left and stayed on
with Mel.
"Mel Lewis's drumming, in many ways, was the greatest big band drumming
I've ever experienced at first hand. He really listened and supported
and accompanied." He continues, "The band just swings like crazy. It
felt very comfortable to play with that band. It was a determining
factor on the way I run my own band, the way I like to play and the way
I write. Thad had a big impact on my writing."
Mintzer's own big band recordings build upon a lot of his earlier
work, as well as a lot of the music he listened to and admired. On his
big band recordings, you hear not only traditional big band elements,
but some rock, Latin and fusion elements as well.
However, it is the Yellowjackets with their aggressive touring schedule
that takes up most of his time.
 Yellowjackets
Jimmy Haslip’s bass is an
integral part of the Yellowjackets sound. In addition to building the
foundation upon which their songs are crafted, his thoughtful and often
fiery solos are a high water mark of many Yellowjackets tracks. While
being mostly self taught on the bass, Jimmy studied with a private
bass/tuba player from New York named Ron Smith. He was also very
fortunate to have studied with one of jazz music’s greatest talents.
"…I did manage to study with Jaco Pastorius for a few weeks in the mid
seventies, when he had just joined Weather Report. That was a giant
leap for me as a serious musician and it filled me with a much higher
level of inspiration. I think he was a major inspiration to all bass
players at that time!"
The Yellowjackets are celebrating their milestone quarter-century
anniversary with the
CD/DVD release aptly titled Twenty-Five.
The CD portion of the two-disc set captures a live 2005 performance in
Paris that features band members
bassist Jimmy Haslip, keyboardist Russell Ferrante, saxophonist Bob
Mintzer and drummer Marcus Baylor
delivering a burning set that includes vintage Yellowjackets'
compositions along with more recent material. The bonus DVD includes a
second live high-energy performance, filmed at the Naima Club in Forli,
Italy,
in October 2005. In addition to the concert footage, the DVD also
includes a variety of behind-the-scenes features: interviews with
current and past band members, retrospective performance footage and
other clips.
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Los Angeles 
Thursday, 08 January 2009
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