Yellowjackets, a band of royalty in the jazz fusion kingdom, return with their 28th studio album, Fasten Up. With a continuation of their creativity and longevity over 43 years of music-making, they have persistently pushed forward in developing their musical voice whilst navigating numerous lineup changes over their timeline. Their self-titled debut album in 1981 made waves in jazz radio, followed by the Grammy-nominated Mirage a Trois in 1983. During their career, the Yellowjackets have released 25 albums, received 17 Grammy nominations, and won 2 Grammy Awards. Notable recent releases include Timeline (2011) which marked their 30th anniversary and Jackets XL with the WDR Big Band (2020), which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.  

The group's enduring legacy is driven by their unwavering commitment to musical exploration and reinvention. The current ensemble features Russell Ferrante, the founding keyboardist; Will Kennedy, whose second stint as drummer now exceeds his first; Bob Mintzer, a saxophonist of over three decades; and Dane Alderson, the Australian bassist approaching his tenth year with the band. Together, they continue to craft a diverse musical tapestry that defies genre boundaries and keeps the Yellowjackets at the forefront of contemporary jazz.

Launching into Ben Tucker’s “Comin Home Baby” (recorded by numerous musicians including Quincy Jones and Mel Tormé), we’re greeted to a familiar and distinct Yellowjackets sound, provided by Mintzer’s EWI and saxophone doubling the melody. Anchored by an energetic groove that draws inspiration from Dave Weckl, “Fasten Up”, the title track by bassist Alderson, opens with a likeness to Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. While drummer Will Kennedy doesn't often take the spotlight, his powerful and locked-in grooves form the backbone of the album's rhythm section, facilitating the album’s fluidity. 

Saxophonist Bob Mintzer is an avid composer, having written and arranged music for the WDR Big Band to Metropole Orchestra, who pens his extensive small band experience into “Will Power”. Audibly it seems disjointed with unorthodox rhythms entering from individual instruments, but as one sound it grooves. “November 8th” and “The Truth Of You” (both Ferrante compositions) are polar opposites. On the first, spiraling sequences from the piano introduce an 11/8 time signature whilst the melody soars above, further compounding into a series of inspired solos. The thematic movement of Ferrante augments the forward motion to this performance as it shifts harmonically, bustling to a fade. The latter, a pensive ballad placed at the midpoint of the album, provides a nice change with the malleable tone of Mintzer’s tenor painting an idyllic scene, supported prudently by his fellow bandmates.  

On "The Lion" singer-songwriter and guitarist, Raul Midón, makes a special guest appearance, blending his unique sound seamlessly with the Yellowjackets' established foundation. The playful melody is attacked together by Midón and Mintzer with the cyclic piano pattern of Ferrante providing accompaniment.

A trio of consecutive Mintzer tunes follow: from a nod to bass king Jaco Pastorious that swings joyfully to the saxophonists bluesy improvising in “Swingmeister General”, to the rocky and EWI rich “An Interesting Dream”. Rounding out the triplicate is “Broken”, aptly capturing both the piece's disjointed rhythmic structure and, more subtly referenced, the tumultuous state of our current global landscape. “Xemeris” leans into the future, combining acoustic instruments with MIDI programming through a multi-layered approach. Seamlessly through-composed, it weaves contrasting sections together while leaving room for an introspective and exploratory Ferrante solo, topped off with modern electronic sounds.

A palpable sense of excitement permeates all the music Yellowjackets produce. A collective discovery surges through their powerful funk grooves, enhances the emotion of their ballads, and reveals the foundations of their bracing sense of swing. Taken at face value, the album presents an accessible listening experience; however, on further passes the complexity is masked by the ease with which the musicians effortlessly perform. With Fasten Up, they acknowledge their rich history with one eye firmly staring ahead. 

Dan Spirrett

from  www.prestomusic.com