Even after more than four decades, the Yellowjackets show no signs of slowing down. On the contrary: With “Fasten Up”- their 27th album – they’re back in full force.
The title says it all: Buckle up, the Yellowjackets are back.
The band’s relentless drive forward has less to do with their musical pace than with their attitude: a constant thirst for discovery and renewal.
This is also reflected in the lineup: founding member and pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante, drummer Will Kennedy, who has been with the band since 2010 for an even longer second stint, Bob Mintzer, the band’s defining saxophone voice since 1990, and Dane Alderson, who celebrates his tenth year as a “Jacket” with “Fasten Up.”
Mintzer describes the band’s concept this way: “When I write for the Yellowjackets, I try to create spaces where we can do what makes this band what it is. At its core, it’s about coming together and playing.
We love chamber music, R&B, gospel, and straightforward jazz—so much so that no single influence stands out. Our sound is clearly recognizable, yet it’s constantly evolving.”
The music industry is constantly changing.
Kennedy sees the band’s strength in the balance between tradition and innovation: “We look back on a history that has brought fun, challenges, and change.
The music industry is constantly changing, and we feel honored to still be an important part of it after all these years.”
The energetic sound of the Yellowjackets’ future is immediately apparent in the opening track: Kennedy’s whip-cracking drums catapult the band into their elastic version of “Comin’ Home Baby”—a classic from the early ’60s, interpreted by artists such as Herbie Mann, Mel Tormé, Quincy Jones, and Michael Bublé.
Mintzer’s arrangement, in which the melody is doubled on tenor and EWI, instantly transforms it into a typical Yellowjackets track.
The band also presented many of the new album tracks live: Alderson’s “Fasten Up,” Mintzer’s “Will Power” with its unusual rhythmic pattern, Ferrante’s “November 8th” in its intricate 11/8 time signature, and the wistful ballad “The Truth of You.”
In addition, Mintzer contributed the tracks “Swingmeister General,” “An Interesting Dream,” and “Broken”—the latter reflecting the disoriented sense of time in our era.
The Yellowjackets have been welcome guests at the Bix Jazz Club for years and have a loyal fan base. It’s no wonder, then, that this concert sold out in no time.
Russell Ferrante (p, synth)
Bob Mintzer (reeds, EWI)
Dane Alderson (b)
Will Kennedy (dr)
