YELLOWJACKETS — Shades (1986) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Yellowjackets are a jazz band for the Windham Hill set: i.e., smooth and relaxing rather than edgy and stimulating. If Shades goes down like straight sugar (and not the lumpy kind), it's supposed to. Since some folks are naturally drawn to this type of music and others are not, an appreciation for jazz is not enough -- you'll need an appreciation for crossover jazz (aka "smooth jazz") to enjoy this album. If you do like your jazz on the lyrical side, and don't mind the late-night talk show arrangements, chances are you'll think Shades is pretty cool. Led by alto sax player Marc Russo, these eight songs glide along with nary a care in the world, promising to burst into song at any moment (which in fact happens on the gospel-inspired "Revelations"). Thanks in part to the electronic instruments and immaculate studio sound, Shades retains an uplifting and bouncy feel throughout. "New Shoes," "One Family," and "Regular Folks" are songs that listeners can warm up to in a hurry. Despite Russo's gratuitous solos, the Yellowjackets are not a flashy band -- Jimmy Haslip's agile bass is too low in the mix to be accused of showboating, and drummer Ricky Lawson and keyboardist Russell Ferrante don't seem interested in the spotlight. Without those individual excursions, the Yellowjackets sacrifice some identity, but generally the compositions stand up on the merits of their melodies. Because the melodies are so accessible, Shades occasionally sounds more like the work of contemporary pop artists with jazz aspirations (Donald Fagen, Bruce Hornsby) than contemporary jazz artists. That this music would sound at home in a supermarket should scare off jazz purists, but even they might find themselves humming along to it somewhere in a secluded aisle. Dave Connolly  
Tracklist :
1.    And You Know That 5:35
Written-By – Ricky Lawson, Russell Ferrante
2.    New Shoes 5:17
Written-By – Marc Russo, Russell Ferrante
3.    One Family 5:37
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
4.    Revelation 5:10
Written-By – Lorraine Perry, Russell Ferrante
5.    Oasis 5:29
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
6.    Regular Folks 5:01
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
7.    Black Tie 5:42
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
8.    Sonja's Sanfona 6:27
Written-By – Bill Gable, Jimmy Haslip
9.    Shades 5:14
Written-By – Donald Fagen
10.    Wildcats & Cougars 5:30
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip, Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante
Credits :
Accordion, Guest – Bruce Hornsby (pistas: 8)
Alto Saxophone – Marc Russo
Bass [Five String, Piccolo] – Jimmy Haslip
Drums [Remo], Percussion, Drums [Simmons] – Ricky Lawson
Keyboards – Russell Ferrante
Percussion, Guest – Paulinho Da Costa
Producer – Yellowjackets
Vocals, Guest – Perri (pistas: 4)

YELLOWJACKETS — Politics (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A nearly complete departure from smooth jazz, Politics is arguably the Yellowjackets' strongest effort to date. True, there is the pure pop of the single "Local Hero" (which features a rhythm section more rock than jazz) and the accessible "Evening Dance" to be considered, but they're the exceptions rather than the rule. Like Four Corners before it, Politics engages in exotic, dreamy textures, the new wrinkle here being the joining of Russell Ferrante's keyboards and Marc Russo's saxophones to create intoxicating, complex themes (the opening pair of "Oz" and "Tortoise & the Hare" are the best examples of this technique). The disc also finds the Yellowjackets incorporating elements of post-bop ("Downtown," "Foreign Correspondent") and more traditional jazz ("Helix," which affords a rare opportunity to compare Ferrante's piano technique to those of artists like Chick Corea and Bill Evans). The biggest difference in sound comes from Russo, who downplays his typically smooth soloing for more cerebral fare. Jimmy Haslip's bass has grown steadily more subtle over time, though he does showcase his fretless skills on "Galileo (For Jaco)" and provides a perfect complement to Russo's sax on the romantic "Avance." The rhythms of William Kennedy have moved higher in the mix, which partially accounts for Haslip's diminished presence, with guest Alex Acuña again providing occasional percussion. It's a pleasure to hear the Yellowjackets move beyond smooth jazz to bring their talents to bear on more substantive music. Despite the variety of styles -- from giddy, Ponty-like patterns to thoughtful, unfolding ballads -- the Yellowjackets treat every song with care and craftsmanship. The band returned to self-producing after this, so some of the softness in tone that co-producer David Hentschel brought to the sessions was lost on The Spin. Of the four albums that the band made for MCA, Politics is the one to own. Dave Connolly  
Tracklist :
1     Oz 4:44
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / William Kennedy / Marc Russo
2     Tortoise & The Hare 5:32
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / Marc Russo
3     Local Hero 4:38
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / Marc Russo
4     Galileo (For Jaco) 5:05
Jimmy Haslip
5     Foreign Correspondent 5:43
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / William Kennedy / Marc Russo
6     Downtown 4:02
Russell Ferrante
7     Helix 4:57
Russell Ferrante / William Kennedy
8     Avance 5:17
Russell Ferrante
9     One Voice 3:58
Russell Ferrante
10     Evening Dance 5:10
Russell Ferrante
Credits :
Guest, Musician, Percussion – Alex Acuna
Guest, Musician, Synthesizer [Synclavier] – Steve Croes
Performer [Yellowjackets Are:], Bass [5 String Bass] – Jimmy Haslip
Performer [Yellowjackets Are:], Drums – William Kennedy
Performer [Yellowjackets Are:], Keyboards [All Keyboards] – Russell Ferrante
Performer [Yellowjackets Are:], Saxophone [Saxophones] – Marc Russo

YELLOWJACKETS — Four Corners (1987) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Taking a cue from Weather Report (not to mention a percussionist, Alex Acuña), the Yellowjackets created more exotic textures for Four Corners, often with the use of Zawinul-like synthesizers from Russell Ferrante. The album otherwise represents a shift toward more traditional jazz, felt profoundly in the rhythm section of Jimmy Haslip and new drummer William Kennedy. The change in strategy is made plain on the opening "Out of Town," which finds everyone rethinking their instrument beyond the smooth jazz of Shades. While the atmospheric production of David Hentschel and the band lends an ominous air to the music, fans may see it as a poor tradeoff for the readily identifiable (and often instantly likeable) melodies of their previous work. Though nothing leaps off of Four Corners screaming "Hum me," sections of it are mesmerizing. "Past Ports" and "Wildlife" in particular absorb the listener into a breathing musical world. The disc isn't a full conversion from smooth jazz; Marc Russo's sax is still as sweet as ever, but on a track like "Open Road" the effect is icing on a spice cake. Haslip provides some noisy patterns that suggest he was striving for more substance; in fact, he and Ferrante seem to duke it out for control of "Postcards," while everyone throws their own wrench into "Room With a View." Four Corners is the product of four separate musicians striving to cultivate their own voice, a journey that discovers some interesting music along the way. That the Yellowjackets wanted to explore beyond the fringes of smooth jazz boded well for the band's future. Dave Connolly
Tracklist :
1    Out Of Town 5:02
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante
2    Wildlife 6:03
Cello, Percussion [Additional] – Bill Gable
Vocals – Alex Acuña, Bill Gable, Brenda Russell, Diana Acuña, Jimmy Haslip
Written-By – Alex Acuña, Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante
3    Sightseeing 5:52
Vocals – Bill Gable
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante
4    Open Road 3:37
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
5    Mile High 4:12
Written-By – Bill Gable, Jimmy Haslip, Marc Russo, Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy
6    Past Ports 5:29
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
7    Postcards 5:28
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante
8    Room With A View 4:28
Written-By – Russell Ferrante
9    Geneva 2:24
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip
10    Indigo 5:28
Written-By – Jimmy Haslip, Marc Russo, Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy
Credits :
Drums, Percussion – William Kennedy
Electric Bass [5-string Bass, Fretless Bass] – Jimmy Haslip
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer [All] – Russell Ferrante
Programmed By [Synclavier] – Gary Barlough
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Marc Russo

YELLOWJACKETS — The Spin (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Smooth jazz with some rough edges, you can actually sink your teeth into The Spin. Yellowjackets haven't completely taken pop/jazz out of their diet -- Marc Russo's "Blues for Nikki" and Russell Ferrante's "Whistle While You Walk" will skip a little too lightly for some tastes -- but most of the songs find a satisfying midway point between the sweet and the sour. "Geraldine," "Dark Horses," and "Storytellers" all have some meat on them, with keyboardist Russell Ferrante leading a musical discussion that steers clear of the banal. Leaving Russo to carry the melodies, Ferrante is free to pursue a more discursive dialogue (notably on "Enigma"), with punctuation provided by the brisk percussion of William Kennedy (who shines on "Dark Horses"). Jimmy Haslip's bassline gives "The Spin" its shape, but he continues to fade in and out of the mix, and fails to make the most of his one solo. The compact disc features a great bonus track: a medley of Billy Strayhorn's "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and Bud Powell's "Hallucinations." What their version may lack in soul they make up for in stride. The Spin has more on its mind than an album like Shades, and Yellowjackets' willingness to create and resolve musical problems will give some listeners pause to think. At least on this occasion, Yellowjackets show that light jazz doesn't have to be a guilty pleasure. Dave Connolly  
Tracklist :
1     Geraldine 6:43
Russell Ferrante
2     The Spin 4:46
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / William Kennedy / Marc Russo
3     Storytellers 6:44
Russell Ferrante
4     Prayer for El Salvador 6:00
Russell Ferrante
5     Whistle While You Walk 5:14
Russell Ferrante
6     Enigma 4:48
Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip
7     Dark Horses 5:00
Barry Coates / Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip
8     Blues for Nikki 4:20
Marc Russo
9     A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing/Hallucinations 8:48
Bud Powell / Billy Strayhorn
Credits :
Arranged By [Percussions] – Alex Acuna
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums, Percussion – William Kennedy
Keyboards – Russell Ferrante
Producer – Yellowjackets
Saxophone [Saxophones] – Marc Russo

LARRY CARLTON — Last Nite (1986) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This live set is one of Larry Carlton's best recordings because the guitarist stretches himself. Joined by keyboardist Terry Trotter, bassist Abraham Laboriel, drummer John Robinson and percussionist Alex Acuna (and an occasional three-piece horn section), Carlton plays five- to eight-minute versions of four originals (including "The B.P. Blues"), plus Miles Davis's "So What" and "All Blues." Recorded at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood in California, Carlton is heard throughout at his very best, making one wonder why he has recorded so few albums of a similar spontaneous nature in his career. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     So What     7:58
2     Don't Give It Up     5:30
3     The B.P. Blues     7:50
4     All Blues     7:50
5     Last Nite     7:58
6     Emotions Wound Us So     6:17
Credits :
Guitar – Larry Carlton
Bass – Abraham Laboriel
Drums – John Robinson, Rick Marotta (tracks: B1)
Keyboards – Terry Trotter
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Saxophone – Marc Russo
Trumpet – Gary Grant, Jerry Hey 

YELLOWJACKETS — Samurai Samba (1985) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Samurai Samba is notable for the addition of fiery saxophonist Marc Russo to the group, an alumnus of the Tower of Power horn section. His sound gave Yellowjackets an identity, and resulted in some memorable tunes such as the album opener "Homecoming" (a concert favorite back in the day), and the title track where Russo blows almost bebop lines over a funky blend of jazz fusion set to a fast-paced samba beat. "Lonely Weekend" is notable for the guest appearance of singer and tunesmith Bobby Caldwell. The overall sound is very much of its time, fitting in well with the contemporary jazz fusion that was popular back then. This one is an important evolutionary album in their catalog. Rudy

Tracklist :

1.    Homecoming 5:13

Russell Ferrante

2.    Deat Beat 5:25

Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / Ricky Lawson / Marc Russo

3.    Daddy's Gonna Miss You 4:33

Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / Ricky Lawson / Marc Russo

4.    Sylvania 4:14

Russell Ferrante / Jimmy Haslip / Ricky Lawson

5.    Silverlake 5:45

Russell Ferrante

6.    Lonely Weekend 4:20

Bobby Caldwell / Joseph Curiale / Russell Ferrante / Ricky Lawson

7.    Los Mambos 4:24

Paulinho Da Costa / Russell Ferrante / Marc Russo

8.    Samurai Samba 5:18

Russell Ferrante

Credits :

Vocals – Bobby Caldwell, Carl Caldwell, Marilyn Scott, Paulinho Da Costa

Bass [5-string] – Jimmy Haslip

Drums, Drums [Electric] – Ricky Lawson

Guitar – Carlos Rios, Michael Landau

Keyboards – Russell Ferrante

Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa

Saxophone [Alto] – Marc Russo