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
12.7.25
YELLOWJACKETS — Politics (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
2.7.25
YELLOWJACKETS — Four Corners (1987) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
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

13.6.25
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
5.6.25
LARRY CARLTON — Last Nite (1986) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless
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

+ last month
JOACHIM RAFF : Aus Thüringen (Suite) · Italian Suite (CSSR State Philharmonic (Košice) · Richard Edlinger) (1989) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless
Raft wrote his Thuringian Suite in 1877, one of those works that a recent commentator has referred to as "Raff's travelogues"....
