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 Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets
Label: Warner Brothers
Catalog Nº: 3573-2
Year Released: 1981
Producer(s): Tommy LiPuma
Credits: Russell Ferrante, keyboards; Jimmy Haslip, bass; Ricky Lawson, drums. With: Robben Ford, guitar; Lenny Castro, percussion; Paulinho Da Costa, percussion; Bobby Lyle, acoustic piano on "Sittin' In It"; Roland Bautista, guitar on "Sittin' In It"; Larry Williams, tenor sax and flutes; Jerry Hey, trumpet and flugelhorn (flugelhorn solo on "The Hornet"); Ernie Watts, tenor sax on "Matinee Idol"; Bill Reichenbach, trombones; Gary Herbig, tenor sax and flute; Kim Hutchcroft, tenor and baritone sax.
Track Listing:
- Matinee Idol {Russell Ferrante} [5:08]
- Imperial Strut {Russell Ferrante} [5:25]
- Sittin' In It {Ricky Lawson/Bobby Lyle} [5:06]
- Rush Hour {Russell Ferrante/Robben Ford} [5:13]
- The Hornet {Jimmy Haslip/Russell Ferrante} [5:29]
- Priscilla {Jimmy Haslip/Robben Ford/Chris Palmaro} [5:11]
- It's Almost Gone {Russell Ferrante} [6:00]
No "opening night" jitters here, this debut Yellowjackets album is solid from start to finish. Ferrante, Haslip and Lawson perform well together as the tight core, while the stellar cast of musicians assisting them is the icing on the cake. Robben Ford was a member of the group in its formative stages, and his guitar work is evident throughout. The early Yellowjackets sound is a seamless melding of jazz, fusion, rock and rhythm & blues influences. The bop-ish "Imperial Strut" gives everone ample room to improvise over a busy rhythmic figure, while "Sittin' In It" is light funk jazz. "Rush Hour" is a high point, featuring a lot of interplay between Ferrante and Ford. Overall, the music may be fusion, but the impressive songwriting and tight instrumentals made the album stand out from its contemporaries of the day.
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