While the Fertile Ground album was certainly “old news” this is a real news. The Yellowjackets will release their new album Altered State on March 25, 2005 on Heads Up
Although Yellowjackets have released numerous albums, their Time Squared release was my first Yellowjackets album. This was certainly because I was more into vocals all the years and I only recently discovered my love for instrumental jazz (and then I’ve gone to the other extreme with discovering the opus of Alice Coltrane - but more about that in another post soon).
Altered State brings us eleven original compositions amongst them a full vocal track in the shape of The Hope, that features Jean Baylor on vocals and has a nice gospel influence with the Perri sisters on background vocals (although Sharon, Lori, Carolyn and Darlene are renamed Perry here).
The ten instrumentals Bob Mintzer, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, and Marcus Baylor have created are all fine and flawlwess and perfect for a lazy day at home although some songs could’ve been improved with adding a little more depth to them in my opinion. Especially the inclusion of the bass clarinet here and there reminds me of smooth jazz’ icon Kenny G. but maybe it’s just that this particular instrument is forever spoiled for my ears :-)
For more infos visit headsup.com and yellowjackets.com.
2005/19/3 at 20:49
I believe that you mean soprano sx, not bass clarinet.