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Altered
State by Yellowjackets – reviewed by Chris Mann
It
whetted my appetite for “Altered State”, the band’s fourth
release for Heads Up International. Guest
percussionist Mike Shapiro kicks off Suite 15. It’s immediately recognisable Yellowjackets; offbeat time
signature, strong elements of melody, dancing cymbals and a
mischievous wandering bassline. Sometimes
the bass doubles the piano, sometimes Bob Mintzer’s gorgeous tenor
doubles it. It grows to a
crescendo and is a great opener.
There is an almost reggae feel on the opening to March
Majestic, which becomes more majestic as it progresses.
That sax sounds fabulous - if I learned to play sax, I’d want
to get that sound. As the rhythm calms, there’s more space in the sound and a
great string synth. The
vocals on Yellowjackets songs are usually strong and the contributions
by Jean Baylor and the Perry Sisters (no longer Perrí) on Hope
are no exception. The
lead vocals sit neatly with the staccato rhythm and that gospel chorus
wells up beautifully as the song moves to its close.
The mood on Hunter’s Point is almost menacing.
It has a constant rise-and-fall of tension; the sweet soprano
sax and mean bass clarinet lines wind around a sparse drum pattern.
Oh Lord, Russell Ferrante takes an electric piano solo that’s
mid-70’s Herbie Hancock all over!
Mintzer’s getting all Bennie Maupin too.
The complex time signature and key changes keep you on your
toes. It’s challenging
– but worth hanging in there for… Mother
Earth is a less complex tune which has
Jimmy Haslip finding those nice fat notes on the bass.
Does anyone engineer a better drum sound than Bill Schnee?
Those cymbals dance from speaker to speaker – close your eyes
and you can practically see Marcus Baylor workin’ it!
Clean bass picking kicks off the busy Youth Eternal,
which kind of reminds me of an old Steps Ahead tune, and that’s a
good thing. Live, this is
going to be massive, if it isn’t already.
The sax solo is loose and this song is really a jam!! No
idea how they get the frantic vibes and electronic percussion sound on
Free Day. That
pace can’t be sustained and the mellower mid section is a nice
change of tempo. The
tenor sax really speaks out on here.
Listen for the superb snare drum workout from Baylor on the
fade. Nuts! That
Bennie Maupin sound is back on the strutting Cross Current. The rhythm is pure funk and the bass clarinet and EWI really ride
the rhythm as Kool and the Gang used to say. This swings like crazy and it’s my favourite song from the
album. Ferrante’s
electric piano is, well, it’s just bliss on a stick! Fretless
bass leads you into Aha, which is a typically elegant
‘Jackets workout. It’s
dark but playful, complex but grooving, melodic but blowin’ –
hell, it’s the Yellowjackets! The
piano is everywhere on the lovely 57 Chevy.
It’s a Ferrante composition and it showcases his piano sound
beautifully. It’s a
nostalgic sound and it intoxicates.
If you like EWI, you’re going to enjoy Unity.
For me, the lyrical soprano sax here is as sweet as any I’ve
heard. A subtle string
synth adds to the drama as Haslip explores the upper range of that
superb Tobias bass. This
is the third outstanding Yellowjackets release I’ve had the pleasure
of receiving in my mailbox, playing loud and writing about.
If you’re a Yellowjackets fan already, nothing I’ve said
will surprise you. The
Mintzer/Ferrante/Haslip/Baylor line-up continues to serve up daring
but accessible music. Every
song on the CD improves with repeated listening – the quality of
musicianship, production and sound engineering continues to astound. As
an aside, I’ve been experimenting with a device to give a cleaner
mains supply to my hi-fi system. I’m glad I did, because it has to be worthwhile
doing anything that gets you just a little closer to music this good. Heads Up International - HUCD3097 Producers - Yellowjackets, Executive Producer - Dave Love (also available on SACD, HUSA9097)
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