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Yellowjackets: Fasten Up
by Pierre Giroux
Since their auspicious debut in 1981, the Yellowjackets have stood as both standard bearers and restless innovators of the jazz fusion movement. The group is anchored by founding pianist and keyboardist Russell Ferrante, long-time collaborators drummer Will Kennedy and saxophonist Bob Mintzer and, the most recent addition (for nearly a decade), bassist Dane Alderson. With their release Fasten Up, they once again demonstsrate that their creative engine runs on both memory and momentum. The album opens with a ...
Continue ReadingThe Yellowjackets: Parallel Motion
by Peter Jones
Of the original 1977 members of the Yellowjackets, all but keyboards man Russell Ferrante departed long ago. But saxophonist Bob Mintzer, who joined in 1991, is still there and, to a large extent, the idea also lingers on: we hear echoes of it in the work of Snarky Puppy, for example. That idea was/is Californian jazz-funk. But how do you keep it sounding fresh after 45 years and 26 albums (27 if you count the one with Bobby ...
Continue ReadingWill Kennedy: From East Bay Grease to the Yellowjacket Sound
by Ben Scholz
Among contemporary fusion musicians, drummer Will Kennedy stands out as a legend in both the creative and commercial scenes. Growing up in the Bay Area, Kennedy found music at the tender age of four. By his twenties, he was working in the Los Angeles studio scene as the go-to guy for talk show TV orchestras and movie scores. In 1986, he joined the legendary jazz fusion group Yellowjackets, remaining a key figure in the band for nine years and recording ...
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