The Life Cycles of the Yellowjackets-the secret of team work

By George W. Harris


In this day and age, few relationships last more than a few years. Be it marriage, businesses or bands, the internal and external pressures of society make it hard for any group to endure. For a band to last for a quarter of a century like the Yellowjackets, someone must be doing something right. And like any good long term relationship, the current lineup of Jimmy Haslip, Russ Ferrante, Bob Mintzer and Marcus Baylor is more dynamic and fervent than ever, particularly since they’ve added guitarist Mike Stern to their latest disc (“Lifecycle”) and tour.

Founding member and Valley resident Russell Ferrante takes the lifelong lesson’s he’s learned and observed over the years, and has applied them to all aspects of his life. These lessons are not easy, but they are simple, and they’ve made Ferrante a stabilizing force not only in his own band, but also in his 30 year marriage, and as the supporting pianist of choice for such vocalists as Lorraine Feather and Marilyn Scott.

Self-effacing, like any supporting member of a band, Ferrante puts his 30 year marriage in perspective, along with the demands of worldwide fame as a musician. “You’ve got to find the right woman and be really lucky,” he explains. “With the amount of travel, you have to find someone who stands on their own two feet, has a life of there own and not waiting for their husband to come home. It’s a very different reality. You’re one the road, people are clapping for you, and wanting your autograph, and you get home and it’s, “Take out the garbage.” Just his morning, I did a lovely task-snaking the shower. That’s reality!”

Just as he is thankfully surprised at the long term success of his marriage, Ferrante is inexplicable when it comes to reasons as to the Yellowjackets still being together since Reagan was president. “It’s through no great master plan of ours, I can tell you that, “ he admits. “I think that we found a nice combination of people and we kept a focus on music that we really enjoy, and it’s that simple; nothing exotic. We have a nice group of people, and you have to have that when you spend a lot of time away from home. That’s as important as musicianship. Jimmy Haslip and I have been there from the beginning. Bob Mintzer is now into his 18th year with the band, and Marcus joined us in 2000. I think that’s one of the reasons that it has stayed interesting for everyone. I mean, we’ve established a group sound, but it was able to bend, flex and groove in different directions. As we changed, the music could change, and that kept it both interesting and invigorating.”

Just like any individual artist, Ferrante and Haslip have had to adapt to musical and personal changes to make their vision last. Russell recalls, “When Mark Russo left, that was at the end of the 80s, beginning of the 90s-that was a real challenge. That’s when we asked Bob to play on a recording. We really didn’t know if he’d do anything beyond that. We all really hit it off; there was a nice chemistry. Right after that, we had an Asian tour for three weeks, and he agreed to do it with us. That solidified his involvement and commitment to the band. We had a really great time and loved playing with him.”

Suddenly, a thread starts weaving through the reasons for Ferrante being at the place where a healthy longevity thrives. “To use the sports metaphor, you’ve got to be a “team player.” Like the Lakers this year, they had the right chemistry. You can have great individual talents, but you’ve got to be able to blend your talent, and you have to know your role. You have to know when to step out in front, and when to go into a supporting role. That’s just kind of evolved over the course of the 20+ years, and I think we have a good understanding of what our strengths are, and how we can help the band. People are very giving and very respectful of one another. You don’t have people demanding their way, and putting down one another. That just doesn’t work in any relationship.

There has to be a commitment to the whole.”

This ability to sacrifice one’s own desires for the good of the group isn’t something that comes naturally, and definitely isn’t taught in schools anymore. For Ferrante, the roots of his personal and musical temperament took place where most musicians seem to first taste the musical waters; the church. He remembers, “I grew up in a Pentecostal costal. A real fundamentalist upbringing. I did veer off that path, but about ten years ago, my wife and I started attending an Episcopal church in Pasadena. I do have a respect and understanding for the religious point of view. It’s good to get the focus off yourself and move into the rest of the world. There’s a lot of people with a lot of need, and for me religion is one way to keep reminding me of that. There’s something a whole lot greater than myself. The impact from growing up that way was just trying to be as honest and straight up as possible. Try to treat everyone as honestly and respectfully as you can.”

The motivation to be loyal, both as a husband and as a musician, was imbibed by Ferrante since his youth. Likewise, the music that he grew up with, as with all of us (parents take note), had an impact on Ferrante that he carries with him to this very day. He admits, “It’s amazing, and I’m rediscovering and realizing just how much of an impact all of that music had on me. When I was growing up, my dad was the choir director, and we were very faithful on going to church. I mean a couple or three times a week. So, I heard those hymns endlessly. My dad had a gospel quartet. This is really funny; at the church I now go to, they have a Jazz Vespers every couple of months. I happened to do it this last Sunday, and I resurrected a song that I hadn’t thought about in years that my father’s quartet used to play. It was an old spiritual. We didn’t have to change it that much, and I was thinking how this music is so deep in part of my brain. I’m sure that for so many musicians that it’s the music that you grow up with that imprints on you. It’s there forever. It touches a deep place, if you have that connection with the church. It’s very powerful.”

Not just as a member of the Yellowjackets, but as a pianist for such great vocalists like Marilyn Scott and Lorraine Feather (who both have excellent new discs out that feature his writing and playing), Ferrante takes these important lessons as a musical partner. “Singers and pianists have a long history of connections. It’s a really great relationship, because singers often need the help of a pianist to do the arrangements, or be the musical director. SO, I’ve been really lucky. They’re all my friends, and I respect what they do. Marilyn Scott, I’ve known since I grew up in San Jose, where I met her. In the 60s I was playing with her, and we met down here again. She’s one of my favorite people, and an amazing person. Lorraine used to be my neighbor. I loved her lyric writing. She is one smart, articulate and interesting person. Again, it’s all part of knowing your role, and team work. Knowing how to make the music happen. It’s nothing really exotic. It’s really pretty basic stuff.”

It’s this simple attitude that has made the collaboration with guitar wizard Mike Stern work so well. Ferrante explains how the band got together, and why the chemistry between 5 musicians who lead their own groups and projects could work out so well. “We’ve been running into Mike for many years. When he was playing with the Brecker Brothers band we’d do several festivals with him. Later, I became good friends with his wife Leni, who’s a fantastic singer and guitarist. She used to be an actress in Germany. They’ve been married for close to 30 years. She’s fantastic. So we’ve known them a long time.”

“The real catalyst for this project was playing together at the Montreal Jazz Festival last year. Mike was the featured artist, and he played concerts with a whole lot of different groups. For a whole week he was with a different band, one or two groups played with him every night. We hit it off; it was a real nice collaboration. Musicians always say, “Hey, we’ll do something together in the future…” but we really came together. We’re really pleased that it did. It was a ball working with him. We’ll be at Catalina’s in August. We’re excited.”

Having such a strong lead musician as Stern could be a daunting task for any group. But, because of Ferrante’s lifelong lessons, he was able to make the whole group jell.”It’s a challenge for me, because you have two chordal instruments, and you have to listen carefully so you don’t step on each other. I had to take a step back and really be careful in what I did, and Mike did the same thing. But once we got going, it was really fun, and we figured out to occupy the same space.”

Ferrante has nothing but the highest respect for his latest member, and for a simple reason. Stern also works to serve the music. “He’s a character. A unique human being. He’s a great guy-a bit neurotic, and he’ll be the first to tell you. Like, when we left the session, he had some things he still wanted to still work on. He wasn’t quite pleased with this and that. So, he’d ask me, “Are you heading home after this?” I said, yes, and he said, “I’ll call you every day!!” Half joking, and half real, because once he starts something he’s obsessed to complete it and get it done the right way.” It’s the tenacious attitude to desire to be a servant that always makes life successful, be it in music, marriage, sports or business. The best leader is always the greatest servant of all. Don’t miss the unique opportunity to see 5 leader serve each other.