The venerable band The Yellowjackets have survived a myiad of personnel and style changes in their 32 year history. With a true jazz heart, they have improvised well over these challenges that would have made a lesser band either give up and break up, or give up and sell out. The latest transition has been founder/bassist Jimmy Haslip taking an indefinite hiatus, with Felix Pastorius (son of famed Jaco) filling in ably here, but for the most part, this most recent release sounds like a band that is trying to regain its footing more than move forward, a rarity for the 32 year old team.
Hints of this come through on material like “Civil War” and “When The Lady Dances,” which sound more like simple ideas that get added onto instead of complete compositions. Further evidence of this is high percentage of songs that end as long fade outs instead of completed pieces. While there is some heat generated on”(You’ll Know) When It’s Time” (which has some impressive tenor work by Bob Mintzer) and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire adds some depth on a few of the songs; the most successful concepts are the slower tunes such as “Longing” which also includes some marvelous piano work by Russell Ferrante. Pastorius gets a short spotlight on “I Knew His Father,” but otherwise stays in the background getting his sea legs. More of a bump in the road than a rise, as well as a recapitulation and assessment than crossing the Jordan into the promised land, but all of the ingredients are still there to keep the band making important statements.
Mack Avenue Records
www.mackavenue.com