Of the jazz bands that formed in the 80s, only the Yellowjackets and Spyro Gyra are still standing. I gotta tell ya, these guys still sound GREAT. They’ve grown and changed with the times, and actually sound a bit more aggressive as they’ve gotten older. Part of the Grumpy Old Man syndrome?
The band of Jay Beckenstein/sax, Tom Schuman/key, Julio Fernandez/g, Scott Ambush/b and Lee Pearson/dr-perc drive hard on the assertive “Serious Delivery” and even get a bit feisty on the tribute piece “I Know What You Mingus.” Who’d have picked THAT one 10 years ago? Some hot bass licks will make your neck subluxate on “Wishful Thinking” and “Not Unlike That” and Beck gets down and dirty on his tenor on the funky “Off The Cuff.” A soulful “Who Knew!” closes this disc, and that’s a great summary of this album. Weren’t these guys the mellow alternative to Weather Report at one time? WHEW!
Crosseyed Bear Productions