  
 Yellowjackets have come home to Warner Bros. with a Grammy nominated album. Dreamland, the title of their twelfth album, embodies the idealism, and personal philosophy of the group with ten richly diverse tracks featuring Bobby McFerrin, Luis Conte and Chuck Findley as special guests.
Growth, evolution and change have characterized the
Yellowjackets' history. Founding members Ferrante and Haslip met in the
late '70s when playing on Robben Ford's debut album. Ford joined the
two-some and the Yellowjackets were born. Kennedy joined the
group in '86 and Bob Mintzer completed the current lineup in '90.
The group began with more R&B elements in their music, grooves
anchored to backbeats; with the addition of Kennedy, they
incorporated more African, Brazilian, worldbeat elements, funk and swing,
while Bob Mintzer contributed a more traditional jazz background
and big band element to the mix. The Yellowjackets have hovered
between improvisation and structure in their musical expression,
emphasizing one and then the other, always taking the high road of
innovation and originality.
"We've never been a group that jumped on the bandwagon, but have always tried to find a different road, not to avoid what's going on, but to find a different slant to it." states Jimmy Haslip. Russell adds, "On the past few records, we were riding a curve towards more improvisation, in musician's jargon, more of a 'blowing' sound. This record has veered back a little more towards structure. The playing is a little more sparse on this recording. There's an effort to distill our ideas into the most essential elements. Many significant events took place during the time we were working on this project--Jimmy and Will both got married and Jimmy's wife had a child--bringing more focus and maturity to the project. There was less time for nonsense." Will adds, "Each record has a strong level of intensity in it's creation, but this seemed more intense, because it was combined with very serious events." "We wanted all the songs to be part of a whole," says Russell, "but we all write, so there are different perspectives. And the songs on Dreamland definitely represent a variety of musical outlooks."
The title track "Dreamland" was a work in progress. William Kennedy asserts, "It had to age. We tried to record it on our previous album, but the idea had to develop more and our approachneeded to change. This time we found a way to make the music feel the way we really wanted it to. I have a special affinity for it now. It was inspired by a Gil Evans song that I heard on one of my father's albums. The idea and melody are something I'd been hearing a long time." The textural "Summer Song" features the intuitive and inimitable Bobby McFerrin on vocals and percussion with Luis Conte also on percussion, adding warmth and dimension to an already rich landscape. The album's opening cut, "Chosen," is a favorite of Jimmy Haslip's. "It has a lot of spirit; it's very uplifting. It has a simple Afro-Latin feeling that's very joyous." He adds, "I really like 'Father Time"'....also 'A Walk In The Park.' Both were arranged by Bob Mintzer and the latter has that Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band sound." Mintzer adds, "One of the most interesting elements of being in the Yellowjackets is being able to implement my ideas compositionally and then, as a group, to fashion them into a sound that is identifiable with the Yellowjackets, yet fresh and different. I believe these two songs represent that." "'Small Town,'" says Ferrante, "is really fun. It's written in a major key. When the harmony becomes darker...that's the gossip." The Quixotic playfulness and humor of "Turn in Time" display yet another color in the Jackets's Dreamland dreamscape. Kennedy comments, "I was brought up listening to a lot of funk and R&B and this song represents this very strongly, but satisfies my thirst for that sound of jazz. The approach to the composition, the melody and chord changes involved a lot of elements you hear in traditional jazz. The pairing of jazz and funk made it one of my favorites."
For more funk and amusement, "Black Top" seems to be a
favorite all around. Jimmy states: "We had a number of musical ideas and
we put them together with a real sense of humor. It reflects the
band's outlook. We all have a good sense of humor. When artists
take themselves too seriously, things get really boring...that's
not the case here. We know how to laugh at ourselves."
As they look to the future, the Yellowjackets intend to keep
up their endless musical adventures and almost non-stop touring--
and, more importantly, to continue the process; dreaming of
better music and a better world.
When a band member decides to leave the band, and is replaced
by a new member, resembling the former member, the new kid on the
block may have to fight for his identity for as long as a
year....or longer.
I am Will Kennedy, member since 1986, who replaced co-founding
member and former drummer, Ricky Lawson. In 1991, Ricky had
family members in Houston, TX who were not informed of the change of
drummers. After a performance at an outdoor jazz festival, I
received a message that my cousin was at the backstage door. I knew I
didn't have any family in Texas, but I decided to play along.
Making my way to the backstage door, I thought to myself, ...who
will I meet?? Will this be someone I know?
As I stuck my head out of the door, I was greeted by a
brother who was very excited to see me. He rushed to give me a hug and
proceeded to tell me how much he enjoyed the show. Before I said
a word, he continued by introducing me to his companion and then
made a comment that I look as though I have "lost some weight." I
thanked him, and asked him how do we know each other. He said
"It's me, Bobby, Aunt Lily's son." I then told him my name and his
face showed shock and embarassment. "What happened to Ricky?" he
said. I told him the story, thanked him for coming, and told him
to say "Hi" to Aunt Lilly.
Nothing like this ever happened again, but often a concert
promoter will use an old band photo, or a publication may not use
the most recent band bio....but mostly it's an honest mistake. Keep
up with your band members! WK
On this particular night, the house was extremely peaceful and
the living room was glowing with candle light. I was about to
put little Gabriela in her crib, when I got this idea for a song. I
was writing with my Roland keyboard and headphones so as not to
disturb the household. Gabriela was fast asleep and not a
creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
As I was working on this song, I was suddenly consumed by a
blissful feeling. I could see my little girl sleeping so peacefully
with a soft light glimmering on her face. At that very moment, I
knew that what I was writing, was completely inspired by the
gentleness of my beautiful little daughter and the warmth of my
wonderful house. It was a perfect moment. I was overcome with love
and this song was the joy I felt when she was born combined with
the joy of being a new dad. A love song for my daughter was
conceived that night.
Whenever I listen to this song, it always reminds me of her
and my heart sings with happiness. JH
Another element in the Yellowjackets' enduring success is their
wide-ranging interests and numerous outside projects.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Their efforts have brought them
Grammy Nominations for eight out of their past eleven releases and two
Grammy Awards, one in '86 for "And You Know That," from the
Shades album (Best R&B Instrumental Recording) and another in '88 for
the Politics album (Best Jazz Fusion Performance).
I began writing this song late one night, when my 3 month old
daughter was asleep on a pillow in the living room of our house.
My wife had gone to bed, and I had elected to take the night
shift, since Gabriela was not always sleeping through the night.
