Yellowjackets – Altered State (2005)
Жанр: Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Носитель: SACD
Год издания: 2005
Издатель: Heads Up
Номер по каталогу: HUSA 9097
Аудиокодек: DSD64 2.0, DST64 5.1
Тип рипа: image (iso)
Продолжительность: 00:59:35
Наличие сканов в содержимом раздачи: да
Образ снят с помощью: Sony PlayStation 3 и утилиты sacd-ripper version 0.36
Релизёр:
Yellowjackets
They have a unique blend of ‘straight-ahead’ jazz sensibilities combined with a little fusion & contemporary styles. The musicianship of all of the members of the band is incredible. This album is not as edgey as earlier recordings, but it shows how they have matured, definitely a good listen from beginning to end.
Audaud review (2005):
An original cover by artist Peter Max adorns the latest in a long series of albums from this creative quartet.They began life as the session band for guitarist Robben Ford in the late ‘70s. Over the years they have changed & developed thru many variations upon a basic jazz fusion style – blues, R&B, world music, Afro-Cuban, acoustic. Experimenting with tradition has been Yellowjackets’ thing all along. Now made up of leading reedman & big band leader Bob Mintzer, keyboardist Russell Ferrante, electric bassist Jimmy Haslip & drummer Marcus Baylor, Yellowjackets are playing with offbeat meters & rhythms plus unusual melodies in this album. The first track is 15 beats to the bar, for example. There are vocals this time, 1 from Jean Baylor, even with backup singers. All 11 tracks are original tunes by members of the band, with one involving 3 of them together. The dynamic groove of this band has always been a kick, & with the terrific surround playback it’s a kick & a half!
~ John Henry
Regardless of medium – be it music, canvas, film, the written word or any other form – most artists agree that the creative process usually takes them to another place, a level of consciousness that differs dramatically from the everyday experience.
Keyboardist Russell Ferrante, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, bassist Jimmy Haslip & drummer Marcus Baylor are 4 such artists. They are known collectively as the Yellowjackets, a quartet that has carved a unique niche in jazz by relentlessly exploring these alternate planes of consciousness time & again for more than 2 decades. Loaded with odd meters, evocative melodies & harmonies, the album is the result of what happens when 4 highly talented musicians “get off the tried & true path & find some less-traveled roads,” says Ferrante. “It refers to that meditative place where one goes when you engage in whatever creative thing you do.”
The 11 tracks get under way with Ferrante’s “Suite 15,” a classic Jackets composition set in the ambitious meter of 15 beats per bar. “March Majestic,” penned by Mintzer – & outfitted with healthy doses of sax-keyboard interplay – is an infectious track that opens with a classic New Orleans backbeat & segues into a more straight ahead groove. Vocalist Jean Baylor, who appeared on the Jacket’s 2 previous studio outings – Time Squared & Peace Round, both released on Heads Up – returns to Altered State in “The Hope,” a tune she co-wrote with Ferrante & Haslip. “The Hope,” which also features the backing vocals of the Perry sisters, is just what the title suggests, an optimistic & spiritual piece that celebrates the universality of love & its power to overcome any obstacle. “Jean writes beautiful lyrics, & she’s a wonderful singer,” says Mintzer. “Just having her on board & in the family has enabled the Yellowjackets to craft these kinds of tunes around her & what she does.” Marcus Baylor contributes “Free Day,” a highly atmospheric piece that opens with exotic percussion work, then merges into compelling sax-piano counterpoint. Baylor teams up with Mintzer for “Unity,” a reflective closing track that features a rich & melodic bass interlude from Haslip.
The album title is inspired in part by a Peter Max painting commissioned specifically by the Yellowjackets. Max’s cosmic style defined much of the pop art sensibility of the 1960s. Having been a longtime fan of the band, he 1st approached them at a New York gig in late 2003 & told them how much their music had inspired his work over the years. The following summer, the Jackets gave Max a few preliminary tracks from their upcoming album (yet untitled at that time) & invited him to run it through his unique creative filter. A few months later, Max came up with some ideas that eventually became the cover & title of the album. “When I saw the abstract paintings that he did, it really seemed to connect to what we were doing musically,” Haslip recalls.
Since their earliest days, the Yellowjackets have frequently sought alternatives to the musical mainstream. Altered State, with its frequent explorations of melody & rhythm, is a continuation of that exploratory tradition. Still, the technical aspects of the music take a back seat to the band’s primary objective: making music that’s challenging, accessible & entertaining at the same time. “Not everybody cares about the time signature in a piece of music,” says Baylor. “Some people just listen to it to enjoy it. I want people to be able to enjoy the Yellowjackets’ music, regardless of what the time signature is. That’s the job for all of us.”
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发表于 2020-10-29 21:04:14
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