Yellowjackets in Bloomington, MN

The Yellowjackets
made a splash with their first record, an accessible mixture of
jazz
,
rock
, and
funk
bearing the unmistakable mark of the L.A. session scene that spawned them. In fact,
the Yellowjackets
had their roots in the sessions for
Robben Ford
's 1979 album
The Inside Story
.
Russell Ferrante
Jimmy Haslip
Ricky Lawson
all appeared on that album and reenlisted
Ford
's help for their own debut, with the guitarist's fluid soloing often taking the lead role. As fun an album as it is -- and there are times when the melodies rise to a joyful exuberance that recalls
Weather Report
's
"Birdland"
--
Yellowjackets
isn't a true
fusion
record.
provides
beats to the material,
Haslip
's bass work is as funky as it is jazzy, and the arrangements tend to stick with the same groove (as ingratiating as they may be) rather than explore the musical themes like an esoteric
band might. The opening
"Matinee Idol"
is as much
the Jackson 5
(one of
Lawson
's previous gigs) as
"Rush Hour"
is jazzy in a
Steely Dan
sense, while
"Sittin' in It"
actually borrows from the old
classic
"For the Love of Money."
There are some nice, chunky grooves that give the album a sense of substance (
"The Hornet,"
"Imperial Strut"
), a wistful track in
"It's Almost Gone,"
and a neat melody tucked into
"Priscilla,"
all of which contribute to the album's charm. But compared to their
GRP
recordings,
' debut does seem a little one-dimensional. If you enjoy the smooth, guitar-led
from this period (e.g.,
Earl Klugh
Lee Ritenour
),
is worth checking out, both for the upbeat melodies and
's seemingly effortless solos. ~ Dave Connolly