Over their 40-year-long career,
Yellowjackets have explored a variety of sounds, moving from electric fusion to smooth jazz and now to their vibrant hybrid that brings together more contemporary leanings with modern acoustic jazz. Following their collaboration with the
WDR Big Band, 2020's
Jackets XL, the innovative electro-acoustic ensemble returns to their small-group sound with 2022's
Parallel Motion. This is the same lineup of the group that has been together since at least 2016 with leader/keyboardist
Russell Ferrante, saxophonist
Bob Mintzer, drummer
Will Kennedy, and bassist
Dane Alderson. Together, they play an urbane brand of instrumental jazz informed by funk, swing, and R&B that still draws upon the acoustic post-bop tradition. While the overall sound of the group is the prime focus, each player gets to shine, especially
Mintzer whose warm tone and inventive harmonic lines are always a standout within
Yellowjackets. There's a straight-forward quality to many of these songs that belies the group's skillful sophistication. As slick as
Yellowjackets can be, they also never sound anything but organic, favoring an analog vibe that balances a cool studio refinement with the vibrant atmosphere of a live club performance. The album opens with "Intrigue," a stop-start, minor-key funk swinger featuring a playful horn, bass, and keyboard breakdown that gives way to bold solos. We also get "Onyx Manor," with its wickedly angular melody and wry group interplay. Both songs evoke the '70s style of
Weather Report and speak to the group's own deep connection to the classic '70s and early '80s fusion era. Equally compelling is the title track, a sly mid-tempo groover in the
Grover Washington tradition. There's also "Il Mico Amico,'' a languid ballad with classical and Latin undertones, and "Samaritan," with its crisp, wine-bar atmosphere. Also joining the group is vocalist
Jean Baylor of the
Baylor Project and R&B duo
Zhane on the ballad "If You Believe." With
Parallel Motion,
Yellowjackets have crafted an album that exemplifies the best of the contemporary jazz aesthetic. ~ Matt Collar
