The Yellowjackets | KNKX Studio Session

Setting up their instruments to perform in the KNKX studios, the four members of the Yellowjackets were smiling widely and eager to play. Over 40 years since their debut backing guitarist Robben Ford, these stars of jazz fusion continue to create at the highest level.
Russell Ferrante, the band's co-founder, has seen the Yellowjackets through several lineup changes and years of evolving musical styles. He told studio session host Abe Beeson that what makes their music "Yellowjackets" music is a modern sense of rhythm, strong melodies, and the unique musical collaboration of his bandmates.
Despite personnel changes, the band is remarkably long lived. Drummer Will Kennedy joined the Yellowjackets in the mid-1980s and, after a decade of other musical pursuits, returned to the Yellowjackets.
Saxophonist Bob Mintzer came on as a guest with the Yellowjackets around 1990 and quickly became a core member of the band on his acoustic and Electronic Wind Instrument as well as a key composer.
The youngest member of the band joined nearly a decade ago. Australian bass player Dane Alderson noted the big shoes of past bassists Jimmy Haslip and Felix Pastorius. Fitting in, he said, came easier than expected.
Last Summer's Parallel Motion follows previous albums in collaboration with singer Luciana Souza and with the WDR Big Band. The return to the heart of the Yellowjackets quartet is something special, Ferrante said.
The Yellowjackets embraced electronic instruments from their beginnings, and Ferrante's synthesizer was joined by Mintzer's EWI for this performance, but the band has been moving in a more acoustic direction in recent years. Years of teaching experience has helped the band stay contemporary as they were exposed to the musical influences of their students.
That modern sound comes through in the tricky rhythms and pretty melody of Mintzer's "Intrigue", and his tune "Inevitable Income" from previous album Cohearence is a modern update of vintage Yellowjackets jazz fusion. "Samaritan" by drummer Will Kennedy is a beautiful ballad with a groovy strut in a deceptively complex time.
The Yellowjackets' Parallel Motion is nominated for their third Grammy at next month's award ceremony, Kennedy said they're "thrilled to pieces" at the band's continued success. KNKX is thrilled to bring you this exclusive session from one of the top quartets in jazz.
Musicians:
Russell Ferrante - piano and synthesizer
Bob Mintzer - tenor saxophone and Electronic Wind Instrument
Dane Alderson - bass
Will Kennedy - drums
Songs:
00:00 Intrigue
06:12 Inevitable Outcome
12:20 Samaritan
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[@espr7564]

Awesome as ever !!!!❤

[@vadsamos]

Long live Yellowjackets❤ Thank you for all the music inspiration❤

[@pacmanlp8876]

Will's playing is so clean that can kill 99,9% of germs.

[@itayvaizman-4976]

funniest thing Ive read

[@WarhawkBeyond2040]

42 year later and the Yellowjackets are not only still going very strong but show no signs of slowing down while continuing to make and deliver top quality music of the highest order. One of my all time favourite bands and one of the greatest ever

[@markfoster_mkfbass]

Will Kennedy is playing the room, dynamically speaking...which gives the rest of the band the space to do the same. Beautiful performance, thanks for sharing it with us!

[@mikew4646]

Been following the Jackets for the last 42 years and they are sounding better than ever. Russ has been such a huge influence on my piano playing and every time I hear him and those delicious chord voicings and voice leading, it's like a drug that sets off endorphins in my brain. Can't get enough!

[@Mr1drumlover]

YELLOWJACKETS since 1977. One of my favorite bands since 1981. The 25th and 30th anniversary shows at Jazz St Louis were amazing. Viva La Yellowjackets! 💙🎶🎵🎶🎵🩵

[@MarcusWilmore]

Absolutely LOVE the Yellow jackets!

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

My absolute favourite jazz group ever. Big shout out to Will ❤

[@philippedward7218]

verry concentrated! great

[@TheGreat199x]

Great mix sounds like the studio album! My absolutely favorite straight-ahead jazz quartet. Was bummed when haslip left, bummed no longer Dane is one of my favorite bassists now. Glad to see a new 6 its beautiful!

[@SanjaMarkovic]

Giants. Their music is and has been such a perfect balance of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic inovation. I'm so glad to see them as groovy as ever!

[@DavideAfzal]

Love these guys since…ih man, sooo many time!! But, as a bassplayer, I have to write a special mention for Dane. What an incredible bassplayer!! I have so much love and respect for Will, Russell and Bob(they are just legends of the music I love)…but Dane brought new life, energy and taste to the always amazing music of the YJ!

[@lauragilio3733]

Always on focus

[@gurcanozafacan1331]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@pederlong1784]

Beautiful music

[@charliearavena3030]

Awesome Band !!!!

[@mohammadiman7850]

Simply magic ❤

[@trobson9952]

Fantastic. Thanks

[@icyworld5565]

Amazing!

[@fityfofilms]

#knkx That was a good write up in the description! Good work describing the history and recent achievements of the legendary YJ! These guys are all top shelf.

[@aartman01]

I first heard them live in Fort Lauderdale in 1984, and I still love them forty years later.

[@mobass48]

AGREED.. I first saw them around 85 or 86 at Milwaukee Summerfest.

[@christophegaudissart6551]

i love this song so much and these musicians are so great !!!!!! very very good music

[@raulomarcarrasco]

¡Gracias!

[@laphrase1]

My favorite band

[@knkx]

Thanks for being a subscriber laphrase1!

[@nickpatten5263]

Brilliant 😊

[@liriosanz]

Mis ídolos !!!

[@liriosanz]

Que bueno !!!!

[@joyceglasgow2356]

❤️

[@traceyfrazier8592]

YESSSSSSS YELLOWJACKETS IT SONGS AFTER SONGS ON THIS ONE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@eliottmorst2968]

mintzer all day

[@AlforfroWuzyka-yf3mq]

Yellow Jackets are 😊 Ahead ✌️👌

Ferrante me liquida. 🎹🔥

[@gianlucapozzonelli1477]

👏👏👏

[@traceyfrazier8592]

YELLOWJACKETS VERY OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE I LIKE ALL TYPES OF JAZZ MUSIC 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@normalizedaudio2481]

That KAWAI keeps putting it out. People like to play it.

[@sylwestersosniak220]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@edenilsondepaulaamaral4547]

Jackets being Jackets!

[@traceyfrazier8592]

YELLOWJACKETS SMOOTH JAZZ GROOVE MUSIC GET BETTER AND BETTER EVERYTIME I COME ON UTUBE AND LISTENING TO JAZZ JUST STROLL DOWN AND IT ALWAYS A GOOD MUSIC SONG BUT THE MOST OUT OF JAZZ MUSIC IS THE BEAT BECAUSE IT A THUMB UP FOR ME AND BEING AROUND MY BROTHER IN HIS TRUCK THAT ALL HE PLAY IS SMOOTH JAZZ GROOVE MUSIC SO NOW I PLAY IT IN MY APARTMENT AND ON PANDORA PLAY LIST 🎵🎶🎷🎸🎺🎻🥁🎙🎤🎧📯🎹

[@TheGreat199x]

Mintzer has long been my favorite sax player. The more I ponder his career and his voice, I rank him as high as I would Coltrane. Honestly I would rather listen to the Yellowjackets than anything Coltrane.

[@robwest36]

Are you crazy?

[@liriosanz]

Buenísimo

[@liriosanz]

Que bueno !!!!