Mike Stern adds sting to
Yellowjackets' Lifecycle
First
Yellowjackets Recording in 15 Years to Feature a
Guitarist Set For Worldwide Release On May 20, 2008
According
to some basic, undeniable laws of nature, when two
powerful forces collide, something explosive will occur,
and a dramatic transformation is likely to take place as
a result. It's a law that applies to every dynamic in
the known universe, including jazz.
It stands to
reason, then, that when a formidable jazz quartet like
the Yellowjackets convenes in the studio with a
high-energy guitar virtuoso like Mike Stern, the
resulting reaction will be a singular event - one that's
likely to create something entirely new on the jazz
landscape.
This phenomenon is captured on
Lifecycle (HUCD 3141), the new collaborative recording
by the Jackets and Stern set for worldwide release on
Heads Up International a division of Concord Music Group
on May 20, 2008. The first Yellowjackets recording in 15
years to feature a guitar player, Lifecycle illustrates
the kind of energy and creative brilliance that results
when five talented players pool their individual talents
as songwriters and musicians and merge into an entity
that's far greater than the sum of its parts.
After simmering for years, the idea for the project
reached critical mass when Stern and the Jackets
performed together at the Montreal Jazz Festival in the
summer of 2007. "We've all been a fan of Mike's for a
long time", says Yellowjackets keyboardist and charter
member Russell Ferrante. "Our goal was to make a
recording that sounded like Mike had been in the band
forever, and I think we accomplished that. To my ears,
it feels cohesive - like five musicians with a genuine
rapport".
From the Montreal dates in the heat of
the summer to the studio sessions in rural New York
State in January 2008, Stern felt the same sense of
rapport. "The Yellowjackets are a great band", he says.
"I think we have a lot in common musically, and our
playing together felt very natural right away. They're
the ideal collaborative team. It's so easy to play with
them because they play so well together".
Lifecycle is, in some respects, two albums in one. Seven
of the ten tracks are quintet pieces featuring Stern and
the Jackets, while the remaining three are quartet
pieces that showcase the individual and collective
talents of the current Yellowjackets lineup: Ferrante,
saxophonist Bob Mintzer, bassist Jimmy Haslip and
drummer Marcus Baylor. Whatever the combinations and
permutations, it's all good. Mintzer contributes three
tracks: the energetic opener, "Falken's Maze", the
rhythmically complex "Yahoo", and the easygoing "I
Wonder".
Stern's soloing on all three of these
tracks is tastefully executed and in perfect sync with
Mintzer's ambitious sensibilities. "Rhythmically, these
songs were a challenge for me", says Stern, "but I'm
always up for a challenge. I don't usually play in odd
time signatures, but the rest of the guys made even the
challenging situations comfortable, and I was able to
lay down some good solos for Bob's compositions".
"Mike is such a great musician", says Mintzer. "I
wrote these songs as a way to showcase what he can do,
and once he got a hold of them, he took them to a whole
new place. There's a certain flexibility that you need
to have when you write for a band like this. You have to
be ready for things to take a different direction.
That's definitely what has happened here, and it's
fantastic".
More than just a highly skilled and
versatile soloist, though, Stern contributes two songs
to the mix - the syncopated and playful "Double Nickel",
followed immediately by the more somber "Dreams Go".
Ferrante contributes the introspective "Measure of a
Man" and the gently melodic "Claire's Closet", both
written for the quartet without guitar. "I think the
quartet pieces offer a contrast to the more high-octane
pieces that feature the guitar", says Ferrante. "I was
especially happy with 'Claire's Closet'. Bob's clarinet
adds a very evocative quality to that song".
Haslip's contributions include the vaguely funky
"Country Living", along with "Lazaro", an atmospheric
piece that he co-wrote with Mintzer. "I had actually
started writing 'Lazaro' for a solo record, but in the
end, the piece had kind of a Jackets vibe to it", Haslip
explains. "I thought it would be interesting to finish
it with Bob's help, and he came up with some great
stuff. I think that piece is a really fine
collaboration".
Holding down the diversity of
songwriting, the unusual time signatures and the subtle
rhythmic shadings is Baylor, the relative newcomer who
marks his seventh year as the Jackets' drummer. "As the
drummer, you have to be able to colorize the tunes", he
says. "There are a lot of textures that go into playing
with a band like this. There are a lot of subtle points
in any given composition. Playing the drums in a band
like this is almost like putting accents on a painting".
But the release of Lifecycle in May is just the
beginning of a picture that will continue to evolve
throughout most of 2008. With the success of last year's
Montreal Jazz Festival gigs, and armed with a new album
that captures that onstage magic, Stern and the
Yellowjackets will hit the road together later in the
year for a series of U.S. and European tour dates in
support of the album.
"I can't wait to play some
of this music in concert with Mike", says Haslip. "He's
a great artist with so much enthusiasm, and we're
honored to have had the chance to make a record like
this with him. For a good part of this year, the
Yellowjackets will be a quintet, and we're very much
looking forward to every minute of that experience."
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