The title of this
Yellowjackets
effort is an apt one. The departure of co-founding bassist
Jimmy Haslip
in 2012 left a huge hole in the lineup.
Haslip
wasn't only the group's bassist, but one of its most productive composers. Founding pianist/keyboardist
Russell Ferrante
, with longtime members saxophonist
Bob Mintzer
and drummer
Will Kennedy
, eventually chose
Felix Pastorius
, son of the mighty
Jaco
, and a seasoned performer in his own right. (On a number of tracks here, he plays his father's bass, loaned to him by its owner,
Metallica
's
Robert Trujillo
.) The younger man doesn't play with the same "lead bass" flash of his dad -- at least in the studio -- his style here reflects the role
played, but his tone and nimbleness are his own. (Check his fleet-fingered work as it meets
Ferrante
's arpeggios in "Thank You.") The band still carries within it the meld of contemporary and straight-ahead jazz -- with
Mintzer
there is always going to be a nod to post-bop in there -- but the feel is far more immediate and organic. They departed from their usual recording procedure and cut the album live in the studio, adding relatively few overdubs later.
's opener, "When the Lady Dances," is a straight-ahead post-bop number that pops and swings with a fine understated solo by
. The pianist offers "Can't We Elope," a rewrite of
Herbie Hancock
's "Canteloupe." It's one of three tracks here that features the trumpet of
Ambrose Akinmusire
. The meaty piano groove and the twin horns offer a stylish, fresh take on soulful hard bop. Another of the pianist's compositions "An Amber Shade of Blue," features a knotty head with some fiery call and response between
Akinmusire
and
-- the track fades in what seems like mid-jam.
's "I Knew His Father" is both a welcome to the younger
Pastorius
and a nod to
--the saxophonist played in the
Word of Mouth Band
and was present at
Felix
's birth-- drawing a large circle to a close. Its meld of Latin groove, punchy swing, and boppish blues, offers the younger bassist a fine opportunity to comp, fill, and run the board as the band gets deep inside the melody.
A Rise in the Road
provides longtime
' fans plenty; but more importantly, it delivers a a bracing new approach and a renewed sense of swinging adventure. ~ Thom Jurek