Today, GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz pioneers Yellowjackets release their newest single “The Lion” featuring guitarist and singer-songwriter Raul Midón. The song appears on their upcoming album Fasten Up, due out February 21 via Mack Avenue Records. Well into their fourth decade as a band, the new release from these masterful musicians will be Yellowjackets’ 27th album and their seventh for Mack Avenue Records.
Listen to Yellowjackets “The Lion"
The cohesive spirit of forward motion that has propelled Yellowjackets throughout the band’s history has less to do with the tempo of the songs themselves – which make up a vibrant blend of styles and influences – but with their commitment to exploration and renewal. Those ideas are reflected in the band’s lineup, which features founding pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante, drummer Will Kennedy, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, who came on board in 1990; and the Australian-born bassist Dane Alderson, who will celebrate his first decade as a ’Jacket with the release of Fasten Up.
The ‘jackets’ collaborative spirit is evidenced by guitarist and singer-songwriter Raul Midón’s special guest appearance on “The Lion.” Midón’s layering of delicate and wordless vocals runs into Ferrante’s upbeat melody, and the weaving of his guitar lines into the band’s lively sound explodes in a crescendo of joyful freedom. “Adding his voice definitely brought out the melody,” Ferrante says, “and I was so impressed by how he folded his guitar part into the song. One of Raul's many strengths is his incredible groove, and really fondly found the space to integrate his guitar while moving the tune forward rhythmically.”
Yellowjackets released their eponymous debut album in 1981 at the height of the fusion era. Since then they’ve adhered to fusion’s genre-blurring mentality while refusing to remain tied to any single style or era. Drawing upon a history-spanning mélange of jazz movements, steeped in funk grooves and chamber music sophistication, and always keeping an ear to the ground for new sounds and technologies, Yellowjackets have evolved to become a genre unto themselves.
There is a communal joy that invigorates all of the music that Yellowjackets create. The thrill of group discovery bristles through the muscular funk grooves, deepens the emotion of the ballads, and digs deep to unearth the roots of the band’s bracing sense of swing. On Fasten Up, their rich history remains in focus in the rearview mirror as they accelerate into the future.
Tracklisting:
Comin' Home Baby
Fasten Up
Will Power
November 8th
The Truth of You
The Lion (feat. Raul Midón)
Swingmeister General
An Interesting Dream
Broken
The Unresolved Question
Xemeris
Tour Dates:
February 7: Warehouse Theatre | Lynchburg, VA
February 12: Fox Tucson Theatre | Tucson, AZ
February 14: Soka Performing Arts Center | Aliso Viejo, CA
February 15: The Soraya | Northridge, CA
February 21: Elmhurst Jazz Festival | Elmhurst, IL
March 4-5: Dazzle | Denver, CO
March 7: Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium | Pittsburg, KS
March 8-9: Blues Alley | Washington, DC
March 17: Brighton High School | Cottonwood Heights, UT
March 19: Manship Theatre | Baton Rouge, LA
March 25: McCain Auditorium (Kansas State University) | Manhattan, KS
March 27: Greer Cabaret Theater | Pittsburgh, PA
April 24: Bell Theater | Holmdel, NJ
April 26: Koerner Hall | Toronto, Canada
May 1: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA
May 15: Jazzfest Bonn | Bonn, DE
May 16: Jazzfestival Weiz | Weiz, AT
May 17: Teatro Communale | Vicenza, IT
May 21: Teatro Forma | Bari, IT
May 22: Magazzini Del Cotone | Genova, IT
May 23-24: Blue Note | Milan, IT
May 27: Bitefartcafe | Belgrad, SE
June 1: Luxor Live | Arnhem, NL
June 3: Nica Jazz Club | Hamburg, DE
June 20: Lerner Theater, Elkhart Jazz Festival | Elkhart, IN
