The two albums that followed, Like A River and Run For Your Life, reflected a growing interest in straight-ahead acoustic jazz. Live Wires captures the group in concert with Mintzer at the helm. The Jackets also recorded on one of Bob Mintzer’s dmp Records projects, One Music. Shortly thereafter, Bob Mintzer became a bona fide member of Yellowjackets. With Marc gone, the Yellowjackets trio would record one of their most adventurous albums to date, featuring ace big band arranger and saxophonist Bob Mintzer on many of the tracks, and string accompaniments on a handful of others. Marc Russo’s final recording with Yellowjackets, The Spin, was recorded in Oslo, Norway by noted engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug (well known for his work on the ECM label), and the Jackets proved that they could belt out acoustic jazz with the best! Russo would continue on to become a regular member of The Doobie Brothers. Politics, the follow-up to Four Corners, mellows out, and the group sheds some of the electronic elements and starts exploring acoustic sounds. This rock-solid lineup took the Yellowjackets into new territory, exploring world beats and densely-populated soundscapes that reflected a growing maturity in their music. With their album Four Corners, Ricky Lawson departed to join Lionel Richie’s touring band and was replaced by the versatile William Kennedy. 1986 saw the group moving over to MCA Records to record Shades, the title track being written by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan fame) as a tribute to the many “shades” he heard in the group’s music. This landmark concert paved the way for their eventual success both on the Billboard Jazz charts and concert venues around the world, and resulted in the third spicy Yellowjackets album Samurai Samba. While they went on a brief hiatus to pursue other projects, they reassembled in time for the 1984 Playboy Jazz Festival, adding percussionist Paulinho Da Costa and their new lead voice, sax man Marc Russo. Mirage A Trois followed in its footsteps. Their debut album Yellowjackets made serious waves in jazz radio, garnering public and critical acclaim. While Robben’s contributions would diminish over the years to being a guest artist, the group known as Yellowjackets would flourish. This same group with Robben Ford on guitar recorded digital demos that were eventually accepted by Warner Brothers, and Yellowjackets was born. The group, known as the Robben Ford Group, preferred to pursue the instrumental route, and a “band within a band” was formed. The Inside Story being mainly instrumental, Robben Ford’s record label wanted him to record another album that was more pop and vocal oriented. The trio of musicians, which included keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson, soon discovered a certain “chemistry” and musical affinity that led to their formation of Yellowjackets. In 1977, Robben Ford assembled a group of veteran session musicians to record his album The Inside Story. With his exceptional rhythmic sensibility and natural disposition toward groove, Dane brings a new energy to the band and adds a youthful approach to the music. The most recent addition to the band adds Australian bass player Dane Alderson in to the mix. Never failing to rise to the inevitable challenges of adjustment, the Yellowjackets - Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy, Bob Mintzer - have maintained an extraordinarily high quality of musicianship that is the rival of many but a surprise to no one who knows and appreciates the band and their music. Over the years the band has undergone numerous lineup changes. Since then, and with the addition of Bob Mintzer, the Yellowjackets have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazz’s most influential and loved groups. As a result, the modern day Yellowjackets were formed - a trio with Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson. Shortly after that recording, however, Ford decided to part ways and go in a different musical direction. They recorded their first album together in 1980. The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970’s as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. Throughout their storied 43-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded 25 albums, received 17 Grammy® nominations – won 2 – performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success.
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