Contemporary jazz ensemble
Yellowjackets' 2011 Mack Avenue debut,
Timeline features the band's longstanding knack for straddling the line between smooth jazz and more cerebral post-bop stuff. Marking the group's 30 years in the business, the album is a perfect mix of low-key, soulful moments and more funky, angular jazz. In that sense, it's a perfect balance of what the band has done throughout its career. Showcased here are members saxophonist
Bob Mintzer, keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist
Jimmy Haslip, and drummer Will Kennedy, as well as guests guitarist
Robben Ford and trumpeter
John Daversa. Ultimately, with tracks like the disarmingly knotty opener "Why Is It," the expansive "Tenacity," and the ruminative R&B-infused title track,
Timeline reveals
Yellowjackets as a band in a seemingly reinvigorated and creative state of mind. Not a bad place to be at 30. ~ Matt Collar