Yellowjackets @ Stoller Hall, Manchester - Nov. 2

Bob Mintzer (tenor sax, EWI); Russell Ferrante (keyboards); Dane Alderson (bass); Will Kennedy (drums)

After an incredible week away in Cologne and Amsterdam, with an added opportunity to see the incredible Bjørn Solli and Johan Hörlén at Salon de Jazz, you would think that coming home back to the UK would feel somewhat deflating, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Staying an additional night in Manchester, we got to see the famous Yellowjackets at Stoller Hall, comprised of Russell Ferrante on keys, Bob Mintzer on tenor sax and EWI, Dane Alderson on bass and Will Kennedy on drums. Shockingly, the audience seemed rather thin on the ground, and despite a rush of people grabbing their seats only seconds before the gig began, there were plenty of empty seats. It seemed a real shame to us, but it certainly didn’t seem to have any kind of negative impact on the exceptional performance to come.

We previously saw the Yellowjackets in 2023 at Ronnie Scott's, and have been telling everyone about their amazing performance ever since. Needless to say, we were expecting great things from this amazing group of musicians. For those of you who don't know the band, they've been going for over 40 years and have recorded almost 30 albums with countless Grammy nominations and two wins. 

From the off, the band reminded us of their musical superiority, performing a mix of tunes old and new with not a single piece of sheet music in sight. One highlight for us was the tune Greenhouse, the title track of the 1991 album, a piece with a spacey, rubato introduction (a common theme for many Yellowjackets tunes), before settling in to a long and weaving, grooving composition. Bob Mintzer, who did the night’s talking, spoke of how the piece was written as a piece of commentary about the climate crisis, and how now seemed like a poignant time to revisit it.

Another tune deserving of a highlight was Like Elvin, a tune in 7 heavily featuring Will Kennedy, departing from the more groove-based feel of the other tunes, and swinging like mad. As a performer, Will has a wonderful melodic touch, and builds his solos magnificently, rather than simply throwing out all his chops at once, but also had a fantastically playful nature during his comping and solos. This drummer can really groove! Russell Ferrante is the only original member of the band since their founding over forty years ago, who has stayed with them the entire time. He has the most inspiring hand independence, particularly when he plays the tune Imperial Strut, check it out!

We got to hear Intrigue, a wonderful tune from their latest album Parallel Motion. It gave this incredibly groovy yet disjointed feel, and was a hugely engaging listen. We would recommend their latest album to anyone. This tune was a feature for Alderson to show his unmatched dexterity on the bass, and like any instrumental grandmaster, he made it look effortless. He has been with the group for almost 10 years and had just recorded with them for the fifth time. Mintzer revealed that the brand new album, recorded in August, would be released early next year. We think he said the album was to be called Fasten Up, but we could be wrong about this as we were in awe of the whole performance! They performed two tunes from the upcoming album, which was a real treat, keep a watch out for this one. 

Mintzer masterfully soared over all tunes in the performance, but gave this wonderful feeling of restraint and consideration with every single phrase, especially over The Red Sea, and all throughout the remainder of the set. Bob Mintzer is of course a highly celebrated saxophonist who sits well up there with some of the greatest names of all time, so it’s unsurprising that his performance was awe inspiring. What made it ten times better however was getting the chance to have a short conversation with the band afterwards, where they displayed very humble and kind natures.

In summary, A-list musicians, top gig, go see these incredible players if you get the chance! Abbie & Harry