And though they have succeeded in constantly reinventing themselves, they have also retained a distinct musical sound that can be identified in just a few beats. This notable anniversary also sees the release of their 25th album, where timeless Yellowjackets hits are given a unique, celebratory feel through a collaboration with the WDR Big Band from Cologne. The Yellowjackets arrive at the Jazz Spring with a full line-up.
It is almost exactly ten years to the day since they last visited Müpa Budapest. Back then, we celebrated the Yellowjacket's 30th birthday with Bob Mintzer on saxophone, founder Russel Ferrante on keyboards, Will Kennedy as the old-new drummer and Felix Pastorius on bass guitar. Now, the latter has been replaced by Dane Alderson, who was born two years after the formation of Yellowjackets and made his band debut in 2016 on the album Cohearence. In the same year, Bob Mintzer became band leader of the WDR Big Band. Mintzer is not alone in his view that the Cologne group is one of the most impressive big bands in the jazz world. The band was founded as the Kölner Tanz-und-Unterhaltungsorchester in 1946, and has collaborated with such greats as Ron Carter, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and the Brecker Brothers. They won a Grammy with the latter, as well as a German Jazz Award with arrangements from Vince Mendoza. One of the secrets of Yellowjackets is their continuous renewal. They consistently reinterpret their past music with a fresh sound while always preserving their trademark style. The quartet and the big band will join forces to perform YJ classics like 1986's Eternal Revelation, 1987's Mile High, the 1991 Downtown and Even Song from 1993, not to mention Coherence, from the aforementioned album of (almost) the same name
