Intrigue is in the air this Thursday, April 24, 2025 evening at Bell Theater in Holmdel, NJ as music lovers fasten up for a concert of innovative music by the jazz fusion group, Yellowjackets.
Along with bands like Spyro Gyra, The Rippingtons, and Special EFX, Yellowjackets rose to prominence in the early ’80s and helped define the sound of smooth jazz. Founded in 1977 in Los Angeles, CA, the unit was initially designed as the backup group for guitarist Robben Ford’s debut solo album. Branching off on its own, the ensemble released its well-received debut album, Yellowjackets, in 1981. Its second effort, Mirage a Trois, in 1983, earned the band its first of 16 Grammy nominations and a win for best R&B Instrumental Performance.
With 28 albums under the its belt — including Politics, 1989’s Grammy winning best Jazz Fusion performance — Yellowjackets also contributed two tracks to the soundtrack of the film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Over the years, a number of prominent musicians have been members of Yellowjackets including Doobie Brothers saxophonist Marc Russo; Weather Report percussionist Alex Acuna; jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington; and Felix Pastorius, son of the legendary bassist, Jaco Pastorius. Current members include founder Russell Ferrante on keyboards, Will Kennedy on drums, Bob Mintzer on woodwinds, and Dane Alderson on bass.
The lights dim in the contemporary Bell Theater, located inside Holmdel, NJ’s historic Bell Works, a one-of-a-kind destination featuring offices, retail space, dining, and more. Artistic director Andrew DePrisco welcomes the crowd and informs them this is the first anniversary of the theater’s opening. He also reminds the audience that Bell Works is the setting for Lumen Industries in the hit Apple+ TV series, Severence, before introducing tonight’s headliners, Yellowjackets.
Russell Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, Will Kennedy, and Dane Alderson take the stage and open tonight’s performance with “Man Facing North.” Block chords on piano and rolling sticks set up a jazzy vibe before sax and bass enter this rhythmic jazz fusion piece. Dane Alderson solos with finesse, bending strings as he caresses his bass before Bob Mintzer plays up and down his tenor on this breezy number that fills the theater with complex rhythms and timbres.
The crowd cheers and Yellowjackets launch into “Dewey” where Mintzer plays EWI — electric wind instrument — on this staccato funk tune. After Mintzer inspires applause with his multi-octave EWI solo, Russell Ferrante renders a piano solo with flair on this appealing selection.
Mintzer greets the crowd stating, “It’s an honor to be here at Bell Labs, a place of innovation,” before acknowledging, “The band is in its 47th year, and we’re grateful to be playing together.” Here, he and his colleagues launch into “Tenacity,” a multi-metered tune which features Mintzer on tenor backed by Will Kennedy’s precision drumming, Ferrante’s grand piano, and Alderson’s round bass sound. As the arrangement unfolds, Ferrante’s piano solo leads into a Will Kennedy drum solo filled with rolls, shots, and syncopated rhythms which elicit avid cheers and applause from the crowd.
Mintzer mentions the group’s latest CD, 2025’s Fasten Up, announcing, “We’re going to play three songs from the recording.” First up is “The Lion,” a delightful jazz fusion tune with an African feel where Ferrante’s smooth touch is on display as he performs quick piano runs which are complimented by Alderson’s warm bass playing. Next comes “The Truth of You,” a ballad which features Mintzer’s rich tenor, sparse piano, syncopated drums, and wavering bass. On this number, Ferrante plays a cascading melody solo which is followed by a chordal solo as Kennedy adds musical tones created on a single cymbal.
Rounding out the trio of songs from the new CD is the title tune, “Fasten Up,” a funky number which features tight breaks played by the rhythm section as they immerse themselves in the groove. Alderson’s innovative solo includes bending and sliding the strings of his bass and Ferrante plays a Fender Rhodes ostinato pattern with his left hand on synthesizer on this polyrhythmic tune which channels the work of Dave Brubeck.
Concertgoers hoot and holler and Mintzer responds, “Thank you! There you have it — the latest innovation of the Yellowjackets,” before comparing the powerful jazz fusion of the ’70s to the group’s current efforts where, as he explains, “There’s a lot of texture, and it’s considerably softer,” prior to joking, “We want you to lean into the music vs. recoil from it.”
Going back in time, the group performs the title track from their 1990 album, Greenhouse. Mintzer’s natural tenor sound fills the auditorium accompanied by Ferrante’s synthesized strings on the rubato intro before bass and drums enter and the tune picks up into an odd-metered dance where piano, sax, and bass compliment one another and Kennedy’s drums shuffle underneath. Mintzer and Ferrante echo one another, playing off each other’s energy and vibe before Mintzer is spotlighted on an a cappella sax solo which sparks animated applause from the crowd.
Ferrante’s piano starts off the R&B gospel groove to “Even Song.” Mintzer enters on sax as Ferrante alternates between playing piano and synth and Alderson renders a funky and low solo, sliding across the strings as he plays up and down the fretboard of his 5-string electric bass.
Audience members cheer for Ferrante when he channels the piano prelude to Billy Joel’s “Angry Young Man,” serving up an endless flurry of hammering notes as the arrangement builds and the band ends together to cheers and applause. Mintzer follows up by addressing the crowd, joking, “We hope you enjoyed some of the music if not all of it tonight,” and several fans respond by shouting out, “All of it!”
To conclude tonight’s concert, the group performs “Intrigue,” a funky fusion bop tune which features Alderson’s spider fingers on his bass accompanied by keyboard and drums, an impressive Russell Ferrante piano solo, and Mintzer’s top-notch saxophone playing before the entire band builds to a shimmering conclusion.
As concertgoers make their way out of the theater, several share their thoughts on tonight’s performance by Yellowjackets. Exclaims Bob from Middletown, “I thought the show was great! I wasn’t familiar with all the music they played tonight but what I heard was fabulous. The caliber of the musicianship was unreal, and I love this venue, too — it’s awesome!” Declares Karen from Atlantic Highlands, “I thought Yellowjackets were phenomenal! I’m pretty new to the group and they exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed this show.”
John from West Chester, PA remarks, “It was a wonderful show in an intimate setting. It’s a beautiful facility — in fact, I learned this is where they invented the transistor — and to hear this band in this venue sounded like I was listening to them in my living room; it all sounded so natural. Plus, the musicianship is incomparable — I’ve been following Yellowjackets for 40 years and I know their material pretty well and to hear them cover ‘Greenhouse’ tonight was a real treat.” Lena from Williamstown agrees, adding, “It was a great show in a very nice theater. This was my first time here and I’d love to come back.”
Lastly, David from Williamstown calls Yellowjackets’ performance tonight “Fantastic!” explaining, “Saxophonist Bob Mintzer has been shaping my musical appreciation since I was in high school. Our bandleader was a huge fan of Bob’s, so he invited him to our school with his big band and Bob spent a week working with us,” prior to concluding, “He’s fantastic, and although the music is so complicated and multi-layered for four musicians to play, they do it so well, making this one fantastic show!”
To learn more about Yellowjackets, please go to yellowjackets.com. For information on upcoming productions at Bell Theater — including Broadway’s Donna McKechnie in Take Me to the World: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim, Bowie and Beyond on May 17, and Motor City Revue on July 11 — please go to belltheater.org.
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