Yellowjackets - 1986 "Shades"

Shades (1986) is the fourth studio album from the jazz group Yellowjackets. The album's first track, "And You Know That" won the "Best R&B Instrumental" Grammy Award. The album debuted on the Billboard Top Jazz Album chart on July 5, 1986 and would spend 32 weeks on the chart, eventually peaking at #4. It was the last to feature drummer Ricky Lawson.

The Yellowjackets are a jazz band for the Windham Hill set: i.e., smooth and relaxing rather than edgy and stimulating. If Shades goes down like straight sugar (and not the lumpy kind), it's supposed to. Since some folks are naturally drawn to this type of music and others are not, an appreciation for jazz is not enough -- you'll need an appreciation for crossover jazz (aka "smooth jazz") to enjoy this album. If you do like your jazz on the lyrical side, and don't mind the late-night talk show arrangements, chances are you'll think Shades is pretty cool. Led by alto sax player Marc Russo, these eight songs glide along with nary a care in the world, promising to burst into song at any moment (which in fact happens on the gospel-inspired "Revelations"). Thanks in part to the electronic instruments and immaculate studio sound, Shades retains an uplifting and bouncy feel throughout. "New Shoes," "One Family," and "Regular Folks" are songs that listeners can warm up to in a hurry. Despite Russo's gratuitous solos, the Yellowjackets are not a flashy band -- Jimmy Haslip's agile bass is too low in the mix to be accused of showboating, and drummer Ricky Lawson and keyboardist Russell Ferrante don't seem interested in the spotlight. Without those individual excursions, the Yellowjackets sacrifice some identity, but generally the compositions stand up on the merits of their melodies. Because the melodies are so accessible, Shades occasionally sounds more like the work of contemporary pop artists with jazz aspirations (Donald Fagen, Bruce Hornsby) than contemporary jazz artists. That this music would sound at home in a supermarket should scare off jazz purists, but even they might find themselves humming along to it somewhere in a secluded aisle.

"Shades" by the Grammy award winning band the Yellowjackets. Recorded in 1986 this is the fourth studio album by the Yellowjackets and the first of four albums for the MCA label. Album includes the Grammy award winning R&B instrumental composition- "And You Know That" Other features of the album include: The original recording of "Revelation: featuring the vocal group, Perri The Donald Fagen penned title track - Shades Recording features: Russell Ferrante, Keyboards Jimmy Haslip, 5 string and piccolo bass Ricky Lawson, Remo drums, percussion and Simmons drums Marc Russo, Alto saxophone Guest Musicians Paulinhoda Costa Bruce Hornsby Rory Kaplan Bill Gable Perri Includes the tracks: And You Know That, written by Russell Ferrante and Ricky Lawson New Shoes, written by Marc Russo and Russell Ferrante One Family, written by Russell Ferrante Revelation, written by Russell Ferrante and Lorraine Perry. Oasism written by Russell Ferrante Regular Folks, written by Russell Ferrante Shades, written by Donald Fagen Sonia's Sanfonia, written by Jimmy Haslip and Bill Gable Wildcats and Cougars, written by Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante and Robben Ford

The album features the original recording of the Yellowjackets' live staple "Revelation" (featuring vocal group Perri) as well as the Donald Fagen-penned title track.

Track listing:

01 "And You Know That" (Ricky Lawson, Russell Ferrante) - 5:35
02 "New Shoes" (Marc Russo, Ferrante) - 5:18
03 "One Family" (Jimmy Haslip, Eric Marienthal, Ferrante) - 5:38
04 "Revelation" (Ferrante, Lorraine Perry) - 5:13
05 "Oasis" (Ferrante) - 5:27
06 "Regular Folks" (Ferrante) - 5:03
07 "Black Tie" (Ferrante) - 5:46
08 "Sonja's Sanfona" (Haslip, Bill Gable) - 6:27
09 "Shades" - (Donald Fagen) - 5:15
10 "Wildcats & Cougars" (Robben Ford, Haslip, Ferrante) - 5:34

Tracks 9 and 10 are CD release only

Personnel:

Yellowjackets:

Russell Ferrante - keyboards
Jimmy Haslip - five string and piccolo bass
Ricky Lawson - acoustic and electronic drums, percussion
Marc Russo - alto saxophone

Guest Musicians:

Paulinho da Costa - percussion
Rory Kaplan - Fairlight CMI programming
Bill Gable - PPG Wave 2.3 on "Sonja's Sanfona"
Bruce Hornsby - accordion on "Sonja's Sanfona"
Perri - vocals on "Revelation"