Yellowjackets & Metropole Orkest - Full Concert [HD] | Live at North Sea Jazz Festival 1996

Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion quartet. Yellowjackets was founded in 1977 as The Robben Ford Group and consisted of Robben Ford (guitar), Russell Ferrante (keyboards), Jimmy Haslip (bass) and Ricky Lawson (drums). Ford had formed the band to record the album Inside Story, but because he had signed his own record deal, he was eventually featured as a guest musician. He was eventually replaced by saxophonist Marc Russo. Ricky Lawson would leave the group in 1986 to tour with Lionel Richie. His place was taken by drummer William Kennedy, who was replaced in 2000 by Marcus Baylor. Later, saxophonist Russo would be replaced by Bob Mintzer. The Yellowjackets were initially signed to Warner Brothers. In 1986 they moved to MCA/GRP and made a number of well-received jazz albums for this company. In 1995 they returned to Warner Brothers, recorded a number of albums again and then released the double CD Mint Jam in 2002 via their own label Heads Up. The Yellowjackets' repertoire consists of their own compositions, most of them written by Haslip and Ferrante. A number of these compositions have been used in films, two pieces ended up on the soundtrack of the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. With the arrival of drummer Kennedy, Yellowjackets developed their unique R&B-like sound that can be described as "rhythm & jazz". In the 1990s saxophonist Russo decided to leave the band so that he could prioritize his tour schedule with the Doobie Brothers. He was replaced by Bob Mintzer. This change meant an important boost for the band. Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist par excellence with a number of important albums to his name, which has benefited the credibility of the band as a jazz quartet. Yellowjackets finally shook off the image of an R&B / jazz fusion group and has since developed a completely unique jazz sound. A "yellowjacket" is a North American nickname for wasps. Welcome to the official North Sea Jazz Archive! On our channel you will find live performances and interviews of Jazz Legends like Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Maceo Parker, Herbie Hancock and many more, who have performed at the legendary North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands Watch more videos 👉 https://bit.ly/MoreNSJArchive Subscribe now 👉 https://bit.ly/SubscribeNSJArchive Website 👉 https://www.northseajazz.com Thanks for all your support. Rating the video and leaving a comment is always appreciated! Please: respect each other in the comments. This is the official YouTube channel of North Sea Jazz Archive