Formed in 1977 and known originally as the Robben Ford Group, the eventually-nam

ed Yellowjackets consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ri

cky Lawson, all top-notch L.A. session musicians. Ford had originally assembled
this lineup to record his 1979 solo album The Inside Story which was released un
der the name of Robben Ford. During this initial period the band s sound combined
elements of blues, jazz fusion, and progressive rock with Ford contributing voca
ls. Over the next year the group began moving in a more democratic direction, el
iminating Ford s vocals and embracing a more commercially oriented jazz-funk appro
ach overall and the band signed with Warner Bros. as Yellowjackets.
The most adventurous quartet in contemporary jazz has met its visual match in Pe
ter Max, the legendary pop artist who, as it turns out, is a huge fan of the ban
d. Russell Ferrante and company could probably feel at home naming any of their
innovative, loose-spirited albums after one of Max's paintings, but Altered Stat
e definitely fits the vibe here -- which is all odd meters, emotionally provocat
ive melodic lines, and unexpected harmonies. Max, in turn, took a few preliminar
y tracks and was inspired to create the cool, splotchy cover art. The hourlong m
usical affair won't cause any permanent mental and emotional departures, but the
re are a lot of odd and spirited surprises along the way. "Suite 15," featuring
the funky interplay of Bob Mintzer's aggressive sax and Ferrante's power chordin
g (not to mention one of Ferrante's classic lush piano solos), is classic Jacket
s stuff all the way. They almost go "pop" on Mintzer's multi-genre romp "March M
ajestic," which is driven by drummer Marcus Baylor's New Orleans-styled march be
at, Ferrante's gospel-tinged keys, and -- big shock -- Mintzer's ace soloing thr
oughout. The spiritual centerpiece of the disc is "The Hope," a churchgoing gem
featuring Jean Baylor on lead vocals and the Perry Sisters backing. Running from
the fellowship hall, the quartet goes alternately fun and jazzy and then weird
and wild, from Ferrante's dark, brooding, and gently exotic "Hunter's Point" to
bassist Jimmy Haslip's simmering and offbeat "Youth Eternal." Marcus Baylor has
a blast taking listeners into a dense percussive forest at the beginning of "Fre
e Day," which develops into a fairly straightforward midtempo jazz number. Ferra
nte explains that this project was about finding some less-traveled roads. But e
ven on those, the band can't get away from the powerful risk-taking and solid pl
aying that make the Yellowjackets treasures in their chosen genre.