DWBass said:
And unless things have changed recently, by "Tobias" he means *original* Tobias, not the ones Gibson is making under that name now.
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Jimmy Haslip on BET jazz
- Thread starter Warwickthumb
- Start date
And unless things have changed recently, by "Tobias" he means *original* Tobias, not the ones Gibson is making under that name now.
Richard Lindsey said:
I love that you have Ambrose Bierce in your signature. He is one of my all time favorite personalities! I have a great book about his life. Very interesting guy. I'll leave you with one of Bierce's definitions that he was so well known for:
Alone - in bad company
No, did you think that's what I was saying?DWBass said:Do you really think he would actually go near a Gibson/Tobias??
Richard Lindsey said:
They don't go back pre-Robben Ford
That's actually how they formed, backing Ford. IIRC it was Jimmy, Russell and Rickie Lawson, who most will probably remember from his stint with Steely Dan a few years ago.
Then Ford was in the early version of the band. Ford left, Mark Russo came in on sax, Ricky left which brought in Will Kennedy (one of the baddest drummers on the planet IMO). Didn't really keep up with them after Will left. A big part of their Jazz shift was Bob Mintzer replacing Mark Russo. I liked both guys.
Jimmy also played with Chaka Khan, pretty sure I saw him on SNL forever ago with her. He has a lot of recordings under his belt. The rock band that he and Michael Bolton were in hardly ever gets mentioned.
Jimmy's one of my favorites on bass, especially fretless.
Brad Johnson said:They don't go back pre-Robben Ford
That's actually how they formed, backing Ford. IIRC it was Jimmy, Russell and Rickie Lawson, who most will probably remember from his stint with Steely Dan a few years ago.
Then Ford was in the early version of the band. Ford left, Mark Russo came in on sax, Ricky left which brought in Will Kennedy (one of the baddest drummers on the planet IMO). Didn't really keep up with them after Will left. A big part of their Jazz shift was Bob Mintzer replacing Mark Russo. I liked both guys.
Oh yeah, I know they don't predate Ford, just that particular record (Talk To Your Daughter).
The way you cite the history is pretty much the way I understand it to be. Mintzer's arrival really cemented the move to more jazziness, but you can already hear seeds of the shift a record or two before that, with parts of The Spin and Politics.
You're right, Will Kennedy was (and presumably still is) a monster. I heard him play once in LA with John Patitucci's band, and Patitucci was raving about how Kennedy could swing, could funk, could play anything. Wonder what he's doing these days? Their new drummer, Marcus Baylor, is young but sounds great.
BET Jazz is one of the only redeemable things about cable! Out here they have it right next to MTV.......quite a juxtaposition huh? 
Futureman has been on the Studio shows I've seen with Victor, he was just playing a regular trap set.
Futureman has been on the Studio shows I've seen with Victor, he was just playing a regular trap set.
The best Yellowjackets albums are the ones with William Kennedy. Green House was at the height of their career, IMO. And I tend to like their earlier stuff better than their newest stuff. Just personal taste. I like the more electric fusion sort of stuff.
Richard Lindsey said:
I like him, too...at least he has stuck around; Erskine & TLC had a cup of coffee & split.
Kennedy was great with this band; the backbeat Funk thing of Lawson took a backseat to a more polyrhythmic/cross-rhythm thing.
After Kennedy split, something told me Vinnie woulda been a good fit vis a vis Erskine.
I don't believe I ever heard TLC with the 'Jackets; that seemed like it shoulda worked...her 1st solo album had a couple of Yellowjacket-ish tunes(especially the opening track, IIRC).
JimK said:
The only time I've been to the YJ forum was after Will left and I was wondering what had happened. While there I saw that Erskine had joined the group... and the YJ fans were giving him an incredible amount of grief. A drummer of his stature hardly deserves that.
Granted, he's no Will Kennedy
I was about as bummed out as I could be about Will's departure (still don't know why). I agree that was the zenith of the Jackets.
I didn't hate Erskine over it.
I'd guess Terry was an interim player and had a lot of irons in the fire. She did some nice work with Herbie Hancock.
Jimmy is one of my favourite players. Thanks for the history lesson everyone. I will look for Structure & Jing Chi. It boggles my mind that he plays lefty and upside down.
The first time I saw Jimmy he was on tour with Al Jareau. The opening act was David Sanborn with Marcus Miller! Not a bad bass players double billing!
JimK,JimK said:I think you're right...it's all a blur. I am old enough to have bought every Yellowjackets' album as they came out.
Maybe I was thinking of Robben Ford's The Inside Story...IMO, not as good as Talk To Your Daughter.
There's a Bob Mintzer album out there(I think it's called One Music) w/ Haslip, Ferrante, & Kennedy...basically, a Yellowjackets' album under Mintzer's name.
There's also a couple of Dave Samuels' discs with Haslip & Kennedy; nice-sounding Contemporary Jazz.
Maybe it's me: IMO, Haslip's playing went up after Will Kennedy joined the band.
Wasn't that Roscoe Beck on "Talk To Your Daughter"? Great album.
I don't think Haslip played on Talk To Your Daughter. If I'm not mistaken Roscoe Beck played on it.
