The Spin Explained

The Spin
Type:studio
Artist:Yellowjackets
Cover:The Spin.jpg
Released:1989
Recorded:1989
Genre:Jazz fusion[1]
Label:GRP[2]
Producer:Yellowjackets
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The Spin is an album by the American jazz band Yellowjackets, released in 1989.[3] [4] The album title refers to the Earth's rotation.[5] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[6]

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group" category.[7] It peaked in the top 10 on Billboards Jazz Albums chart.[8]

Production

Yellowjackets had originally hoped to record The Spin with Claus Ogerman.[9] Instead, the album was recorded in Oslo, Norway, in February 1989; it demonstrated a more acoustic sound than the band's previous efforts, relying less on synthesizers.[10] [11] [12] Completed in three weeks, it was engineered by Jan Erik Kongshaug.[13] [14] The band sought to make the album as melodic as possible while still working within a traditional jazz setting.[15]

Alex Acuña played percussion on the album.[16] The Spin was the final album with saxophonist Marc Russo as a band member.[2]

Critical reception

The Chicago Tribune wrote that The Spin "includes a few especially engaging cuts—'Storytellers' and a bebopish 'Whistle While You Walk', to name two—and some credible soloing by saxophonist Marc Russo." The Star Tribune noted the "more personal and more improvisational sound."[17]

The Vancouver Sun concluded that "there is an intellectual coolness to some of this talented quartet's jazz instrumentals that is almost cold."[18] The Austin American-Statesman determined that The Spin "won't be mistaken for classic acoustic jazz, but it is solidly rooted in a mainstream jazz sound, stressing its melodic elements over its rhythmic ones."[19] The Houston Chronicle considered the album to be the band's best.[20]

Track listing

  1. "Geraldine" (Russell Ferrante) - 6:00
  2. "The Spin" (Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, Marc Russo, Will Kennedy) - 4:22
  3. "Storytellers" (Ferrante) - 6:10
  4. "Prayer for El Salvador" (Ferrante) - 5:29
  5. "Whistle While You Walk" (Ferrante) - 4:47
  6. '"Enigma" (Ferrante, Haslip) - 4:23
  7. "Dark Horses" (Barry Coates, Ferrante, Haslip) - 4:33
  8. "Blues for Nikki" (Russo) - 3:56
  9. "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing/Hallucinations" (Billy Strayhorn/Bud Powell) - 8:01

Track 9 is available on the CD release only.[21]

Personnel

Yellowjackets

Guest Musicians

Production

Studios

Notes and References

  1. News: Katz . Alan . Yellowjackets' fusion innovative . The Denver Post . November 2, 1989.
  2. Web site: Yellowjackets Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic.
  3. Web site: Music of the 1980s. Thomas. Harrison. June 30, 2011. ABC-CLIO. Google Books.
  4. Hadley . Frank-John . Record & CD Reviews: Yellowjackets . DownBeat . Aug 1989 . 56 . 8 . 30.
  5. News: Holman . Rhonda . YELLOWJACKETS DARTING TO NEW TERRITORY . The Wichita Eagle . October 26, 1989 . 1C.
  6. News: Caudle . Todd . Individuals shine in Yellowjackets' show . Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph . 30 Aug 1989 . D12.
  7. Web site: Yellowjackets . Recording Academy . 16 July 2022.
  8. News: MUSIC . Orlando Sentinel . Billboard Publications Inc. . 29 Sep 1989 . Calendar . 18.
  9. News: Heckman . Don . The Yellowjackets Buzz From One Style to Another . Los Angeles Times . 15 Nov 1989 . F2.
  10. News: Beck . Marilyn . THE INSIDE TRACK . The Province . 10 Sep 1989 . Entertainment . 77.
  11. News: Smith . Andy . Yellowjackets take to the air . The Providence Journal . September 15, 1989 . D1.
  12. News: Heim . Chris . Jazz and standards . Chicago Tribune . 28 July 1989 . Friday . 80.
  13. News: Miller . Michael . YELLOWJACKETS JUST WON'T STAND STILL . The State . October 6, 1989 . Columbia . 1D.
  14. News: Sutro . Dirk . JAZZ . Los Angeles Times . 9 Nov 1989 . F2.
  15. News: Lloyd . Jack . THAT BUZZ AT TLA? IT'S YELLOWJACKETS . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 22 Sep 1989 . FEATURES WEEKEND . 30.
  16. News: Ginell . Richard S. . Where the Yellowjackets were once reviled... . Los Angeles Daily News . August 29, 1989 . L18.
  17. News: Habich . John . Yellowjackets buzz in . Star Tribune . 24 Oct 1989 . 3E.
  18. News: Todd . Douglas . Recordings: Jazz . Vancouver Sun . 4 Nov 1989 . D2.
  19. News: Point . Michael . Jazz 'fusion' label irks Yellowjackets . Austin American-Statesman . 7 Nov 1989 . B6.
  20. News: Mitchell . Rick . Autumn sampler: jazz in all its colors . Houston Chronicle . November 13, 1989 . Houston . 3.
  21. News: Kanzler . George . NEW AGE GROUPS DRAW NATURAL SOUND FROM ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS . The Star-Ledger . September 17, 1989 . News.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Spin".

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