The Spin
The Spin | ||||
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Studio album by Yellowjackets | ||||
Released | 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1989 | |||
Genre | Jazz fusion[1] | |||
Length | 52:30 | |||
Label | GRP[2] | |||
Producer | Yellowjackets | |||
Yellowjackets chronology | ||||
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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 Billboard's 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
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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."[18] The Star Tribune noted the "more personal and more improvisational sound."[20]
The Vancouver Sun concluded that "there is an intellectual coolness to some of this talented quartet's jazz instrumentals that is almost cold."[21] 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."[22] The Houston Chronicle considered the album to be the band's best.[23]
Track listing
- "Geraldine" (Russell Ferrante) - 6:00
- "The Spin" (Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, Marc Russo, Will Kennedy) - 4:22
- "Storytellers" (Ferrante) - 6:10
- "Prayer for El Salvador" (Ferrante) - 5:29
- "Whistle While You Walk" (Ferrante) - 4:47
- '"Enigma" (Ferrante, Haslip) - 4:23
- "Dark Horses" (Barry Coates, Ferrante, Haslip) - 4:33
- "Blues for Nikki" (Russo) - 3:56
- "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing/Hallucinations" (Billy Strayhorn/Bud Powell) - 8:01
Track 9 is available on the CD release only.[24]
Personnel
Yellowjackets
- Russell Ferrante – keyboards
- Jimmy Haslip – bass
- Will Kennedy – drums, percussion
- Marc Russo – saxophones
Guest Musicians
- Alex Acuña – percussion arrangements
Production
- Yellowjackets – producers
- Jan Erik Kongshaug – engineer
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Dick Bouchard – design
- Jeff Lancaster – design
- Robin Ghelerter – illustrations
- Jim Bengston – photography
- Gary Borman – management
Studios
- Recorded at Rainbow Studios (Oslo, Norway)
- Mastered at Precision Lacquer (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
References
- ^ Katz, Alan (November 2, 1989). "Yellowjackets' fusion innovative". The Denver Post.
- ^ a b "Yellowjackets Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Harrison, Thomas (June 30, 2011). "Music of the 1980s". ABC-CLIO – via Google Books.
- ^ Hadley, Frank-John (Aug 1989). "Record & CD Reviews: Yellowjackets". DownBeat. 56 (8): 30.
- ^ Holman, Rhonda (October 26, 1989). "YELLOWJACKETS DARTING TO NEW TERRITORY". The Wichita Eagle. p. 1C.
- ^ Caudle, Todd (30 Aug 1989). "Individuals shine in Yellowjackets' show". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. D12.
- ^ "Yellowjackets". Recording Academy. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "MUSIC". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. Billboard Publications Inc. 29 Sep 1989. p. 18.
- ^ Heckman, Don (15 Nov 1989). "The Yellowjackets Buzz From One Style to Another". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
- ^ Beck, Marilyn (10 Sep 1989). "THE INSIDE TRACK". Entertainment. The Province. p. 77.
- ^ Smith, Andy (September 15, 1989). "Yellowjackets take to the air". The Providence Journal. p. D1.
- ^ Heim, Chris (28 July 1989). "Jazz and standards". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 80.
- ^ Miller, Michael (October 6, 1989). "YELLOWJACKETS JUST WON'T STAND STILL". The State. Columbia. p. 1D.
- ^ Sutro, Dirk (9 Nov 1989). "JAZZ". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (22 Sep 1989). "THAT BUZZ AT TLA? IT'S YELLOWJACKETS". FEATURES WEEKEND. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 30.
- ^ Ginell, Richard S. (August 29, 1989). "Where the Yellowjackets were once reviled...". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L18.
- ^ Connolly, Dave. Yellowjackets: The Spin > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Fuller, Jeff (21 Sep 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 13F.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. MUZE. p. 487.
- ^ Habich, John (24 Oct 1989). "Yellowjackets buzz in". Star Tribune. p. 3E.
- ^ Todd, Douglas (4 Nov 1989). "Recordings: Jazz". Vancouver Sun. p. D2.
- ^ Point, Michael (7 Nov 1989). "Jazz 'fusion' label irks Yellowjackets". Austin American-Statesman. p. B6.
- ^ Mitchell, Rick (November 13, 1989). "Autumn sampler: jazz in all its colors". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 3.
- ^ Kanzler, George (September 17, 1989). "NEW AGE GROUPS DRAW NATURAL SOUND FROM ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS". News. The Star-Ledger.
- v
- t
- e
- Russell Ferrante
- William Kennedy
- Bob Mintzer
- Dane Alderson
- Robben Ford
- Jimmy Haslip
- Ricky Lawson
- Marc Russo
- Marcus Baylor
- Peter Erskine
- Terri Lyne Carrington
- Felix Pastorius
- Yellowjackets
- Mirage a Trois
- Samurai Samba
- Shades
- Four Corners
- Politics
- The Spin
- Greenhouse
- Like a River
- Run for Your Life
- Dreamland
- Blue Hats
- Club Nocturne
- Time Squared
- Peace Round
- Altered State
- Lifecycle
- Timeline
- A Rise in the Road
- Cohearance
- Raising Our Voice
- Live Wires
- Mint Jam
- Twenty Five