The Spin

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The Spin
Studio album by
Yellowjackets
Released1989
Recorded1989
GenreJazz fusion[1]
Length52:30
LabelGRP[2]
ProducerYellowjackets
Yellowjackets chronology
Politics
(1988) 		The Spin
(1989) 		Greenhouse
(1991)

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[edit]

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[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Chicago Tribune[18]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music[19]

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[edit]

  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.[24]

Personnel[edit]

Yellowjackets

Guest Musicians

Production[edit]

  • 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[edit]

  1. ^ Katz, Alan (November 2, 1989). "Yellowjackets' fusion innovative". The Denver Post.
  2. ^ a b "Yellowjackets Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Harrison, Thomas (June 30, 2011). "Music of the 1980s". ABC-CLIO – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (Aug 1989). "Record & CD Reviews: Yellowjackets". DownBeat. 56 (8): 30.
  5. ^ Holman, Rhonda (October 26, 1989). "YELLOWJACKETS DARTING TO NEW TERRITORY". The Wichita Eagle. p. 1C.
  6. ^ Caudle, Todd (30 Aug 1989). "Individuals shine in Yellowjackets' show". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. D12.
  7. ^ "Yellowjackets". Recording Academy. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  8. ^ "MUSIC". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. Billboard Publications Inc. 29 Sep 1989. p. 18.
  9. ^ Heckman, Don (15 Nov 1989). "The Yellowjackets Buzz From One Style to Another". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
  10. ^ Beck, Marilyn (10 Sep 1989). "THE INSIDE TRACK". Entertainment. The Province. p. 77.
  11. ^ Smith, Andy (September 15, 1989). "Yellowjackets take to the air". The Providence Journal. p. D1.
  12. ^ Heim, Chris (28 July 1989). "Jazz and standards". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 80.
  13. ^ Miller, Michael (October 6, 1989). "YELLOWJACKETS JUST WON'T STAND STILL". The State. Columbia. p. 1D.
  14. ^ Sutro, Dirk (9 Nov 1989). "JAZZ". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
  15. ^ Lloyd, Jack (22 Sep 1989). "THAT BUZZ AT TLA? IT'S YELLOWJACKETS". FEATURES WEEKEND. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 30.
  16. ^ Ginell, Richard S. (August 29, 1989). "Where the Yellowjackets were once reviled...". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L18.
  17. ^ Connolly, Dave. Yellowjackets: The Spin > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  18. ^ a b Fuller, Jeff (21 Sep 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 13F.
  19. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. MUZE. p. 487.
  20. ^ Habich, John (24 Oct 1989). "Yellowjackets buzz in". Star Tribune. p. 3E.
  21. ^ Todd, Douglas (4 Nov 1989). "Recordings: Jazz". Vancouver Sun. p. D2.
  22. ^ Point, Michael (7 Nov 1989). "Jazz 'fusion' label irks Yellowjackets". Austin American-Statesman. p. B6.
  23. ^ Mitchell, Rick (November 13, 1989). "Autumn sampler: jazz in all its colors". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 3.
  24. ^ Kanzler, George (September 17, 1989). "NEW AGE GROUPS DRAW NATURAL SOUND FROM ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS". News. The Star-Ledger.
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