The Jackets’ time-tested
progressive jazz gets a
thorough workout in this
March 2008 show at the renowned Paris
venue New Morning, and the resulting document
captures the intimate feeling of a small
club show, but with the benefit of top-notch
audio and video production quality. It’s cliché
to say, “It feels like you’re really there,” but
in this case it’s thankfully apropos. The special
treats for Jimmy Haslip fans include syncopated
rhythms on “Capetown” and “Cross
Current” executed with such confidence and
skill that they land with the impact of miniature
kick drums, his fiendish swing walking
on “Bop Boy,” his deeply soulful solo in “Even
Song,” and a bonus feature consisting of a
seven-minute interview/history lesson about
the band with Haslip himself. For anyone
who’s heard about Jimmy Haslip’s playing
with the Yellowjackets a million times and
never actually seen it live, it’s really worth
checking out what makes him—and them—
so special.