April 2000

Yellowjackets
Best of Yellowjackets
Warner Brothers

By Hilarie Grey

What makes a "Greatest Hits" package truly great? The answer varies on three notable new collections. For Best of Yellowjackets (Warner Bros. WB2-475-47585; 64:07) it's a chance to revisit an electric (and eclectic) history. This eight-year snapshot of one of modern jazz's more ubiquitous ensembles covers both the band's poppier confections (including familiar anthems like "Spirit of the West") and its rewarding chewy center-namely heady, loose and intricate play from the brilliant and endlessly influential minds of Yellowjacket originals Jimmy Haslip and Robben Ford.