Yellowjackets head jazz fest lineup

Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

Yellowjackets' bassist Jimmy Haslip has performed in Las Vegas dozens of times in the past 22 years, and he always gets jazzed up about the place.

"This is our third time there this year," Haslip said with his typical enthusiasm during a recent telephone interview from his Los Angeles home.

The Yellowjackets have been on top of the national jazz scene for 22 years, with Haslip and keyboardist Russell Ferrante the two remaining original members.

The group will lead an all-star cast of jazz performers at the first "Touch of Jazz Festival" Saturday at Hills Park in Summerlin. Others scheduled to appear include saxophonists Everette Harp, Marion Meadows and Pamela Williams, keyboardist Kevin Toney and the band Turning Point.

Haslip says he is aware that Las Vegas is not a hotbed for jazz, but the Yellowjackets always attract large audiences when it performs at such venues as Texas Station.

"New York City is the cauldron of jazz in the United States," he said. "It's where all the cats want to make it. L.A. has got it's scene, too. And San Francisco, definitely. And Chicago. Those four places are on the top of the list."

But the Yellowjackets appeal to hard-core jazz fans, as well as those who like their jazz light and airy, in all parts of the country.

The secret to the group's success, Haslip says, is the right chemistry among the musicians, fresh ideas and mixing up styles.

"We're not known as a traditional jazz band," Haslip said. "Maybe if we had had to play straight-ahead jazz all the time we would not have had as much success. But we have a large canvas, a variety that keeps the band fluid and filled with a lot of creative energy. We don't put on borders or boundaries."

Haslip says he and other members of the group, when not performing in concert together, play with a variety of other entertainers, including David Sanborn, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan and Steely Dan.

"Working with the other artists is always going to keep you fresh and full of ideas," Haslip said. "It's fairly eclectic."

No member of the band is more eclectic than Haslip, who grew up in a rich musical environment. As a youth, he listened to Latin and salsa music and learned to play maracas, cowbells, bongos and other percussion instruments.

He said his older brother, Gabriel, turned him on to jazz and classical music, exposing him to the likes of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, as well as Stravinsky, Beethoven and Mozart.

"This was an eye-opening time for me and even though most of this music was over my head, it definitely ignited my musical curiosity," Haslip said.

At the same time he loved the music of the Beatles, the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Temptations and James Brown.

Haslip began studying music in elementary school, playing the trumpet, bugle, baritone horn and tuba. He is largely self-taught on the electric bass, his primary instrument.

The Yellowjackets' latest CD, "Mint Jam," is scheduled to be released in November. The two-CD album is being self-produced and will be sold at concerts and on the group's website, yellowjackets.com.

Saxophonist Harp is another major player on the national jazz scene who has a following in Las Vegas.

"I'm not there that often (as a solo performer), but I'm actually there quite a bit with Kenny Loggins," Harp said.

Harp, who mixes smooth jazz with classic soul, was raised on gospel and soul music in Houston. He established his place in the music world in 1997 with his tribute to Marvin Gaye's 1971 album "What's Going On." Harp recently released the CD "For the Love" and is working on another.

Big Time Entertainment, a Houston company with a Las Vegas office, is producing Saturday's concert.

"We would like to think there is a big enough fan base to support jazz here," Joseph McDonald, local marketing director for Big Time Entertainment, said.

McDonald said the company produces jazz concerts around the country, but this will be its first effort in Las Vegas.