Raising Our Voice

Yellowjackets fans know that the LA fusion band’s music is always more intricate than its smooth sound suggests. That quiet sophistication makes Brazilian jazz marvel Luciana Souza an ideal choice for the first vocalist to join the Yellowjackets in its nearly four decades of existence. Souza’s Portuguese lyrics and vocals sound like they’ve always belonged here—from her sinewy counterpoint to Bob Mintzer’s sax on “Man Facing North” to her sensitive balladry on “Quiet.” *Raising Our Voice* is also a protest album, challenging the broader political climate as well as the Yellowjackets’ own status quo.

While the Los Angeles-based Yellowjackets have been a creative force on the jazz scene since 1981 when they recorded their eponymous debut, their fourth Mack Avenue Records album, "Raising Our Voice," once again ups the ante with bold new strides by inviting vocalist extraordinaire Luciana Souza to collaborate with the group for seven of its thirteen tunes, as well as subtly taking a resistant stand against the status quo of the cultural and political undercurrent of our times. The Yellowjackets have consistently forged ahead in their evolving artistic statements. The band has recorded close to 30 albums, been nominated for 17 GRAMMY® Awards, and has adventurously amplified the eclectic, electro-acoustic soundscape, creating a unique jazz sound since its fusion beginnings.

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