New Release Scheduled for May 2008

Two of the most progressive figures in contemporary jazz – both hailing from the ranks of Heads Up International – are are planning a recording summit that promises to yield one of the finest CDs of the coming year.

The Yellowjackets, cutting-edge purveyors of innovative and eclectic jazz for more than 25 years, and Mike Stern, the four-time GRAMMY nominee who has established himself as the premier jazz and jazz-fusion guitarist of his generation, are headed for the studio in January 2008 for a joint project that could potentially redefine the parameters of 21st century jazz.

The yet-to-be-titled studio project was inspired by Yellowjackets’ appearance as guest musicians during Stern’s performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival in the summer of 2007. Given the undeniable synergy among the five musicians during the performance, and the idea to reconvene in a studio setting at the earliest available date became an immediate priority.

With more than five decades of collective history between them, Stern and the Jackets are spending the last weeks of 2007 assembling material that will showcase their individual and collective virtuosity as musicians and songwriters.

Stern and the Yellowjackets are both still riding on the wave of critical and commercial success generated by their most recent Heads Up releases. JazzTimes said Stern’s Who Let the Cats Out is “his most eclectic effort yet—and just may be his best as well.” In response to the Jackets’ 25 – an aptly titled celebration of their 25th anniversary as a recording and touring unit – Downbeat called the quartet “one of the few bands from the early ‘80s to retain its punch today.” In the quarter century since their inception, the band has scored two GRAMMY Awards and 13 GRAMMY nominations.

The Mike Stern / Yellowjackets collaboration is scheduled for worldwide release on Heads Up International on May 20, 2008.