Yellowjackets are a tenacious and durable ensemble that has been creating its own electro-acoustic identity in the world of jazz for four consecutive decades. Ever since its debut in 1981, the group has come with remarkable, innovative, and provocative artistic productions, influential in composition, orchestration, and improvisational demeanour. Having released their 25th album in 2020, Yellowjackets keep extending musically and reinventing themselves through their collaboration with the redoubtable WDR Big Band from Koln. The "Jackets XL" project combines the flexible quartet formula with orchestra's magnitude, recomposing some of the group's best-known compositions by new instrumentation, unexpected turnarounds, thrilling colours and harmonies, and inspiring solos. The two bands share a common member - Bob Mintzer, Yellowjackets' saxophonist since 1990 and WDR conductor since 2016. He wrote most of the scores, and Russel Ferrante, the group's founding member and keyboardist, added two new titles to the old repertoire. In an amplified form, with intact energy, mystery, rhythm and elegance, "Jackets XL" exhibits the level of an exceptional band, which has lost neither its freshness of expression nor liberty, even if it had to respect the rigours specific to the evolution near an orchestra. I did want to listen to Yellowjackets' music in this configuration. It's a wonderful and gratifying surprise.