Regardless of medium – be it music, canvas, film, the written word or any other form – most artists agree that the creative process usually takes them to another place, a level of consciousness that differs dramatically from the everyday experience. Keyboardist Russell Ferrante, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Marcus Baylor are four such artists. They are known collectively as the Yellowjackets, a quartet that has carved a unique niche in jazz by relentlessly exploring these alternate planes of consciousness time and again for more than two decades. Altered State is a celebration of that transcendental experience. Loaded with odd meters and evocative melodies and harmonies, the album is the result of what happens when four highly talented musicians `get off the tried and true path and find some less-traveled roads,´ says Ferrante. `It refers to that meditative place where one goes when you engage in whatever creative thing you do.´