''Curves Ahead'' is the fifth album by the American Jazz group

The Rippingtons The Rippingtons are an American contemporary jazz group, mainly relating to the genres smooth jazz, jazz fusion, jazz pop, and crossover jazz. Formed in 1985 by guitarist and band leader Russ Freeman, their career has spanned more than three de ...

, released in 1991 for the GRP label. This album reached #1 on ''Billboard'''s contemporary

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

chart.

Track listing

All tracks written by Russ Freeman. #"Curves Ahead" - 5:39 #"Aspen" - 5:28 #"Santa Fe Trail" - 5:14 #"Take Me With You" - 5:34 #"North Star" - 5:24 #"Miles Away" - 5:17 #"Snowbound" - 4:51 #"Nature of the Beast" - 6:21 #"Morning Song" - 4:09

Personnel

* Russ Freeman – arrangements (1-9), keyboards (1-9), acoustic guitar (1, 3, 6, 7), electric guitar (1, 2, 5-8),

guitar synthesizer A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical instrument systems that allow a guitarist to access synthesizer capabilities. Overview Today's guitar synths are direct descendants of 1970s devices from manufacturers (often in partner ...

(1, 8), horn arrangements (1, 3), bass (3-7),

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

(4, 9), steel-string guitar (9) *

Mark Portmann Mark Portmann is a musician, songwriter, and record producer who has worked with Celine Dion and Josh Groban. Portman began to learn classical piano as a child, but beginning at Coconut Creek High School he turned to pop music and jazz. He went t ...

– acoustic piano (2, 4, 9), keyboards (8) *

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

– acoustic piano (5) * Kim Stone – bass (1, 2, 8) *

Steve Bailey Steve Bailey is an American bassist. He is the chair of the bass department at Berklee College of Music. Career Bailey began playing bass guitar at age 12 and started playing fretless bass after he ran over his fretted Stuart Spector with his ...

– additional fretted and fretless basses (7), fretless bass (9) * Tony Morales – drums (1-4, 6, 7, 9) *

Omar Hakim Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Journey, Kate B ...

– drums (5, 8) *

Steve Reid Steve Reid (January 29, 1944 – April 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer who played with Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Kieran Hebden, and Sun Ra. He worked as a session drummer for Motown. Biography Born ...

– assorted percussion (1-9), vocals (3) *

Jeff Kashiwa Jeff Kashiwa (born 1963) is saxophonist with the jazz fusion band the Rippingtons and one of three with the Sax Pack, as well as having recorded several albums under his own name. Life and career Jeff Kashiwa was born in 1963 in Louisville, Kent ...

– alto saxophone (1, 7), tenor saxophone (1), soprano saxophone (2) *

Nelson Rangell Nelson Rangell (born March 26, 1960) is an American smooth jazz musician and composer from Castle Rock, Colorado. Although he is known for his work with the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, his primary instrument is the piccolo, which he beg ...

– alto saxophone (1, 3, 8),

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

(3, 9),

piccolo flute The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

(9), whistling (9) * Bobby Martin – tenor saxophone (1, 6) *

Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...

– tenor saxophone (5, 6) *

Bruce Fowler Bruce Lambourne Fowler (born July 10, 1947) is an American trombonist and composer. He played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart and in the Fowler Brothers Band. He composes and arranges music for movies, an ...

– trombone (1, 3) * Steve Szabo – trumpet (1, 3)

Production

* Russ Freeman – producer, engineer, mixing * Carl Griffin – associate producer * Dave Grusin – executive producer * Larry Rosen – executive producer * Brant Biles – engineer, mixing *

Robert Margouleff Robert Margouleff is an American record producer, recording engineer, electronic music pioneer, audio expert, and film producer. Career The Birth of TONTO Margouleff was an early customer, friend and collaborator of fellow New Yorker and music in ...

– engineer, mixing * David Hesse – additional engineer * Joseph Doughney – post-production editing * Michael Landay – post-production editing *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– mastering * Andi Howard – production coordinator, management * Michele Lewis – production coordinator * Andy Baltimore – creative director * David Gibb – graphic design * Scott Johnson – graphic design * Sonny Mediana – graphic design * Andy Ruggirello – graphic design * Dan Serrano – graphic design * Bill Mayer – front cover artwork * Jeff Katz – photography ;Studios * Recorded at Alpha Studios and Underwear Studios (Burbank, California); The Slam Shack (North Hollywood, California). * Mixed at Alpha Studios * Post-Production Editing at The Review Room (New York City, New York). * Mastered at

Bernie Grundman Mastering Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

(Hollywood, California).

Charts

References

External links

The Rippingtons - Curves Ahead at AllMusicThe Rippingtons - Curves Ahead at DiscogsThe Rippingtons Official Website
{{Authority control 1991 albums GRP Records albums The Rippingtons albums