The Rippingtons are an American contemporary jazz group, mainly relating to the genres
smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s.
History
Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...
,
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
,
jazz pop
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes a ...
, and crossover jazz. Formed in 1985 by guitarist and band leader
Russ Freeman, their career has spanned more than three decades. With a revolving door of musicians, Freeman has been the only consistent member. They have inspired many other bands including "The Stolen Cat Club."
Many of their songs have been played during
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...
's ''
Local on the 8s
''Local on the 8s'' (or the Local Forecast) is a program segment that airs on the American network The Weather Channel. It provides viewers with information on current and forecasted weather conditions for their respective area; a version of thi ...
'' forecast segments.
The band's
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
is a grinning, sunglasses-wearing jazz cat which appears in the artwork of all the band's releases and on their official website.
Current members
*
Russ Freeman — guitar, keyboards and programming
*Dave Karasony — drums
*Bill Heller — piano
Rico Belled— bass
*
Brandon Fields
Brandon David Fields (born May 21, 1984) is a former American football punter who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Michigan State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He ...
—
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
Past members have included bassists
Kim Stone, 1990–2008,
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 ...
and Bill Lanphier; saxophone players
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 ...
,
Paul Taylor,
Eric Marienthal
Eric Marienthal (born December 19, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres.
Early life
Eric Marienthal was born on December 19, 1 ...
,
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...
,
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'' ...
and
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 ...
; pianists/keyboard players
Dave Kochanski,
David Benoit,
Gregg Karukas,
Tom McMorran and
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 ...
; drummers
Tony Morales,
David Anderson,
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 ...
, and
Dave Hooper Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
; and percussionists Scott Breadman, Ray Yslas and
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 ...
.
Timeline
Career
1980s
The band name was conceived by Russ Freeman after hearing friends play "and they were ripping", so Freeman thought of Rippingtons for a name.
The band's recording career began in 1986 with the recording of the album ''
Moonlighting
Moonlighting may refer to:
* Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment
Entertainment
* ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski
* ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...
'', which was released in March.
The album was well received by critics and consumers and featured the song "She Likes to Watch," which has gone on to become a staple of the band's live set and one of their signature tunes. In April 1988, the Rippingtons released ''
Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
'' and began to tour more extensively.
Mark Portmann, Steve Bailey (replacing Bill Lanphier), and Jeff Kashiwa joined the band, the band then released ''
Tourist in Paradise
''Tourist in Paradise'' is the third album by the American Jazz group The Rippingtons, released in 1989 for the GRP label. The album is primarily the work of Russ Freeman, who acted as producer, arranger, and composer.
Tourist in Paradise reache ...
'' in May 1989.
The tour for this album featured the group's first visit to Japan with
David Benoit, where they joined the special summer concert series in Tokyo produced by Japanese saxophonist
Sadao Watanabe.
1990s
In August 1990, the year bassist Kim Stone joined the group replacing Steve Bailey, the album ''
Welcome to the St. James' Club
''Welcome to the St. James' Club'' is the fourth album by the American jazz group the Rippingtons, released in 1990. It reached No. 1 on Billboard (magazine), ''Billboards Jazz chart. The group supported the album with a North American tour. The ...
'' was released in July,
and became the band's first CD to debut at #1 in the
Billboard Charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
.
In 1991, Russ Freeman relocated to Colorado and opened Cheyenne Mountain Ranch studios. The move influenced the group's next album, ''
Curves Ahead
''Curves Ahead'' is the fifth album by the American Jazz group The Rippingtons, released in 1991 for the GRP label. This album reached #1 on ''Billboards contemporary Jazz chart.
Track listing
All tracks written by Russ Freeman.
#"Curves Ah ...
'',
which was released in August, and featured songs based on Africa, Brazil, and the ski atmosphere in Colorado. Standouts include "Aspen" and the title track.
In August 1992, the group released ''
Weekend in Monaco
''Weekend in Monaco'' is the sixth album by the American jazz group the Rippingtons, released in 1992. The album reached No. 2 on ''Billboards Contemporary Jazz chart. It has sold more than 300,000 copies.
Critical reception
''The Washington P ...
'',
which, to date, has been one of their best selling albums. After its release the group toured Europe for the first time in June 1993. The U.S. leg of the tour was documented on the album ''
Live in L.A. Live in L.A. may refer to:
* '' Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)'', 2001 album from American metal band Death
* ''Live in L.A.'' (Joe Cocker album), 1976 album from English blues and rock musician Joe Cocker
* ''Live in LA'' (Trevor Rabin album), 2003 a ...
'',
with the video recorded live at The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, California on September 25, 1992 and the album recorded at The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, California on September 26, 1992.
Tom McMorran joined the band in 1994 after Mark Portmann left and in August of that year the band released ''
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
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, location =
, country =
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, ...
''. The following tour featured extensive dates in
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
, where the group played
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
,
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
(Japan), and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
including
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
(Indonesia),
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
(Philippines) as well as
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
.
In 1995, David Kochanski joined the group and the group made its presence known on the Internet. February 1996 saw the release of ''
Brave New World
''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...
'',
which featured covers of "
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979 disco song performed by American R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead, from their debut album ''McFadden & Whitehead''. They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. McFadden & Whitehead wou ...
," "
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While My ...
," and "Caravan of Love." The album was a stylistic departure for the band and included more Urban Jazz than had appeared on previous releases.
Tony Morales the original drummer, left the band in 1994 to pursue a career in web management. Morales put together the Rippingtons' first web site, which was nominated for an AOL award (Best Jazz Band Site). He later became the webmaster and manager of
Silicon Graphics International
Silicon Graphics International Corp. (SGI; formerly Rackable Systems, Inc.) was an American manufacturer of computer hardware and software, including high-performance computing systems, x86-based servers for datacenter deployment, and visualiza ...
'
web sitesfor 10 years, and now has his own hosting and development busines
tonyhosting.com
In March 1997, the group released ''
Black Diamond'', their first record on
Peak Records
Peak Records is an American record label that was founded by The Rippingtons leader and guitarist Russ Freeman and Andi Howard in 1994. Peak is distributed by Bob Frank Entertainment.
History
*1994 Peak Records is co-founded by Russ Freeman a ...
in conjunction with
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
The label was ...
.
The album debuted at #1 on Billboard. In 1999, Dave Hooper and Ramon Yslas joined the Rippingtons and Jeff Kashiwa was replaced by Paul Taylor. In May 1999, the group released ''
Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...
'', which featured Native American flute work by Robert Tree Cody. Topaz remains one of the group's most requested CDs.
2000s
In 2000, Russ Freeman relocated to South Florida and the move was reflected thematically in ''
Life in the Tropics''. This was the group's first album to be recorded digitally. In 2001, Scott Breadman, Bill Heller, Dave Karasony, and Eric Marenthial joined the group and the following tour was documented on the live album ''
Live Across America
''Live Across America'' is The Rippingtons' second live album (preceded by 1992's Live in L.A.) which was released in 2002.
Track listing
#"Road Warriors" - 4:15
#"Summer Lovers" - 6:35
#"Welcome to the St. James' Club" - 5:15
#"Hideaway" - 3:57 ...
''. In 2003, the group released ''
Let It Ripp
''Let It Ripp'' is The Rippingtons' 12th album, released in 2003.
Track listing
All songs composed by Russ Freeman.
#"Let It Ripp" - 5:09
#"Mr. 3" - 4:31
#"Lucky Charm" - 5:15
#"A Private Getaway" - 4:27
#"High Life" - 5:15
#"Avalon" - 4:04
#"Be ...
'', featuring the title cut, which became a hit.
In 2005, the group released ''
Wild Card'', which plays on their ongoing Latin influences. The album features guest vocal spots by Latin music stars
Willy Chirino
Willy Chirino (born April 5, 1947, in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba) is a Cuban-American musician.
Early life
Following the communist revolution in Cuba, Chirino came to the United States in 1960 as part of Operation Peter Pan, ...
,
Chante Moore, and
Albita.
In 2006, the group celebrated their 20th anniversary by releasing ''
20th Anniversary'', a two disc set which includes the main CD as well as a 20th Anniversary Retrospective DVD.
On March 10, 2009, the Rippingtons made a return to the contemporary jazz scene with the release of the album ''
Modern Art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...
''. A new bassist, Ricardo "Rico" Belled, participated in the recording of this album. ''Modern Art'' was nominated for a Grammy in the category "Best Pop Instrumental Album."
In October 2009, the Rippingtons returned to Japan to perform four nights (eight gigs) at the Cotton Club in Tokyo. This was their first-time return to Japan in 18 years.
2010s
In 2011, the Rippingtons took listeners to the French coast with the thematic album, ''
Côte D'Azur
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
.'' The album features French, Latin, Gypsy and Euro rhythms. Saxophonist
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 ...
is featured on the album (he returned for the second album in a row.)
The group released ''Built To Last'' on August 28, 2012, featuring
Zakk Wylde
Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...
, a full orchestra, and elements of jazz, rock, pop and country.
This album was the first for the Rippingtons under its new partnership with
E1 Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rippingtons, The
American jazz ensembles
Smooth jazz ensembles
Windham Hill Records artists
GRP Records artists
Jazz fusion ensembles
Musical groups established in 1985