The Rippingtons

One of the most popular groups in what is loosely termed "contemporary jazz," the Rippingtons were formed (and have been led ever since) by guitarist/keyboardist Russ Freeman (no relation to the veteran West Coast bop pianist of the same name). Freeman (born February 11, 1960, in Nashville) studied at Cal Arts and UCLA, and recorded Nocturnal Playground as a leader in 1985 for the Brainchild label, a one-man project. In 1987, he was approached to record for the Japanese Alfa label and came up with the Rippingtons name for the all-star group he used on the disc (Moonlighting), an ensemble featuring David Benoit, Kenny G., and Brandon Fields. Their album was released domestically by Passport and became a hit. Freeman soon formed a regular touring band (usually including saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, bassist Kim Stone, drummer Tony Morales, and percussionist Steve Reid), cut a second disc for Passport, and the group recorded regularly for GRP. Russ Freeman writes all of the music for the Rippingtons, much of which falls in the pop/R&B genre. In the late '90s, the group moved over to the Windham Hill label, recording such albums as Black Diamond (1997), Topaz (1999), Live! Across America, and Life in the Tropics (both in 2000). For 2003's Let It Ripp, the band relied heavily on their horn section to carry the weight of the album. The Latin-flavored Wild Card followed in 2005. The band returned in 2009 with Modern Art. In 2011, The Rippington's released the South of France inspired Côte D'azur.

from Wikipedia:

The Rippingtons are a contemporary group mainly relating to the genres Smooth jazz, Jazz pop, and Crossover jazz. Formed in 1986 by guitarist and band leader Russ Freeman (not to be confused with the jazz pianist of the same name), their career has spanned two decades. With a revolving door of musicians, Freeman has been the only consistent member.

In the early to mid 90s they were more of a jazz/rock instrumental band, but since 1999 they have developed more into the Smooth Jazz genre. Many of their songs have also been played during The Weather Channel's local on the 8's forecast segments. The band's mascot is a smiling, sunglasses-wearing, jazzy "hep cat" which appears in the artwork of all the band's releases and on their official website.

Current members

Russ Freeman — guitar, keyboards and programmingDave Karasony — drumsBill Heller — pianoRico Belled — BassJeff Kashiwa, Paul Taylor, or Eric Marienthal — saxophonePercussion is not used on the current tour, the band is a five-piece ensemble.

Past members have included bassist Kim Stone, 1990–2008, and Steve Bailey, sax players Brandon Fields, Dave Koz, Kenny G, Kirk Whalum and Nelson Rangell, pianists/keyboard players Dave Kochanski, David Benoit, Gregg Karukas, Tom McMorran and Mark Portmann, drummers Tony Morales, David Anderson, Omar Hakim, and Dave Hooper, and percussionists Scott Breadman, Ray Yslas and Steve Reid (not to be confused with the legendary Jazz Drummer and Percussionist of the same name, Steve Reid) to name a few.

Career

1980s

The band's recording career began in 1986 with the recording of Moonlighting. 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 January 1988 the Rippingtons released Kilimanjaro 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. The tour for this album featured the group's first visit to Japan with David Benoit in 1989, 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 was released and became the band's first CD to debut at #1 in the Billboard Charts.

In 1991, Russ Freeman relocated to Colorado and opened Cheyenne Mountain Ranch studios. The move influenced the group's next album, Curves Ahead, which featured songs based on the ski atmosphere in Colorado. Standouts include "Aspen" and the title track.

In August 1992, the group released Weekend in Monaco, which, to date, has been one of their best selling albums. After its release the group toured Europe for the first time and in June 1993. The U.S. leg of the tour was documented on the album Live in L.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. The following tour featured extensive dates in East Asia, where the group played Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka (Japan), and Southeast Asia including Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines) as well as Singapore and Guam.

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, which featured covers of "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," 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. Tony 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 SGI's web sites for 10 years, and now has his own hosting and development business tonyhosting.com.

In August 1997, the group released Black Diamond, their first record on Peak Records in conjunction with Windham Hill. 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, which featured Native American flute work by Robert Tree Cody. Topaz remains one of the groups most requested CD's.

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. In 2003 the group released Let It Ripp, 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, 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. A new bassist, Ricardo "Rico" Belled, participated in the recording of this 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.

On December 3, 2009, their latest album, Modern Art, was nominated for a Grammy's "Best Pop Instrumental Album" category.