For a number of years, Rippingtons mastermind Russ Freeman had a hard time approaching the inspirational pop jazz perfection of 1989's Tourist in Paradise, but this fifth group album came close with its hummable compositions, eclectic blend of tempor, emphasis on acoustic piano and guitar, and wondrous musicianship.
As a composer, Freeman has a distinctive knack for conjuring up exotic images ("Nature of the Beast" takes the listener to Africa, while "Aspen" travels high up into ski country) and for remembering past gems in his lush, unrivaled catalog.
As such, the lovely "Morning Song" recalls "Oceansong," and "Aspen" looks back to "She Likes to Watch." Yet there are always enough new twists to keep listeners on their toes -- for the first time, Freeman uses a horn section (featuring labelmate Nelson Rangell) which lights a fire under "Santa Fe Trail" and the title track.
Rangell, who shares sax duties with Jeff Kashiwa and the soulful Kirk Whalum, is also allowed a few peppery flute runs.
And no Ripps release would be complete without the marvelously original soundscaping of Steve Reid.
Cameos by pianist Mark Portman, trombonist Bruce Fowler, Omar Hakim, and Dave Grusin round out yet another genre classic by Freeman.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curves AheadRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:40 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 2 | AspenRuss Freeman, Marian McPartland | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 3 | Take Me With YouRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:34 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | North StarRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 5 | Miles AwayRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 6 | SnowboundRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 7 | Nature of the BeastRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 44 MB |
| 8 | Morning SongRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 42 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 294 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Bailey | Bass, Fretless Bass, Guitar |
| 2 | Brant Biles | Engineer, Mixing |
| 3 | Bruce Fowler | Trombone |
| 4 | Russ Freeman | Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Steel), Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer |
| 5 | David Gibb | Graphic Design |
| 6 | Carl Griffin | Associate Executive Producer |
| 7 | Dave Grusin | Executive Producer, Piano |
| 8 | Omar Hakim | Drums |
| 9 | David Hesse | Engineer |
| 10 | Scott Johnson | Graphic Design |
| 11 | Jeff Kashiwa | Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 12 | Jeff Katz | Photography |
| 13 | Robert Margouleff | Engineer, Mixing |
| 14 | Bobby Martin | Sax (Tenor) |
| 15 | Marian McPartland | Composer |
| 16 | Sonny Mediana | Graphic Design |
| 17 | Tony Morales | Drums |
| 18 | Marc Portman | Piano |
| 19 | Mark Portmann | Keyboards, Piano |
| 20 | Nelson Rangell | Flute, Piccolo, Sax (Alto) |
| 21 | Steve Reid | Bells, Congas, Drums, Percussion, Vocals |
| 22 | The Rippingtons | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 23 | Larry Rosen | Executive Producer |
| 24 | Andy Ruggirello | Graphic Design |
| 25 | Dan Serrano | Graphic Design |
| 26 | Kim Stone | Bass, Guitar (Bass) |
| 27 | Steve Szabo | Trumpet |
| 28 | Kirk Whalum | Sax (Tenor) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |