Life in the Tropics -- the first Peak Records release for the Rippingtons -- features guitarist Russ Freeman and is a great smooth jazz celebration of rhythmic delights that resemble the tropical splendor of an island oasis.
The natural beauty of each composition is reflected by the great talents of the Rippingtons: Kim Stone on bass, Dave Kochanski on keyboards, Ramon Yslas on percussion, and Dave Hooper on drums, along with special guests the great saxophonists Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, and Paul Taylor, keyboardist Bob James, and guitarist Peter White.
The centerpiece of this CD is "Love Child," a sensuous mid-tempo ballad that alternates the brilliant sax work of Marienthal and Taylor as Freeman strums an emotional string sonnet under soulful synths and keyboards.
The romantic vocals of Howard Hewitt on "I Found Heaven" invite you to rediscover his intense passion for a great love ballad.
Its lyrics convey the excellent songwriting abilities of Freeman and Gary Brown and their ability to connect to the emotional melorhythms of the listener.
The fresh sounds revealed on Life in the Tropics are sure to please you because of their melodic elements, rhythms, brass, and great guitar of Russ Freeman.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Club ParadisoRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Dave Hooper, Eric Marienthal | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Caribbean BreezeRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Dave Hooper, Kim Stone, Peter White, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 3 | Cruisin' Down Ocean DriveRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Bill Heller, Dave Hooper, Eric Marienthal, Kim Stone, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Be CoolRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Dave Hooper, Dave Koz, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | Rhythm of Your LifeMichael Angelo Saulsberry | The Rippingtons, Michael Angelo, Russ Freeman, Bill Heller, Jerry Hey, Dave Hooper, Andi Howard, Daisy Villa, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Love ChildRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Bill Heller, Eric Marienthal, Kim Stone, Paul Taylor | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | Avenida del MarRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman, Gary Grant, Bill Heller, Jerry Hey, Dave Hooper, William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr., Kim Stone, Ramon Yslas | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 8 | I Found HeavenGary Brown, Russ Freeman | The Rippingtons, Gary Brown, Russ Freeman, Howard Hewett | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | South Beach MamboRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Ramon Flores, Russ Freeman, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Dave Hooper, William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr., Kim Stone, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 10 | Life in the TropicsRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Mark Binder, Russ Freeman, Dave Hooper, Bob James, Eric Marienthal, Kim Stone, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 11 | Island AphrodisiacRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Ramon Flores, Russ Freeman, Dave Hooper, Ramon Yslas | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 50 mins | 115 MB | |||||
| 50 mins | 350 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Angelo | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Ray Bardani | Mixing |
| 3 | Mark Binder | Engineer, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Gary Brown | Composer, Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Programming, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Gary Brown | Bass |
| 6 | Alexis Davis | Product Development |
| 7 | Ramon Flores | Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 8 | Ken Freeman | Engineer |
| 9 | Russ Freeman | Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 10 | Gary Grant | Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 11 | Robert Hadley | Mastering |
| 12 | Bill Heller | Arranger, Keyboards, Piano, Primary Artist, Programming |
| 13 | Howard Hewett | Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 14 | Jerry Hey | Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 15 | Dave Hooper | Drums, Photography, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 16 | Andi Howard | Executive Producer, Management, Primary Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Bob James | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 18 | Jeff Kashiwa | Saxophone |
| 19 | Dave Kochanski | Keyboards |
| 20 | Dave Koz | Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Saxophone |
| 21 | Eric Marienthal | Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Saxophone |
| 22 | Bill Mayer | Cover Art |
| 23 | Tony Morales | Drums |
| 24 | Posie Muliadi | Engineer |
| 25 | William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. | Primary Artist, Trombone |
| 26 | The Rippingtons | Primary Artist |
| 27 | Michael Angelo Saulsberry | Composer, Producer |
| 28 | Doug Sax | Mastering |
| 29 | Nick Sodano | Engineer |
| 30 | Kim Stone | Bass, Primary Artist |
| 31 | Paul Taylor | Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Sax (Alto) |
| 32 | Daisy Villa | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 33 | Peter White | Guitar (Classical), Primary Artist |
| 34 | Ramon Yslas | Percussion, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 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). |