The ultimate contemporary jazz hyphenate Russ Freeman (guitarist/arranger/producer/keyboardist/composer) became one of smooth jazz's most influential artists through magnificent projects like this one, chosen by Jazziz as the best contemporary jazz album of all time.
This third Ripps release is a masterpiece of mouthwatering pop-jazz tunes, featuring strong hooks, gorgeous texturing, and styles ranging from tropical (the sunny "Aruba" featuring Rob Mullins on keys and Carl Anderson scatting away) and Brazilian ("One Summer Night in Brazil," Freeman's lush centerpiece) to soulful (a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together") and rockin' (the locomotive "Earthbound," which shows Freeman's strings at their frenzied peak).
But there's more to the tourist story -- there's also the bounce of bassist Steve Bailey, the boom of drummer Tony Morales, and the light exoticism of Steve Reid's soundscapes.
The Rippingtons hit more peaks than valleys as the '90s unfolded, and Freeman expanded his scope beyond simple pop-jazz, but this one still sets the standard for smooth jazz.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jupiter's ChildRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | Aruba!Russ Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | One Summer Night in BrazilRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 06:33 | 15 MB | 39 MB |
| 4 | EarthboundRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | Let's Stay TogetherAl Green, Al Jackson, Jr., Willie Mitchell | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:48 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | One Ocean WayRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 04:22 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | DestinyRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 8 | The PrincessRuss Freeman | The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 38 mins | 88 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 251 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Anderson | Vocals |
| 2 | Steve Bailey | Guitar (Bass) |
| 3 | Andy Baltimore | Graphic Design |
| 4 | Ted Blaisdell | Engineer |
| 5 | Chris Cuffaro | Photography |
| 6 | Brandon Fields | Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Saxophone |
| 7 | Russ Freeman | Arranger, Composer, Digital Editing, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Synthesizer), Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer, Programming, Synthesizer |
| 8 | David Gibb | Graphic Design |
| 9 | Al Green | Composer |
| 10 | Dave Grusin | Executive Producer |
| 11 | Al Jackson, Jr. | Composer |
| 12 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 13 | Dave Kunze | Graphic Design |
| 14 | Bill Mayer | Artwork |
| 15 | Willie Mitchell | Composer |
| 16 | Tony Morales | Cymbals, Drums, Hi Hat, Percussion |
| 17 | Rob Mullins | Keyboards |
| 18 | Steve Reid | Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Soundscape |
| 19 | The Rippingtons | Primary Artist |
| 20 | Larry Rosen | Executive Producer |
| 21 | Micajah Ryan | Engineer |
| 22 | Dan Serrano | Graphic Design |
| 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). |