Russ Freeman & 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. read less