The Rippingtons

The Rippingtons formed as a California-based instrumental ensemble under guitarist Russ Freeman toward the close of the 1980s, delivering a contemporary jazz sound designed for broad radio appeal. Their debut effort, the 1987 album Moonlighting, quickly found commercial traction with guest appearances from Kenny G and David Benoit. Across their first ten years the band claimed six number-one placements on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, among them Curves Ahead in 1991, Black Diamond in 1997, and True Stories in 2016. During that span they also helped introduce several smooth-jazz figures, including saxophonists Jeff Kashiwa, Dave Koz, and Eric Marienthal.

Russ Freeman assembled the group in 1985 as a studio collective of West Coast players after completing music studies at Cal Arts and UCLA and beginning his own solo work. The Nashville-born guitarist accepted an invitation from Japan’s Alfa label and recruited fellow rising artists David Benoit, Kenny G, Gregg Karukas, Brandon Fields, and others for the sessions that produced Moonlighting. Issued domestically on Passport, the album reached number five on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Follow-up releases Kilimanjaro in 1988 and Tourist in Paradise in 1989 also landed inside the Top Five, each highlighting the band’s melodic, groove-driven pop-jazz approach.

After signing with GRP in 1990, Freeman and the Rippingtons delivered their fourth album, Welcome to the St. James Club. Saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, replacing the departing Brandon Fields, appeared for the first time, and the record topped the contemporary jazz chart. The follow-up Curves Ahead arrived in 1991 and likewise reached number one, featuring saxophonist Kirk Whalum, pianist Dave Grusin, saxophonist Nelson Rangell, and drummer Omar Hakim. Subsequent GRP projects Weekend in Monaco in 1992, Sahara in 1994, and Brave New World in 1996 continued the pattern of strong chart performance, the last of these showcasing saxophonist Eric Marienthal.

In the mid-1990s Freeman and manager Andi Howard established the Peak label, which became the primary home for the Rippingtons even after the group moved from GRP to Windham Hill. Their tenth-anniversary project Black Diamond appeared in 1997 and topped the contemporary jazz chart. Topaz followed in 1999, peaking at number two and marking Kashiwa’s departure for a solo career.

Life in the Tropics, the band’s eleventh studio album, surfaced in 2000 with saxophonist Dave Koz filling the vacancy left by Kashiwa. For Let It Ripp in 2003 the group enlisted a horn section that included Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, and Steven Hoffman. The Latin-inflected Wild Card arrived in 2005 and featured vocal contributions from Willy Chirino, Chante Moore, and Albita. Modern Art, released in 2009, earned the Rippingtons their first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Côte d’Azur appeared in 2011, drawing on South of France themes, while Built to Last reached number one on the contemporary jazz chart two years later. The twentieth studio album, Fountain of Youth, came out in 2014. Celebrating thirty years together, the band issued True Stories in 2016, which brought back original saxophonist Brandon Fields. Open Road followed in 2019.