The Rippingtons were an American contemporary jazz group, mainly relating to the genres smooth jazz, jazz fusion, jazz pop, and crossover jazz. Formed in 1985 by guitarist and band leader Russ Freeman, their career has spanned more than three decades. With a revolving door of musicians, Freeman has been the only consistent member. Many of their songs have been featured in the "Local on the 8s" forecast segments on The Weather Channel. The band's mascot is a grinning, sunglasses-wearing jazz cat, which appears in the artwork of all the band's releases and on their official website.
Current members Russ Freeman – guitar, keyboards and programming Dave Karasony – drums Bill Heller – piano Rico Belled – bass Brandon Fields – saxophone Past members have included bassists Kim Stone, 1990–2008, Steve Bailey and Bill Lanphier; saxophone players Jeff Kashiwa, Paul Taylor, Eric Marienthal, Kenny G, Kirk Whalum, and Nelson Rangell; pianists/keyboard players Dave Kochanski, David Benoit, Gregg Karukas, Tom McMorran and Mark Portmann; drummers Tony Morales, David Anderson, Omar Hakim, and Dave Hooper; and percussionists Scott Breadman, Ray Yslas and Steve Reid.
Timeline
Music career...
Extract from Wikipedia: “The Rippingtons” (CC BY-SA 4.0).