Rippingtons Modern Art CD

Personnel: Russ Freeman (guitar, electric sitar, keyboards, programming); Bill Heller (accordion, keyboards); Jeff Kashiwa (saxophone, EWI); Rick Braun (trumpet); Dave Karasony (drums).
Audio Mixers: Alfredo Matheus; Russ Freeman ; Steve Sykes.
Recording information: Surfboard Studios, Boca Raton, FL.
Illustrator: Bill Mayer.
Photographer: Sonny Mediana.
Arranger: Russ Freeman .
The Rippingtons have been one of the most durable and fertile bands (ex-members include Dave Koz and David Benoit) on the contemporary jazz scene--MODERN ART is album number 18 for guitarist Russ Freeman and company. For the group's fans, their smooth, genial sound is alive and well here, but ART ups the ante somewhat. The instrumentalists get to stretch out a bit more than usual, and there is also more variety in the moods they strive for. For example, "One Step Closer" features some fine R&B-flavored sax while "Paris Groove" imparts some City of Light flavor.
Different musical historians will offer different opinions on exactly when smooth jazz got started. One could argue that the commercial pop-jazz that guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded for A&M with producer Creed Taylor in 1967 and 1968 (after Montgomery quit recording straight-ahead bop) marked the beginning of smooth jazz, but it was in the 1980s that the smooth jazz/NAC radio format really took off -- and the Rippingtons have often reaped the benefits of the format's popularity. Along the way, they have recorded plenty of innocuous, lightweight fluff; 2009's Modern Art often fits that description, but the 49-minute CD does have its moments. At times, guitarist Russ Freeman (the Rippingtons' founder and longtime leader) sounds like he yearns to break free of the smooth jazz/NAC format's constraints and limitations -- and a somewhat edgier side of the group asserts itself with decent results on "Body Art," the funky "Jet Set," and the title track. Also, there is a bit of an intrigue factor on the flamenco-tinged "Pastels on Canvas." But those tracks are the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time, Modern Art is highly formulaic and favors a "give the program directors what they want" approach. Do Freeman and his colleagues have what it takes to move the Rippingtons into serious fusion territory and give the group the sort of creative respectability that the Yellowjackets enjoy? Probably, but moving in that direction would scare away program directors, which is something that most of this album goes out of its way to avoid doing. Again, Modern Art has its moments, but more often than not, this is yet another play-it-safe affair for the Rippingtons. ~ Alex Henderson
Different musical historians will offer different opinions on exactly when smooth jazz got started. One could argue that the commercial pop-jazz that guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded for A&M with producer Creed Taylor in 1967 and 1968 (after Montgomery quit recording straight-ahead bop) marked the beginning of smooth jazz, but it was in the 1980s that the smooth jazz/NAC radio format really took off -- and the Rippingtons have often reaped the benefits of the format's popularity. Along the way, they have recorded plenty of innocuous, lightweight fluff; 2009's Modern Art often fits that description, but the 49-minute CD does have its moments. At times, guitarist Russ Freeman (the Rippingtons' founder and longtime leader) sounds like he yearns to break free of the smooth jazz/NAC format's constraints and limitations -- and a somewhat edgier side of the group asserts itself with decent results on "Body Art," the funky "Jet Set," and the title track. Also, there is a bit of an intrigue factor on the flamenco-tinged "Pastels on Canvas." ~ Alex Henderson