Artist: The Rippingtons
Title Of Album: Cote D’Azur
Year Of Release: 2011
Label: Peak Records
Genre: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Format: Flac/Cue/Log/Artwork
Quality: Lossless
Total Time: 40:12
Total Size: 339 MB(+3%)
Artist: The Rippingtons
Title Of Album: Cote D’Azur
Year Of Release: 2011
Label: Peak Records
Genre: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Format: Flac/Cue/Log/Artwork
Quality: Lossless
Total Time: 40:12
Total Size: 339 MB(+3%)
Tracklist
1. Cote D’azur 4:21
2. Le Calypso 3:32
3. Bandol 3:50
4. Sainte Maxime 4:15
5. Postcard From Cannes 4:22
6. Passage To Marseilles 3:40
7. Provence 4:25
8. Riviera Jam 3:25
9. Rue Paradis 4:34
10. Mesmerized 3:24
Fans that have followed Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons for any
stretch of time over the past quarter century know the versatile
award winning and Grammy® nominated guitarist//composer and
producer has long had a penchant for naming songs and albums after
exotic places («Aruba,» «Kenya,» «Morocco,» Weekend in Monaco,
Sahara, et al). But The Ripps’ latest recording Cote
D’Azur—inspired by Freeman’s passion for the French people and the
storied region of the French Riviera—is more than simply the
latest stamp on Freeman’s well traveled passport. Beyond simple
wanderlust or a gathering of «musical postcards» from the Southern
region of France, it taps into a spirit that’s deeper and more
transcendent than any other group project to date.
All of the songs on Cote D’Azur tell stories of Freeman’s extensive
travels in France with his wife Yaredt Leon, a hit songwriter in
her own right who contributed tracks to the Ripps Latin-themed Wild
Card (2005) and Modern Art (2009). Cote D’Azur is bookended with
songs they wrote together, the high energy title track and the
beautiful «Mesmerized.» Yaredt has been Freeman’s consummate travel
partner these past years. For a time, he couldn’t get enough of
Italy, but the minute Leon (whose mixed heritage is
Colombian-French) introduced him to her father’s homeland of
France, Freeman was hooked. After so many excursions to the
country—and train trips from Paris to Cote D’Azur (the French
Riviera)—that he loses count, Freeman felt music stirring inside
him that was exotic, deeper and more heartfelt than any he had ever
written and produced before —quite a bold statement considering
that their music has played such a defining role in contemporary
jazz since the release of Moonlighting in 1986. He also feels that
both musically and technically, Cote D’Azur takes an incredible
leap forward.
Cote D’Azur is a daring, full-scale exploration of world that
fascinates Freeman and, as he has discovered, has more ties to
American culture than he ever imagined. So much so that on tour
throughout the U.S. in the summer of 2010, The Rippingtons gave
their thousands of loyal fans an extraordinary gift. Months before
the official release of the album, the band complemented their run
of classic hits with an unprecedented sweep of six songs from the
new collection. Freeman knew he was taking a gigantic leap of
faith—yet he was so excited about his new musical explorations
that he (and bandmates Jeff Kashiwa, Rico Belled, Bill Heller and
Dave Karasony) couldn’t wait to share them.
«Making music and touring is more fun than ever now, states
Freeman, «and it’s only recently that I realize how lucky we are to
be doing that. I still love getting out there, meeting the fans,
hearing their stories, and then taking time off and traveling with
Yaredt to places I had only dreamed of before.» Russ Freeman and
The Rippingtons take their lucky fans on a trip of a lifetime to
Cote D’Azur. Traveling with them is their trademark jazz cat, by
artist Bill Mayer, who again graces the CD cover art. Next time
out, who knows? Freeman’s musical passport still has a lot of open
space to be stamped. And, the journey continues!
