Brian McKnight News

In the liner notes to the Rippingtons' new "20th Anniversary" album, Russ Freeman, the founder and creative genius behind the contemporary jazz group, wrote, "My favorite band growing up was the Beatles."

"I will never forget running home from the record store, eagerly awaiting the latest LP from my heroes," he says. "I was heartbroken when, at age 9, I learned that the Beatles were breaking up. I vowed that if I ever started a band, it would never break up."

Freeman has proved true to his word. The Rippingtons, originally formed in 1986 as an ad hoc band of improvisers, turns 20 this year -- an impressive feat for any group in any genre.

The Rippingtons will celebrate their birthday with the July 25 CD/DVD release of "20th Anniversary" (Peak), which reunites past and present band members and featured artists from the group's 16-album career. The record contains old tunes that have been re-envisioned, plus a few new numbers.

Performers comprise a who's who of the contemporary jazz world, including Dave Koz, Brian McKnight, Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Kirk Whalum, Paul Taylor, Eric Marienthal, Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Reid.

The core group begins a U.S. tour in August.

MOVEMENT MAKERS

Not only were the Rippingtons a pioneer of the contemporary jazz genre, but the band also paved the way for a full slate of so-called smooth jazz artists via the Peak Records imprint that was co-founded in 1994 by Freeman and his longtime manager, Andi Howard.

The Rippingtons' story begins in 1986 when Freeman, then recording as a solo artist on the Brainchild label (later bought by Passport), was asked by Japanese label Alpha to round up some friends, including soprano-saxophonist Kenny G and pianist David Benoit, to record an album.

He "let it ripp," so to speak, with the resulting disc, "Moonlighting," which was later released stateside by Passport. Rather than become a one-hit wonder, though, the band turned into a movement maker.

"Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, that project became the basis of a new format," says Howard, who has served as the Rippingtons' manager for the past 20 years. "There wasn't smooth jazz radio at that time. But their music helped launch that. Russ was a forefather of the smooth jazz format."

Freeman originally envisioned the Rippingtons as a group that would feature various guest artists for whom he would compose new material. But a core band began to jell and "became as popular as the guests," Freeman notes. Today, the current lineup includes Freeman, Bill Heller, Eric Marienthal, Scott Breadman, Dave Karasony, Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Reid and Kim Stone.

Bassist Stone, an 18-year vet of the group, says that it was great having different artists such as pianist Joe Sample and saxophonist Dave Koz spotlighted on the band's albums over the years.

"But at a certain point, (the core members) became the personalities, and the audience enjoyed our musical characters," Stone says.

NOT ALL SMOOTH

Stone adds that he's not partial to the smooth jazz tag even though he's thankful smooth jazz radio has embraced the group. "Not all Rippingtons music is smooth," he says. "We can rock and groove. What we play is a hybrid of many kinds of music. I think of it as new jazz fusion."

Koz, who hosts the morning show on radio station KTWV (the Wave) in Los Angeles as well as the syndicated "The Dave Koz Radio Show," plays on the "20th Anniversary" track "A Kiss Under the Moonlight." He laughs when recalling his appearance on the group's first album, "Moonlighting," which was recorded four years before his debut album on Capitol Records.

"I was enlisted to play the EWI," he says, referring to the synthesized electronic wind instrument. "Russ was playing a synth guitar at that time, and the label didn't want that sound on this side project. So, I'm the one who was basically mimicking his synth guitar to give the sounds and colors he was looking for."

What was once indeed a side project has come to dominate Freeman's career. "Russ has totally let his solo career take a back seat," Koz says. "You don't see that happening very often. But over the years he's created a band concept, a band mentality."

As for the founding of Peak, which happened when the Rippingtons were recording for GRP, Freeman and Howard sought to provide a home for contemporary jazz musicians.

"We wanted to combine business acumen with musical artistry," Freeman says. "We felt that having a musician involved with a label was a good thing for nurturing a culture of creativity."

Reuters/Billboard