Customer Reviews

20th Anniversary Celebration (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a 17yr Rippingtons fan, I've always leaned toward the early 1990's CDs. What a treat this new one is!! It is less "Wild Card", "Let it Ripp" and more "Curves Ahead", "Weekend in Monaco". The whole concept of the new CD is brilliant. From bringing back former musicians, to the Medley, to the additional rertrospective DVD. Totally gratifying to a long time Ripps fan. The former members really make it special. Like putting on an old shoe, they step in and create some excellent smooth jazz. Six Four sounds so much like Snowbound, which is one of my all-time favorites.The Medley is a real keepsake. It sounds so much like the original songs, I was amazed. Tony Morales is as fluid as ever on the drums, like he never even left the band at all. Also, Steve Reid really recreates some of that "background ambience" thats been missing. Nice job.

I understand that Russ wants his band to change, evolve, and grow. And, that you can't keep making the same CD over and over. But, as a long time Rippingtons fan, the music on the new CD is the stuff I really enjoy. A true smooth jazz sound that basically the Rippingtons help create. What would be really great is if the former members stay, and make a couple more CD's together!!

When telling somebody about the Rippingtons, I would always recommend either "Welcome to the St. James Club", "Curves Ahead" or "Weekend in Monaco" for them to be introduced to the band. Now, I can recommend the "20th Anniversary" CD as well. Thanks for recreating all of those memories.

The Ripps have done some great things in the past, but in this album, they are clearly coasting. The music is derivative, less horns, and frankly, disappointing. If it didn't have their name on the front, I wouldn't know whose music this was -- looks like they have gone for the money. This is the best elevator music I've heard in a long time, but it doesn't fit the definition of jazz in any way . . .

Hooray! The Ripp's are back. The "Theme" records (Latin, American Indian etc)get a break. This has the classic Ripp's sound that has been somewhat missing for the last few years.

The percussion of Steve Reid is evident on a few tracks and really helps in attaining that good old time Ripp's sound. More Percussion and Sound Efx!

Bring Steve back!!!

Enough said...Great CD! Please come to Tampa!!!

On the opener, Russ Freeman takes a more central role on guitar. However, the relentlessly honking horn section is right there with him. It has more of a "classic Rippingtons" feel than the faux-Santana tripe Russ has been peddling in recent years, but it's not all that memorable. "Celebrate" sounds like theme music for a bland daytime talk show...SASSY! (Probably not what Russ intended). "Costa Del Sol" is a Fourplay ripoff. Plain and simple. If I were Nathan East, I'd be phoning my attorney right now. "Bingo Jingo" is the second nod toward "classic Rippertons." Not bad...not the cure for cancer, but not bad. "Eternity" is a somnambulistic Flamenco number. "Six Four"...goes nowhere. "Rainbow"...everyone takes a solo, but so what? "Twenty"...NOTE TO RUSS FREEMAN: MORE tracks like this. This kind of song is what keeps the Ripps fans coming back. Buy this track on iTunes if you can. "Anything"...imagine the worst song Marvin Gaye ever recorded, with the Rippingtons as his backup band. "A Kiss Under The Moonlight"...pretty, nice. Another classic track. "20th Anniversary Bonus"...featuring a flaccid "I'll Be There." 2 excellent, solid tracks in a sea of dreck...which has become Russ Freeman's par for the course. What a shame.

I became aware of the Rippingtons when I was traveling to Las Vegas on an audit assignment in 1992. The jazz station there played "Welcome to the St. James Club" on their morning show, and I actually called the radio station from my hotel (something I had never done in 35 years of listening to music). Since then I've stayed a Ripps fan through the band's various player changes and moves (LA to Rocky Mountains to Miami). The new album takes a look back with new music--the percussion on "Six Four" is reminiscent of "Kilimanjaro"--and the group continues to expand its appeal with its music. The compilation track is amazing, and brings together many of the musicians that developed the Rippingtons' sound when the band first began. The companion DVD helps broaden understanding of the various changes the group has undertaken over the years, and includes one of the cuts from the "Live in LA" VHS recording. Altogether another top-notch project. A must-have.

Finally, what all die hard Ripps fans have been looking for!! This is the ONE! I really enjoyed the earlier Ripps style and even a couple of the later ones, but they kinda got lost in the experimentation stage of a few of the albums. This is one of those CDs that stays in your player and you have it on continuous repeat mode. Way to go Ripps!

happy anniversary to the rippingtons. i've been a big fan since the beginning. got all of their cd's and even some of their merchandize because of bill mayer's jazz cat. i was expecting more of this latest release but got less than i hoped for. i loved the previous "wild card" album. nonetheless, there are tracks which stand out the most according to my opinion. listen to "costa del sol", "eternity", "twenty", "a kiss under the mooonlight" and medley tracks of previous hits. it's good to know that some of the previous personnel made themselves available for this album. tony morales, steve reid, jeff kashiwa, brandon fields, david benoit, kirk whalum, dave koz, jimmy "flim" johnson et al lent their talents to make this release more meaningful. where's kenny gorelick? i also the appreciated the inclusion of the retrospective dvd despite it's brevity. how about releasing a dvd of the "live in l.a." and "live across america" albums?

I have been listing to the Rippingtons since the begining of thier career.

And The Rippingtons 20th Anniversary CD/DVD is really great!

They are still sounding better then ever.

I love listing to the new songs, and the 20th Anniversary Bonus is a Nice way to end the CD. and I also love to watch the DVD.

I hope that The Rippingtons keep making music for meny years to come.

This particular copy had the DVD disc missing. Got a new copy sent

After a few so-so albums, Russ is finally back on his game with the 20th Anniversary album. I was afraid to buy it after the latin onslaught of the last couple of albums, but after seeing them in concert and hearing a few of the tracks I took a chance. Other than the Brian McKnight track (which takes less than a second to skip....just doesn't flow with the record), the rest of the cd is outstanding.

My only regret is ordering it from the Ripps website instead of Amazon. I could have saved a couple of bucks...oh well.