JAZZ : The Rippingtons Are on a ‘Weekend’ Tear

Usually a jazz fusion band worries about getting its polished, recording-studio sound across in a concert setting. For guitarist Russ Freeman, who leads the Rippingtons, the concern has been the opposite: transferring the quality of his live shows onto an album.

Freeman thinks “Weekend in Monaco,” the Rippingtons’ latest GRP release, really comes close. “The show has a lot of energy, and the new record reflects that more than ever.”

One reason, he says, is that the album showcases his actual touring band--Tony Morales on drums, Kim Stone on bass, Jeff Kashiwa on sax, Mark Portmann on keyboards and Steve Reid on percussion. There are no in-studio guests, as there have been on past releases.

“The band has been together for three years, and we’ve developed a tightness that’s hard to get with studio players,” Freeman said. “We’ve learned more about entertaining, which comes from doing hundreds of shows. We’ve grown.”

He avers that he too has grown, mainly as a composer. “I’ve stretched, incorporating different musical styles such as Latin, African and other world music styles,” said Freeman, who writes all his band’s material.

“That gives the band a more diverse palette to draw from, and it makes our shows more appealing.”