Welcome to the St. James' Club is the fourth album by the American jazz group the Rippingtons, released in 1990.[2] It reached No. 1 on Billboard's Jazz chart.[3] The group supported the album with a North American tour.[4] The album was produced by Russ Freeman, who chose to give the songs a more rhythmic direction.[5][6]
| Welcome to the St. James' Club | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 1990[1] | |||
| Recorded | March–May 1990 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 47:13 | |||
| Label | GRP | |||
| Producer | Russ Freeman | |||
| The Rippingtons chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| Chicago Tribune | [8] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "generally complex, heavily synthesized music—some of it heavily orchestrated."[9] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "what pop is to rock, the Rippingtons is to jazz—upbeat, modern and able to sell a lot of albums."[8]
Track listing
edit(All tracks composed by Russ Freeman).
- "Welcome to the St. James' Club" - 4:41
- "Wednesday's Child" - 4:53
- "I Watched Her Walk Away" - 5:24
- "Kenya" - 5:23
- "Affair in San Miguel" - 5:04
- "Tropic of Capricorn" - 4:59
- "Who's Holding Her Now?" - 3:53
- "Soul Mates" - 4:57
- "Passion Fruit" - 4:34
- "Victoria's Secret" - 3:25
Personnel
editThe Rippingtons
- Russ Freeman – keyboards (1-10), keyboard programming (1-10), acoustic guitar (1, 5, 6, 7), electric guitar (1-6, 8, 9, 10), guitar synthesizer (1-4, 6, 8, 10), bass (1-10), drums (1-5, 8, 10), classical guitar (3), percussion (4, 8)
- Steve Bailey – additional fretless bass (2, 4, 5, 9, 10)
- Tony Morales – cymbal (1-5, 8), hi-hat (1-5, 8), additional cymbal (7)
- Steve Reid – percussion (1-10), vocals (6)
- Jeff Kashiwa – saxophone (1, 6), EWI controller (1)
Guest Musicians and Vocalists
- Mike Lang – acoustic piano (6)
- Joe Sample – acoustic piano (9)
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (6, 7, 9)
- Brant Biles – additional shaker (1)
- Kirk Whalum – saxophone (2, 8)
- Judd Miller – EWI controller (2, 4, 10)
- Brandon Fields – saxophone (3, 5, 7, 9), soprano saxophone (10)
- Carl Anderson – vocals (1, 4)
- Lynne Fiddmont – vocals (1)
- Patti Austin – vocals (3, 8)
- Dee Dee Bellson – vocals (4)
- Kevin Guillaume – vocals (4)
Production
edit- Russ Freeman – producer, arrangements, engineer, mixing
- Dave Grusin – executive producer
- Larry Rosen – executive producer
- Anthony Jeffries – additional engineer
- Robert Margouleff – additional engineer, mixing
- David Nesse – additional engineer
- Steve Reid – additional engineer
- Mike Scotella – additional engineer
- Brant Biles – mix associate
- Carl Griffin – additional mixing (2, 4, 8)
- Bernie Grundman – editing, mastering
- Bruce Volk – technical support
- Suzanne Sherman – production coordinator
- Bill Mayer – front cover artwork
- Andy Baltimore – creative director
- David Gibb – graphic design
- Jacki McCarthy – graphic design
- Andy Ruggirello – graphic design
- Dan Serrano – graphic design
- Jeff Sedlik – photography
- Mixed at Aire L. A. Studios (Glendale, California).
- Edited and Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).
Charts
edit| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Jazz Albums | 1 |
References
edit- ^ "Rippingtons "Welcome to the St. James' Club"". Bullmoose.com. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ Okamoto, David (7 Sep 1990). "Man of few words". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. D1.
- ^ Doruyter, Renee (16 Nov 1990). "The Rippingtons Travel Incognito". The Province. p. P29.
- ^ Abbott, Jim (4 Jan 1991). "The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman...". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 2.
- ^ Lannert, John (22 Feb 1991). "Name Game Aside, Freeman Delivers". Features Showtime. Sun-Sentinel. p. 32.
- ^ Sutro, Dirk (18 Apr 1991). "Rippingtons' Sound Takes On an Exotic Flavor". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
- ^ "Welcome to the St. James' Club Review by AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ a b Herrmann, Brenda (24 Jan 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 9.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (19 Oct 1990). "Rippingtons at Chestnut". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 34.