Topaz (The Rippingtons album)

Topaz
Studio album by The Rippingtons
Released	May 18, 1999
Recorded	1999
Studio	Cheyenne Mountain Ranch Studios (Colorado)
Genre	Jazz, smooth jazz
Length	48:55
Label	Windham Hill / Peak
Producer	Russ Freeman
The Rippingtons chronology
The Best of The Rippingtons (1997) Topaz (1999) Life in the Tropics (2000)

Topaz is the 10th studio album by the American jazz group The Rippingtons. It was released in 1999 for the Windham Hill label. The album reached No. 2 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. ^[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Russ Freeman.

CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Taos"	5:53
2.	"Summer Lovers"	4:40
3.	"Spirits in the Canyon"	5:01
4.	"Under a Spanish Moon"	4:18
5.	"Temple of the Sun"	4:45
6.	"Stories of the Painted Desert"	4:42
7.	"Snakedance"	4:21
8.	"Led Here By An Eagle"	5:20
9.	"Topaz: Gem of the Setting Sun"	4:57
10.	"Rain"	4:58
Total length:		48:55

Personnel

The Rippingtons

• Russ Freeman – keyboards (1-3, 5-8), acoustic guitar (1, 6, 10), electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 8, 9), classical guitar (1, 4, 5, 7), bass (1, 2, 6, 8, 10), guitars (2, 3), 12-string guitar (6)
• David Kochanski – acoustic piano solo (3, 4)
• Kim Stone – bass (3, 7), arco bass (4)
• David Hooper – drums (1-3, 5-10), percussion (7, 9)
• Ray Yslas – percussion (does not play on album)

With special guest:

• Paul Taylor – alto saxophone (3), soprano saxophone (5, 10)

Additional musicians

• Bill Heller – keyboards (1-3, 5-10), organ solo (9), Kawai grand piano (10)
• Tom Gannaway – flamenco guitar intro (4)
• Tony Morales – drums (4)
• Steve Reid – percussion (4)
• Robert Tree Cody – pito (1, 6, 8)

Production

• Andi Howard – executive producer, management
• Russ Freeman – executive producer, producer, arrangements, recording, mixing
• Nick Sodano – recording, mixing
• Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
• Patrick Clifford – A&R
• Sonny Mediana – art direction, photography
• A to A Graphics – design
• Carl Studna – photo of Russ Freeman
• Bill Mayer – cover artwork

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
US Billboard Jazz Albums [2]	4

References

1. Topaz charting info
2. "The Rippingtons US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-03-09.

External links

• The Rippingtons-Topaz at Discogs
• The Rippingtons-Topaz at AllMusic
• The Rippingtons Official Website