Rippingtons
Topaz
The Story
""Topaz" is about a small town in New Mexico named Taos," ethuses guitarist Russ Freeman. "I became fascinated by the idea of doing a Southwest American theme albbum a few years ago, when I realized that I've lived half my life in the West." To lend an authentic voice to the instrumental tunes on "Topaz", Freeman enlisted the help of Robert Tree Cody, who plays a carved wooden flute on several cuts. Freeman himself uses a variety of guitars, including a classical, an acoustic and his trusty electric to add an edge to the proceedings. Alternately mystical and deeply melodic, "Topaz" is entertaining world/jazz for a late morning ride.
The Music
| 05:53 | Taos | Instrumental |
| 04:40 | Summer Lovers | Instrumental |
| 05:01 | Spirits In The Canyon | Instrumental |
| 04:18 | Under A Spanish Moon | Instrumental |
| 04:45 | Temple Of The Sun | Instrumental |
| 04:42 | Stories Of The Painted Desert | Instrumental |
| 04:21 | Snakedance | Instrumental |
| 05:20 | Led Here By An Eagle | Instrumental |
| 04:57 | Topaz: Gem Of The Setting Sun | Instrumental |
| 04:58 | Rain | Instrumental |
The Artists
| Russ Freeman | Classical, Acoustic, Electric & 12-String Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Arrangements, Production, Engineering, Mixing, Executive Production |
| Robert Tree Cody | Carved Wooden Flute |
| Bill Heller | Additional Keyboards, Organ Solo, Kawai 9-Foot Acoustic Grand Piano |
| Dave Hooper | Drums, Percussion |
| Paul Taylor | Alto Sax, Soprano Sax |
| Dave Kochanski | Acoustic Piano Solo |
| Kim Stone | Bass, Arco Bass |
| Tom Gannaway | Flamenco Guitar Introduction |
| Tony Morales | Drums |
| Steve Reid | Percussion |
| Nick Sodano | Engineering, Mixing |
| Andi Howard | Executive Production |
| Doug Sax | Mastering |
| Sonny Mediana | Art Direction, Photography |
| Carl Studna | Russ Freeman Photography |
| Bill Mayer | Cover Art |
| Recorded and mixed at Cheyenne Mtn. Ranch Studios, Colorado.
Mastered at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, CA. Design by A to A Graphics, NYC. |
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