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Curves Ahead is the fifth album by the American Jazz group The Rippingtons, released in 1991 for the GRP label. This album reached #1 on Billboard’s contemporary Jazz chart.

Track listing:
All tracks written by Russ Freeman.

“Curves Ahead” – 5:39
“Aspen” – 5:28
“Santa Fe Trail” – 5:14
“Take Me With You” – 5:34
“North Star” – 5:24
“Miles Away” – 5:17
“Snowbound” – 4:51
“Nature of the Beast” – 6:21
“Morning Song” – 4:09

Personnel:
The Rippingtons

Russ Freeman – keyboards, acoustic guitar (1, 3, 6, 7), electric guitar (1, 2, 5-8), guitar synthesizer (1, 8), horn arrangements (1, 3), bass (3-7), classical guitar (4, 9), steel-string guitar (9)
Mark Portmann – acoustic piano (2, 4, 9), keyboards (8)
Kim Stone – bass (1, 2, 8)
Tony Morales – drums (1-4, 6, 7, 9)
Steve Reid – congas (1, 3-9), blocks (1, 4), udus (1), shakers (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9), Chinese bells (1), Japanese bells (1), jingle stick (1), caxixi (1, 8), toys (1, 3, 6, 8, 9), percussion (2, 5), tambourine (2, 6), apito (3), cowbell (3), ganzá (3, 8), surdo (3, 8), timbales (3), vocals (3), chimes (4, 9), guiro (4), crotales (4, 9), spinning bells (4), bongos (7, 8), claves (7), pods (7), batá drum (8), djembe (8), djum-djum (8), axatse (8), repinique (8), shekere (8), seed pods (8), rainstick (8), bird calls (8)
Jeff Kashiwa – alto saxophone (1, 7), tenor saxophone (1), soprano saxophone (2)

Additional musicians:

Dave Grusin – acoustic piano and solo (5)
Steve Bailey – additional fretted and fretless basses (7), fretless bass (9)
Omar Hakim – drums (5, 8)
Nelson Rangell – alto saxophone (1, 3, 8), flute (3, 9), piccolo solo (9), whistling (9)
Bobby Martin – tenor saxophone (1, 6)
Kirk Whalum – tenor saxophone (5, 6)
Bruce Fowler – trombone (1, 3)
Steve Szabo – trumpet (1, 3)

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Released: August 13, 1991
Recorded: 1991
Studio:
Alpha Studios and Underwear Studios (Burbank, California)
The Slam Shack (North Hollywood, California)
Length: 47:57
Label: GRP
Producer: Russ Freeman