Finally: Lowdown on new Rippingtons, Yellowjackets, & more

Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons have delivered another winner, with great melodies, engaging riffs, and just a couple pratfalls. The second cut on the new Cote D'Azur, "Le Calypso," is one of the unfortunate missteps, with a melody that's not much there. But for most of the rest, from the zesty title track which opens the disc with a booming bassline, to the closing "Mesmerized," the Ripps show their mettle. Freeman shines as always - he never gets enough credit for his playing, and the band is tight and grooving throughout. Critics may call the music formulaic, and while it fits neatly into the smooth jazz playlists, it still offers more than ear candy. These guys can play, and even if they rarely surprise anymore, you can always count on a Rippingtons album to deliver the goods.

The Yellowjackets predate the Ripps, and originally were more bluesy/r&b oriented, serving primarily as the vehicle for guitarist Robben Ford. With Ford's departure, they became more jazz-centric, first with saxophonist Marc Russo, then even more so with his replacement, Bob Mintzer. Their jagged compositions, by all four band members, bring to mind everyone from Weather Report, Chick Corea, and 60s West Coast jazz. Timeline features Mintzer, original members Russell Ferrante on keys and bassist supreme Jimmy Haslip, and the return of drummer Will Kennedy. Mintzer's magnificent sax playing is always marvelous, and Ferrante's keyboard work (especially his acoustic piano on the title track) makes this as fun to listen to in its way as the Ripps. And of course, the rhythm section is spot on. It's great to hear music by these veteran groups as impressive as anything they've recorded over their lengthy careers.

Back before either of these groups was in existence, the CTI label released a host of fab jazz discs. They ranged from early crossover discs to straightahead jazz to Latin flavorings and nearly everything in between. A series of re-releases includes George Benson's White Rabbit and Deodato's Prelude. The former offers a seven-minute take on the Airplane classic, done as a funky Latin jam, with Herbie Hancock, John Tropea on acoustic guitar, Benson on electric, and Hubert Laws on flute showing what masters can do with the mundane. Prelude was CTI's biggest seller ever, on the strength of the hit reworking of "Also Sprach Zarathustra," then popular as the theme to "2001: A Space Odyssey." Amazingly, Deodato only did two more albums for CTI as a leader, before going on to write and produce for other artists.

Super Bowl, not so super commercials

So the big game is over for another year (or more, if the NFL has a labor stoppage), and so are the commercials. Fortunately. Because most of them weren't very good. I was asked by the TC Business News to gather a virtual panel of advertising professionals and get their input on the commercials last night, ostensibly from the first half. So I watched with more than my usual fervor, making this the second year in a row I've actually watched the Super Bowl.

Let's start with the slew of spots for upcoming movies. I cannot ever recall seeing so many commercials for films. They were okay, but I can't recall any one flick over another at this point. Other than the fact it looks like there's another Transformers movie. Or maybe they're just re-releasing one of the others. No one would ever be able to tell. Too, too many.

The same with promos for FOX shows (with one huge exception, noted below). They all just blended together. What I found most disappointing was the lack of any support for my two favorites, Lie to Me and Human Target. I have a feeling the latter, which is showing its season finale this week, may be scuttled. Too bad. It's fun, in an over-the-top, A-Team kind of way. Lie to Me remains tied with Castle atop my personal fave list, followed by Human Target and This Old House. Sherlock on PBS would be #1 if its season had lasted more than three episodes.

There was a surprising amount of agreement among the panel on the top spot. Course, that doesn't mean they were right. The most popular commercial was the Passat spot featuring a pint-sized Darth Vader who finally captures the Force when he magically starts the car in the driveway, thanks to some help from Dad's remote. Huh? What on earth (or in space) does that have to do with the car? Oh, that's right, nothing. Great branding. Passat, the car Darth Vader used as a youth.

Most of the panel hated the Budweiser commercial where the cowboy threatens violence when the barkeep tells him they're out of Bud. The day is saved when the stage coach being pulled by Clydesdales (of course) arrives with ice-cold beer. Then the whole saloon broke into "Tiny Dancer." I found it absurd and hilarious, especially the part where the stage coach driver drops the case onto the bar amid a shower of ice cubes. Ice cubes. From a stage coach. In the old west. Funny stuff.

Worst in show had to be the Doritos commercial featuring the guy sucking Doritos powder from another guy's fingers and then de-pantsing a fellow office worker to sniff and lick his pants. Yeah, you remember the spot, with disgust and horror. It certainly disproved the adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Can anyone eat Doritos without thinking of the commercial and having their stomach crawl? No matter how cute the opening Doritos spot was with the pug crashing through the door atop its tormentor (very predictably, I thought), this one negated any goodwill there might have been. Now and forever.

The slew of automobile commercials were mostly okay, as predicted by media analyst David E. Johnson of Strategic Vision, a PR and marketing firm out of Atlanta. There wasn't much visionary here, but there also weren't too many "What were they thinking?" moments, as was the case with Doritos or Groupon.com, which garnered a big "Huh?" while also riling the Chinese with its sympathetic portrayal of Tibet. Analysts are already predicting big trouble for the company, which is trying to expand in China. Great thinking.

One car commercial stood out among all others: The two-minute Chrysler spot in the second half with Eminem driving around Detroit landmarks while the narrator spoke of a city that was down but not out. Haters can vilify Detroit all they want, but how could anyone from Michigan not feel their chest swell with pride?

Best of the best was the brief spot for House. The caustic doc is approached by a young boy who tells him he's the best doc ever. House, of course, agrees. The boy offers House his churro, to which House replies, "My patient just died. You think a Spanish deep-fried snack is gonna make things better?" Then House tosses the kid his cane, which whacks him upside the head and hand. This takeoff on the classic Coke ad with Mean Joe Green was easily the funniest of the night, and by far the best branding.