Having quit his longtime gig with the Rippingtons in early 1999 to focus on his own career, saxman Jeff Kashiwa's Native Language debut, Another Door Opens, is a true sink or swim proposition. Fortunately, he's not totally a babe in the woods; he has a legion of loyal Rippingtons fans who might be curious to check out his new stuff, as well as the smaller following of his own band, Coastal Access , built over preceding years while doing numerous gigs in Southern California. More importantly, the saxman brings two crucial legacies from his tenure with the Ripps: first, the tutelage of mentor Russ Freeman and, second, the forging of an amazing creative partnership with Ripps keyboardist Dave Kochanski , who co-produced Another Door Opens and wrote four songs, including the brassy, swaying retro-funk-flavored "Hyde Park (The 'Ah, Ooh' Song)" on which Kashiwa winds a catchy lead melody over flowing brass embellishments, an infectious, soaring female backing vocals, and reoccurring snappy acoustic guitar licks from Marc Antoine