Lee Ritenour: Overtime

WOODROW WILKINS,

Woodrow Wilkins

since 2004

Woody started in jazz with the diverse sounds of Maynard Ferguson's bands of the 1970s.

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Published: September 1, 2005

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AAJ: In your vast collection, do you have a favorite song for listening—or performing?

LR: The funny thing is it was never a song that was a regular song, but it's a big favorite of my fans. It's a flexible song that can go in about any direction: "Rio Funk. It can be funky, progressive, commercial, out, in...whatever we want it to be.

AAJ: What can we expect in 2006?

LR: I'm gonna be working on a new record—a lot of new compositions. You can expect a few twists and turns—will explore some percussion and world music elements. I'm very excited. The Overtime project was a great project to look back and look ahead.

Indeed, Overtime is that and more. Hathaway wrote the one new song, "Possibilities, which she also sings. Botti and Rit engage in a blistering call-and-response at the end of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone. And the other musicians are in a tight groove with the leader, giving the listener a sense of being there. Ritenour began his solo career in 1975 at the age of 23. Now 30 years, more than 30 recordings and some 3,000-plus performances later, he's still cooking. Dubbed early in his career as Captain Fingers, Rit is still the commanding officer of contemporary jazz guitar.

Visit Lee Ritenour on the web.

Selected discography as a leader:

Overtime (Peak, 2005)
Rit's House (Verve, 2002)
Alive in L.A. (GRP, 1997)
Lee Ritenour & His Gentle Thoughts (JVC, 1992)
Wes Bound (GRP, 1992)
Stolen Moments (GRP, 1990)
Festival (GRP, 1988)
Earth Run (GRP, 1986)
"Rit" (Elektra, 1985)
On the Line (GRP, 1983)
Feel the Night (Elektra, 1979)
The Captain's Journey (Elektra, 1978)
Captain Fingers (Epic, 1977)
First Course (Epic, 1976)