Jazz Articles about Kenny Rittenhouse

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: Bernstein Reimagined

by Jack Bowers
January 24, 2021

This impressive anthology by the superb Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra is not so much Bernstein Reimagined as Bernstein Unleashed. The jazz component in Leonard Bernstein's memorable compositions for symphony orchestra, Broadway shows, films and even liturgical works always lay simmering just below the surface. As Bernstein is said to have confided to Duke Ellington: “Maybe that's really the difference between us. You write symphonic jazz, and I write jazz symphonies." However credible the remark, there is no doubt that the ...

Kenny Rittenhouse: The Francis Suite

by John Barron
June 10, 2007

When a musician is willing to completely bare his soul to the world, unhampered by thoughts of criticism, the resulting sounds can be refreshingly optimistic and should be regarded as an honest artistic representation of the human experience. Without a hint of restraint, Washington, DC trumpeter Kenny Rittenhouse celebrates the blessings of his life on The Francis Suite, a highly personal, modern jazz tribute to his family.

The title of the disc refers to Rittenhouse's four-movement suite dedicated to his ...