Jazz Articles about Kenny Rittenhouse

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Leigh Pilzer: Keep Holding On

by Hrayr Attarian
July 15, 2026

Baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer is a member of A-list orchestras like the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra, among others.  She is also an exciting improviser and bandleader in her own right.  Her third release as a leader, the captivating Keep Holding On, is with her organ trio and features guest brass players on five tracks. It consists entirely of original material, most composed by Pilzer herself, and is firmly rooted in the ...

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Leigh Pilzer: Keep Holding On

by Jack Bowers
June 19, 2026

There are times when the friends you make can make a world of difference. That is certainly true of baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer's recording, Keep Holding On, whose trio format--admirable in its own way--is considerably enriched by a quartet of friends and colleagues whose expertise helps brighten even further five of the album's 11 already-impressive numbers. The first of those guests is trombonist Jen Krupa, like Pilzer a former member of the marvelous all- female DIVA Jazz Orchestra, ...

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Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: Ellington Masterworks

by Jack Bowers
June 18, 2026

When the topic of Duke Ellington's masterworks arises (rarely, it is true, but not implausibly so), the leading candidates usually comprise such popular standards as “Sophisticated Lady," “Mood Indigo," “Prelude to a Kiss" and “Satin Doll"--not one of which is included in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra's chronicle of Ellington Masterworks, recorded live in April 2024 at MCG Jazz in Pittsburgh, PA. With more than a thousand of Ellington's compositions from which to choose, the SJMO and its ...

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Leigh Pilzer: Beatin' the Odds

by Jack Bowers
May 19, 2024

Beatin' the Odds. To baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer, that is far more than a catchphrase: it is a grim yet ultimately happy reality. In 2017, Pilzer was diagnosed with cancer. After extensive treatments, her odds of surviving more than five years were reckoned as around thirty percent. But six years have gone by, and not only has Pilzer beaten the odds, she is cancer-free, back in the saddle and performing again. And not only performing but writing ...

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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 ...

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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 ...