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Jazz Articles about Lee Ritenour

About Lee Ritenour

414

Album Review

Lee Ritenour: Smoke 'n' Mirrors

Read "Smoke 'n' Mirrors" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
June 14, 2007

With a deep admiration for Wes Montgomery and a penchant for Brazilian music, Lee Ritenour is one of the most prolific guitarists in modern jazz. Whether as a front man, sideman or member of a group, “Captain Fingers can always be counted on for quality music. A Grammy winner, Ritenour has performed or recorded with several jazz, pop and R&B acts throughout his career, including Steely Dan, Bob James, Tony Bennett, The Mamas and the Papas and the Brothers Johnson, ...

335

Album Review

Lee Ritenour: Smoke n' Mirrors

Read "Smoke n' Mirrors" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
November 30, 2006

If travel is a broadening experience for the average Joe, it must be positively a revelation for the restless artist. Such is the case for Lee Ritenour, a musician who abandoned the comfort zone of cranking out innocuous jams for the far more risky territory of fusing world beat with contemporary jazz.In 2005, the guitarist performed in a series of concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. The trip left such an impression upon him that for ...

799

Interview

Lee Ritenour: Overtime

by Woodrow Wilkins
September 1, 2005

In his three decades as a solo artist, guitarist Lee Ritenour has covered a lot of territory. While cranking out one excellent album after another as a frontman, he's also found time to sit in as a guest with other artists and even spent a few years as a member of the supergroup, Fourplay. Among those he has recorded or performed with are Maynard Ferguson, David Sanborn, the Brothers Johnson (remember “Strawberry Letter # 23 ?), Djavan, Kenny G, the ...

310

Album Review

Lee Ritenour: A Twist of Marley

by Dave Hughes
July 1, 2001

Lee Ritenour made quite a splash four years ago with his A Twist of Jobim CD, in which he pulled together a rotating cast of all-stars to offer a program of contemporary jazz updates of classics from the Antonio Carlos Jobim songbook. He’s used the same formula for his latest offering, A Twist of Marley. The results are, well, interesting. It doesn’t hue as closely to the contemporary jazz format as the Jobim tribute, nor is it that close to ...

332

Album Review

Bill Evans: Touch

Read "Touch" reviewed by Paula Edelstein

by Paula Edelstein
June 1, 1999

Touch, produced by veteran saxophonist-composer Bill Evans for his debut on Zebra Records is one of compositional integrity that continues to explore the melodic themes of his previous release, Starfish & The Moon. His 11th as a leader, Touch exemplifies the personality and depth of Bill Evans’ musicianship on tunes ranging from smooth to straight ahead, charged with soaring soprano and robust tenor solos. The serenely lyrical “In Your Heart” imprints his smooth sax deep within the soul, ...

248

Album Review

Bill Evans: Touch

by Ed Kopp
June 1, 1999

Whenever I hear a soprano saxophone played over a pre-programmed beat my attention inevitably wavers, even if the music it is somewhat challenging. I call this condition the Kenny G Syndrome.While listening to Touch I really had to fight through the Kenny G Syndrome on a couple of tracks, but in time I warmed up to most of these 11 tunes.To be fair, Bill Evans is no Kenny G. He's a veteran solo artist with a ...

281

Album Review

Lee Ritenour: Alive in L.A.

by Dave Hughes
December 1, 1997

This is the last album Lee Ritenour had left on his contract with GRP. He's already founded a new label, i.e. Music, on which has already appeared the all-star recording A Twist of Jobim, which was really a Lee Ritenour album except in name. What easier way to fulfill the rest of your contract than to submit a live album? Have a tape recorder running during a gig, turn it in, be done with it. I must admit that these ...