Kenny Rittenhouse

Orbit | Updated: July 10, 2026

Born: October 2, 1966

Kenny Rittenhouse has been performing professionally for over 30 years, serving as a veteran of the U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) for three decades. A pivotal member of the prestigious Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, he excelled as a section player, jazz soloist, and eventually as the Element Leader, overseeing all administrative duties. Additionally, Kenny was a member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra (PJO), led by renowned trumpeter Sean Jones. He actively participated in PJO concerts featuring jazz legends Freddie Cole, Ahmad Jamal, and Jimmy Heath.

Kenny's musical versatility extends to the stage of musical theater, with notable performances in acclaimed productions such as Dreamgirls, Ain't Misbehavin', After Midnight, Catch Me If You Can, Chicago, Shout Sister Shout!, Play On!, The Great Gatsby, Suffs, and 1776.

As an educator and director, Kenny served as Adjunct Professor of Jazz Trumpet at George Mason University for 13 years and as Professor of Trumpet at Morgan State University from 2020–2026. Currently, he holds the position of Professor of Trumpet at American University.

Kenny's commitment to nurturing talent is evident in his role as Music Director of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra, where he created unique educational series such as Sitting In With the Masters and The Young Artists Series. These programs offer invaluable opportunities for students to learn directly from industry experts, showcasing Kenny's dedication to shaping the next generation of musicians.

As a versatile composer and arranger, Kenny has contributed more than twenty big band and jazz orchestra charts performed by various ensembles, including the U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. He has also composed more than thirty charts for the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra, emphasizing his prolific creativity in the musical realm.

Notably, Kenny earned second place in the 2017 National Federation of Music Clubs' American Music in the Armed Forces Competition with his original jazz orchestral arrangement of Theme for Penelope. Additionally, he served as principal horn arranger at Severn Records Studio, leaving his mark on more than ten recording projects with notable artists such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Kenny's latest album as a leader, Anthem for the Elders (Kaela Records, June 12, 2026), is his third full-length release following The Francis Suite (2006) and New York Suite (2013). The recording was supported in part by his 2025–26 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship. Washington City Paper's Michael J. West praised the album as offering "some of the heartiest, groovingest, straight-ahead jazz you can ever get your ears on."

Leigh Pilzer: Keep Holding On

Read "Keep Holding On" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

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

Read "Keep Holding On" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
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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

Read "Ellington Masterworks" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
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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

Read "Beatin' the Odds" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
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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

Read "Bernstein Reimagined" reviewed by Jack Bowers

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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Album Review

Kenny Rittenhouse: The Francis Suite

Read "The Francis Suite" reviewed by John Barron

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 ...

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