Lee Ritenour
In June 1997, i.e. Music was launched with the extraordinarily successful release of A Twist of Jobim, an all-star tribute to the father of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was produced by Lee Ritenour, long one of jazz’s most decorated guitar heroes.
Affectionately called "Captain Fingers" by peers and fans alike, Ritenour has, over the course of 22 years and 25 solo and duet recordings, established a reputation for melodic accessibility, innovative performance, and a constant desire to explore new stylistic arenas. True to form, Ritenour’s i.e. Music debut This Is Love is one of his most dynamic, diverse efforts to date, genre-hopping with abandon from bluesy, swinging be-bop to deep influences of reggae, classical and urban music to contemporary jazz.
"While many of my recordings in the past have dealt with strict thematic concepts, this time, putting my best foot forward led me to simply reflect on all of my ongoing musical thought processes throughout 1997," says Ritenour, whose prolific ’80s and ’90s GRP Records output included a tribute to Wes Montgomery (1993’s Wesbound), a straight ahead project (1991’s Stolen Moments), and Brazilian-flavored albums like Festival (1988). "It’s a combination of tunes written on the road, which tend to be more guitar oriented, and those composed with the help of a computer in the studio, which tend towards larger scale productions. Both settings are equally creative for me, reflective of my mood at any given time."
Of This Is Love’s eleven tracks, the gently swaying "And You Know What . . . I Love You", the mid-tempo track "Dream Away" (with lead vocals by longtime Rit associate Phil Perry), the easy Latin funk piece "Mr. Papa", and the cool, caressing "Ooh-Yeah" showcase Ritenour’s trademark, breezy style. His colorful tangents include constructing a new and spirited reggae stroll from a classic Bob Marley sample on the title track; a percussive, blues shuffle arrangement of Randy Newman’s "Baltimore", sung originally in the 1970s by Nina Simone and covered eloquently here by Lisa Fischer; extended, blues-based, straight-ahead jazz jams of two classic Sonny Rollins tunes "Street Runner" and "Alfie’s Theme"; and a tender update of "Dreamwalk" (from his 1980 album Rit) eases into a lush jazz quartet arrangement of "Pavane", an impressionistic theme composed by Gabriel Fauré in 1887. Fans of the contemporary jazz supergroup Fourplay will enjoy the finger-popping feel of "Can You Feel It?", which features a duet between Rit and that band’s keyboardist Bob James on Fender Rhodes.
While the genesis of most of the original material on This Is Love was recorded at his state-of-the-art home studio, on which Ritenour composed, arranged, and played every instrument, he later brought in some of the best jazz, soul, and pop talent in Los Angeles to play the live instrument parts on the final recording. With Ritenour projects, it’s always a "who’s who" affair. In addition to James, This Is Love features Ronnie Foster (Hammond B-3),Bill Evans and Ernie Watts (sax), Alan Pasqua (piano and Rhodes), Sonny Emory and Dave Weckl (drums), and Paulinho da Costa (percussion). "Alfie’s Theme", "This Is Love", "Mr. Papa", and "Ooh- Yeah" also feature the legendary horn section of trumpeters Jerry Hey and Gary Grant, and trombonist Bill Reichenbach.
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960’s, Ritenour received a rich cross-section of exposure to the greats of the time in both jazz and rock Montgomery, Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, and Howard Roberts (he took lessons from Pass and Roberts) on the jazz side, and The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Canned Heat, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton on the rock side.
Both he and then labelmate Larry Carlton (who recorded the historic Larry & Lee for GRP in 1995) studied with the same classical guitar teacher in the late ’60s before rising to prominence playing the same model, a Gibson 335. "From the time I was twelve years old and my dad would take me to Hollywood’s Guitar Center, I wanted to play both jazz and rock like crazy . . . fusion was, for me, the best of both worlds," he says. "Yet in the end, I opted for the more sophisticated sounds of jazz and its harmonies, rhythms, and melodies. That need to explore led me to Brazilian music, which became a major part of my life as well.
"I was classically trained. I had a lot of jazz studies and devoured rock and roll and pop. And what I loved about records was not only the soloist on the record, but the orchestral arrangements as well. Even if I was listening to Miles Davis or Wes Montgomery, I was always attracted to the whole package."
After an early session at age sixteen with John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas, Ritenour established himself throughout his twenties as one of L.A.’s premier session guitarists; his nearly 2,000 recordings include artists ranging from Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones to Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. At the peak of his studio sideman days, the demand for his services was so great that he was playing up to three sessions a day, five days a week, at triple scale! He also began an association with Dave Grusin on soundtracks and other recordings, which reached a crescendo on 1986’s Harlequin, voted by Jazziz Magazine as one of the Top Ten contemporary jazz albums of all time.
Over the course of 25 previous solo albums since 1976 (beginning with First Course through 1997’s live date Alive in L.A.), he has earned several gold albums, a Grammy Award for his work with Dave Grusin on Harlequin, a dozen Grammy nominations, numerous #1 spots in guitar polls, and the prestigious "Alumnus of the Year" award from USC. In 1981, he scored the Top 15 hit "Is It You", featuring vocalist Eric Tagg. Ritenour has also produced projects and international events involving such artists as Patti Austin, Sting, David Sanborn, and Anita Baker.
More recently, Ritenour was a co-founding member of Fourplay, the most successful band in the history of contemporary jazz, with keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason. "There was an interesting dynamic in that band," he notes of the ensemble, which blends pop, rock, jazz, funk, R&B, and classical elements. "We all had our own distinctive styles when we played solo, but something special happened when we merged those together. Our four approaches became a solid group sound and the whole was definitely greater than the sum of its parts."
The first Fourplay album in 1991 spent an unprecedented 33 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, while their Grammy-nominated follow-up, Between the Sheets, captured the top slot on the Billboard, R&R, Gavin, and NAC charts on its way to a gold sales certification. Their most recent release, Elixir, features special guests Phil Collins, Patti Austin, and Peabo Bryson.
Ritenour’s latest venture is the formation of i.e. Music, an independent "progressive pop, R&B, and jazz label," distributed through PolyGram. Growing naturally out of the many requests Ritenour has had over the years to produce other artists, the label’s goal is to help establish younger artists and see their careers through. "For me, it’s also a way to have more control of my artistic destiny and career, creating my own product and seeing it to fruition," he says. It’s a hope that’s more than fulfilled on This Is Love, his premiere solo offering on i.e. Music.Captain Fingers himself!!!! We are honored by your presence here! I manage "Cross Town", a Power Blues/Rock group on an Indie Label. They have a song "Cosmos" in Jazz and Jazz-Fusion that hsa been climbing the charts since it's upload. Nowhere near as good as your many contributions thorugh the years to this fine Genre of music! Best of Luck! Hope to see you on tour sometime soon!
DJ JohnsonI was at Berklee in the summer of 1977 when a fellow student recommended I check out "Captain Fingers". It was an epiphany for me and changed my musical world. Thanks for all your wonderful music and for making me feel so happy when I listen to it!!Good Stuff...Come check us outAll comments (12)
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