Search - Lee Ritenour :: Collection

PHIL Y. from CENTERVILLE, OH
Reviewed on 11/14/2009...

Lee Ritenour is one the best jazz guitarist out there. He's classically trained, can make his guitar sing beautiful melodies and solos. He grew up with the likes of Bob James and Earl Klugh and I think what stands Lee apart from many of the jazz guitarists out there is his versatility and desire to explore. For example,there are a couple brazilian-style songs on here that are really great and he makes his guitar blend in with the rest of the musicians. Love the CD!

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No joking around!

Leandro D. Silva | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 07/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Are you one of those pop music lovers? Is Hootie & The Blowfish the best band ever for you? So please close this window and get out of here, honestly! If you think that "Rio Funk" is an elevator kind of music, so grab your hat and go listen to something else. This is a '87 Jazz Fusion album, and it gathers old songs such as "Rio Funk", "The Sauce", "White Water", and it shows how far can one man's talent go. In the song "White Water", Mr. Ritenour shows out to the world his incredible talent of mixing up both speed and feeling. It's scrumptious! Abraham Laboriel, John Patitucci, Harvey Mason, Nathan East, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, Paul Jackson Jr., Dave Grusin, Tim Landers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Omar Hakin, Carlos Vega, Phil Perry, Barnaby Finch, Anthony Jackson, Jimmy Johnson and the wonderful Marcus Miller. Need I say more?"

What a Collection Too

Russell Diederich | Littleton, CO United States | 03/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Either you like Lee Ritenour, or you don't. Some think that his smooth jazz stylings are atrocity to the world of Jazz. Personally, I think he's a great guitarist with a good ear for music. He's not jazz hardliner, but he plays exceptionally well catching a mainstream audience. Ritenour has a good sense for phrasing, and although can be wild at times, he is reserved, saying more with the notes that he doesn't play than trying to fill a measure with every note possible. This album pulls thirteen tracks from nine previous albums spanning from 1979 to 1989. A multitude of playing styles are covered on this album, from funk to Latin. This is definitely a collection of some of his best songs. "Rio Funk" gets right down to the funk with the opening baseline, and it keeps going through with the chunka-chunka guitar rhythm fills. Throw in the acoustic guitar sliding chords and the solo to get a very Latin sounding piece. I like his sound on "White Water" as he turns up the distortion a bit on the guitar, but keeps it to the background as not to be overwhelming to give a bit more edge to his song. The song lends itself to an airy sound, with well-phrased solos. "Asa" is another Latin sound piece, receiving a lot of help from Djavan's Spanish lyrics. The solo starts of with a good bass piece before Ritenour takes over for a few bars and is replaced by quick burst of timbales and horns. Another great Latin piece is "Latin Lover" with more acoustic picking and Spanish lyrics all backed by a great beat on the bongos. "Dolphin Dreams" is another airy piece, with a slow, sweet sax solo in the middle just right for romance. I was introduced to Ritenour with his "Wes Bound" tribute to Wes Montgomery. A great album that made me pick up this one. Although slightly different, I have really enjoyed this album, and Ritenour's guitar work. Another great album along this line is his collaboration with guitar great Larry Carlton on "Larry and Lee". You can't go wrong with any of these three albums."