Jazz Guitarist Lee Ritenour Releases New CD, “Rhythm Sessions” | WATCH Music Video | Avail Now
Legendary Contemporary Jazz Guitarist Lee Ritenour Releases “Rhythm Sessions” | Available NOW
In a career that spans five decades and more than 40 albums, guitarist
Lee Ritenour has developed a keen understanding of the symbiotic balance
between the frontman and the supporting players, between the wisdom of
experience and the enthusiasm of youth. On Rhythm Sessions, he surrounds
himself with a cadre of high-profile veterans and promising newcomers
all of whom reaffirm the vital role played by the rhythm section in any
worthwhile musical endeavor.
Included on the Rhythm Sessions
roster are luminaries like Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke,
Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller and many others. Also appearing throughout
the record are the winners of Ritenour s 2012 Rhythm Section
Competition, an international event he launched in 2009 as a guitar
competition and later expanded to include aspiring keyboardists,
bassists and percussionists. The competition winners appearing on the
album include keyboardist Hans de Wild (Holland), pianist Demetrius
Nabors (Michigan), bassist Michael Feinberg (New York) and drummer Selim
Munir (Turkey). The album also features Ritenour s 19-year-old son
Wesley, an aspiring drummer in his own right on one of the tracks.
The
most recent result of that ongoing experiment is an album that embraces
a variety of sounds and grooves, all rooted in jazz, but also layered
with shades of funk, R&B, Latin, world music and more. The album s
sense of variety stems from the eclectic source material. Some songs
were penned by Ritenour, while others come from heavyweights like Herbie
Hancock, Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, EST and Nick Drake. I wanted the
various rhythm sections assembled for this album the guitar, keyboards,
bass and drums to be very organic, says Ritenour. “The songs I wrote for
this project were written with these different musicians in mind, and
the songs I picked by other songwriters brought to mind certain players
as well. So while my name may be on this record, it s as much about
these other players as it is about me.”
Ritenour’s previous
recording, 6 String Theory, had focused primarily on guitar by featuring
the international winners of his 2009 guitar competition. However, in
keeping with his ongoing commitment to discovering and mentoring new
talent, he quickly realized that there was so much ground yet to be
covered. “There are just so many great piano players and bass players
and drummers out there, so when it came time to make Rhythm Sessions, I
thought, Why not make a record featuring some of those great players,
and then extend the contest to include the rhythm section, and let the
young rhythm section winners make an appearance on the record?”
This
mix of seasoned players with newcomers results in a multi-layered,
multi-textural and extremely engaging recording. “I’m at a point in my
career where I’m marshalling all of my skills and experience over 40
years and really putting it all into an album like Rhythm Sessions, he
says. I’ve always loved working with great talent, and at the same time
finding new young talent and opening doors for them. I want to take as
many opportunities as I can to give something back as a way of
expressing my thanks for all that s been given to me.”
