Lee Ritenour – Overtime CD
Peak Records PKD-8531-2
released June 7. 2005
One of the best known jazz guitarists in the world, Lee Ritenour has released a live in-studio DVD and companion CD, which attempts to summarize his career by paying tribute to some of his major influences, and covering genres that he’s recorded in, including fusion, straight ahead, Brazil-influenced and contemporary jazz. Of course, it’s not really possible to provide fans with a single-disc live retrospective CD of a 30-year recording career. The DVD is 150 minutes long and features 19 tracks. The 74 minute CD can best be seen as an introduction to Lee Ritenour live with some of his favorite collaborators.
"This project was a celebration- a look back and a look forward at my music from the 70's to now," notes Ritenour, who spent the better part of 2004 working overtime to choose the music, write new arrangements, organize the recording sessions, and coordinate the participation of top-line players for the set. "There's some new material on the CD and of course there's a reconstruction of a lot of the classic material that I've been associated with for these past three or four decades."
The 13 track CD ended up being a mixed bag, however. Some of the tracks smoke with deft playing, tension, and challenge and compel me to listen again and again. The other half, funky jazz fusion, just don’t hold my interest and sound like bloodless instrumentals - sonic wallpaper. But, as an overview of Ritenour’s career, it’s an honest representation.
There's a gorgeous rendition of the classic Miles Davis composition, "Blue In Green," (from 1959's Kind of Blue) featuring label mate Dave Grusin on piano.
"She Walks This Earth" (also covered by Sting) written by Brazillians Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins, features Lins on vocals and if you listen to the lyrics, it's almost an update of "The Girl From Ipanema."
Article comments
1 - godoggo
Sounds as though you're better off checking out his straight ahead record(s?) from circa 1990 when he was working with great musicians like Ernie Watts and John Pattitucci.
If I understand correctly, he's now re-recorded this matterial with an inferior band.
2 - John
'Papa Was a Rolling Stone' is not a Sly & the Family Stone song. Temptations, I think.
3 - Triniman
Right you are, John. It was a Temptations song that I first heard as a Sly and The Family Stone song. I've made the correction.
4 - Triniman
godoggo;
I have Ritenour's Uptown album from around that time and it is more pleasing to my ears than the funky fusion material.
5 - godoggo
I forget the name of the one I have, but it's not Uptown, so I guess he did do several.
This is all new recordings, right?
6 - Triniman
Yes, this CD / DVD was recorded over two days in a studio with a small audience. All new recordings.
7 - Demi
Wow, Ed Bickert is one of my favorites... I have 2 Ritt CD's, Captain Fingers (which has not stood the test of time) and Wes Bound (which has a few tribute tunes and comes off a bit better). Captain Fingers may have suffered from terrible recording conditions.
You go Rit.
8 - Dummy
Sly & The Family Stone never did "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", dumbass