Captain Fingers [7:06]
Dolphin Dreams [7:01]
Fly By Night [4:58]
Margarita [5:09]
Isn’t She Lovely [4:32]
Space Glide [5:07]
Sun Song [6:43]
Lee Ritenour: 360 Systems Polyphonic Guitar
Synthesizer, Electric Guitar, Electric 12-string
guitar, and classical and acoustic guitars
With:
Dave Grusin: Oberheim Polyphonic and Mini-Moog
Synthesizers, Electric Piano, Clavinet, arranging
and conducting on Fly By Night and Sun Song
Ian Underwood: Synthesizer Programming, Oberheim
Polyphonic Synthesizer and Acoustic Piano
Dawilli Gonga: Electric Piano
Patrick Rushen: Electric Piano
Dave Foster: Electric Piano
Ernie Watts: Soprano and Tenor Saxophones
Jay Grayson: Rhythm Guitar
Ray Parker, Jr.: Rhythm Guitar
Mitch Holder: Rhythm Guitar
Alphonso Johnson: Bass
Anthony Jackson: Bass
Mike Porcaro: Bass
Charles Meeks: Bass
Bill Dickinson: Bass
Harvey Mason: Drums and Percussion
Jeff Porcaro: Drums
Steve Forman: Percussion
Victor Feldman: Congas
Steve Mason: Percussion
Bill Campli: Vocals
Ray Cramer: Cello Solo on Sun Song
Michael Columbier: String arrangements and
conductor on Dolphin Dreams
Lee Ritenour is one of the
great names in jazz-rock fusion and jazz guitar,
establishing himself through a string of essential
recordings since the 1970s. He has at one
time or another played with almost everyone
influential in modern jazz. In 1977, however,
he was a twenty-five year old studio player
still coming into his own as a featured player.
He had established himself to the point of
being a first-call studio player, having already
played with such musicians as Paul Simon,
Sergo Mendes, the Tijuana Brass, and Carly
Simon. This album featured Ritenour as composer,
guitar player, and even synthesizer player
as he stretched out and showed the world how
he had earned his "Captain Fingers"
nickname.
As commercially viable jazz-rock
albums go, this is among the best. It seems
to include every A-list musician that Ritenour
could find, including another young upstart
destined for greatness in Dave Grusin. The
songs make use of almost every popular radio-friendly
style of music one would have encountered
in 1977. The cover of Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t
She Lovely is as good a recording as the
original in practically every way. Not a note-for-note
remake, it deviates in order to give more
space for Ritenour to display his talents.
Interestingly, it also includes Ray Parker,
Jr. on the rhythm guitar parts as well, lending
more funk and pop credibility to the rendition.
The tracks where Ernie Watts
is called upon, Fly by Night and Space
Glide use his talents in the most flattering
of ways as well. Space Glide is a funk-infused
smooth-jazz masterwork. Dolphin Dreams
also has, interestingly, entered into the
jazz lexicon as a standard. Considering the
number of times that this reviewer has been
to New Orleans and Chicago, as well as enjoying
the music produced by some of the great jazz
schools in America, this is one of those songs
which one simply knows as a melody, and really
doesn’t have any particular style associated
with it anymore. Hearing the original, disco
tinged recording is very interesting, especially
considering the number of times that it has
been redone and the variety of treatments
it has since been given.
On the other extreme, Sun
Song is a beautiful, introspective acoustic
guitar ballad, complete with cello solo and
string section. When the obviously 1970s rhythms
kick in, it finds its way into context with
the rest of the album. However, the classical
guitar is an unforgiving axe, and when an
electric guitar player uses it, they invite
either disaster or, as in this case, praise
for their technique and facility on the guitar,
not relying on effects and processing to make
them great players.
This is an album that any
fan of jazz guitar, jazz-rock fusion, and
especially Lee Ritenour should enumerate in
their essential recordings. While it can feel
a bit dated at times, the songwriting is undeniable,
the arranging informed and intelligent, and
the music fun as well as incredibly well executed.
Patrick Gary
CD Reviews
Epic 5128962 5128962000 [40:35]
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