1. Lay It Down
2. Am I Wrong
3. LP (For Les Paul)
4. Give Me One Reason
5. "68"
6. In Your Dreams
7. My One and Only Love
8. Moon River
9. Why I Sing the Blues
10. Daddy Longlicks
11. Shape of my Heart
12. Drifting
13. Freeway Jam
14. Fives
15. Caprices, Op. 20, No. 2 and 7
Lee Ritenour - Guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11-13)
John Scofield - Guitar (track 1)
Harvey Mason - Drums (tracks 1, 2, 9)
Melvin Lee Davis - Bass (tracks 1, 13)
Larry Goldings - Organ (tracks 1, 5, 14), Fender Rhodes (tracks 2, 9), clavinet (track 2), Wurlitzer (track 4)
Nathan East - Bass (tracks 2, 9)
Keb' Mo' - Guitar, vocals (tracks 2, 9)
Taj Mahal - Guitar, harmonica, vocals (track 2)
Will Kennedy - Drums (tracks 3, 8, 11)
Pat Martino - Guitar (track 3)
Joey DeFrancesco - Organ (tracks 3, 8)
Joe Bonamassa - Guitar, vocals (track 4)
Robert Cray - Guitar, vocals (track 4)
Vinnie Colaiuta - Drums (tracks 4-6, 14)
Tal Wilkenfeld - Bass (tracks 4-6, 14)
Steve Lukather - Guitar (tracks 5, 6, 11)
Neal Schon - Guitar (tracks 5, 6)
Slash - Guitar (track 5)
George Benson - Guitar (tracks 7, 8)
B.B. King - Guitar, vocals (track 9)
Vince Gill - Guitar, vocals (track 9)
Jonny Lang - Guitar, vocals (track 9)
Joe Robinson - Guitar (track 10)
Andy McKee - Guitar (tracks 11, 12)
Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion (tracks 11, 12)
Jimmy Johnson - Bass (tracks 11, 12)
John Beasley - Keyboards (tracks 11, 12), Fender Rhodes (track 13)
Mike Stern - Guitar (track 13)
Simon Phillips - Drums (track 13)
Tomoyasu Hotei - Guitar (track 13)
Guthrie Govan - Guitar (track 14)
Shon Boublil - Guitar (track 15)
The sleeve-note sums up this album:
"Is this a Lee Ritenour record? No.
Is this a Lee Ritenour record? Yes".
This CD is a celebration of the guitar, which is a remarkably versatile instrument. It could be described as two different instruments: the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar, and this album displays both types of guitar playing in a wide variety of styles. Of course there is jazz, which is what Lee Ritenour is best known for, but there is also classical, country, the blues, rock and even heavy metal.
Ritenour decided to produce the album after several decades in the business, which saw him performing in a broad range of groups, including Sergio Mendes' Brasil '77, his own groups Friendship, and Fourplay, as well as with such musicians as Sonny Rollins, Dave Grusin, Stanley Clarke and Oliver Nelson, not to mention a considerable amount of studio work.
Ritenour appears on eight of the 15 tracks but this album aims to showcase a large number of different guitarists. The opening track features Lee alongside John Scofield playing a Ritenour original, Lay It Down, which has a hint of bouncy reggae. It shows off not only the technical ability of the two guitarists but also their feeling for the blues.
The blues is the prime ingredient in the next track, with Grammy winner Keb' Mo' and the multi-faceted Taj Mahal presenting what you might call down-home blues, with heartfelt vocals and emotive guitar. Jazz next takes the stand, with Pat Martino (one of the most respected jazz guitarists) in a friendly duel with Lee Ritenour. The tune LP was written by Lee in tribute to pioneering guitarist Les Paul. Joey DeFrancesco supplies the driving power of the Hammond organ.
The first taste of rock guitar comes with Give Me One Reason with Robert Cray sharing vocals and solos with Joe Bonamassa on a Tracy Chapman tune. Robert and Joe are both bluesmen but the heavy beat adds rocklike force to their blues. The rock element is even stronger in "68", which has Slash (alias Saul Hudson, from Guns 'n' Roses) and Neal Schon (from Journey, formerly with Santana) playing what amounts to heavy metal. Schon is also on the much gentler In Your Dreams, whose title expresses the dreamy mood of the piece.
George Benson is one of the guitar greats, although he became equally famous (perhaps even more so) as a singer. His brief solo interpretation of My One and Only Love proves his greatness. Joey DeFrancesco's Hammond introduces a swinging version of Moon River, which again spotlights George Benson's fluent guitar. The organ's unflagging beat is strengthened by what sounds like drummer Will Kennedy beating four-in-a-bar on the bass drum. Such use of the bass drum is often frowned upon these days, but it is remarkably effective here.
This is followed by one of the most influential guitarists of all time: B.B. King, explaining Why I Sing the Blues. His voice is as distinctive as his spare but hypnotic guitar playing. Three other guitarists - Keb' Mo', Vince Gill and Jonny Long - join the fun, each with vocal choruses and guitar solos. They are clearly enjoying themselves so much that it seems the track never wants to end, fading reluctantly with a vamp.
Daddy Longlicks offers the contrasting method of fingerstyle, with Australian teenage wunderkind Joe Robinson providing his own accompaniment to his fast-flying solo. The tender Shape of my Heart uses three different types of guitar: Lee on nylon-string electric guitar; Steve Lukather on electric guitar; and Andy McKee on steel string acoustic guitar. Andy McKee is then featured on his own composition Drifting, which drifts along easily in a folky mood.
Another change of gear brings us Freeway Jam, a slice of hard rock propelled by Simon Phillips' drums. Mike Stern's keening guitar gets most of the limelight. English guitarist Guthrie Govan and Australian bassist Tal Wilkenfeld keep the flame of hard rock/heavy metal burning with Fives.
Yet another complete change of style arrives with the final track, as Shon Boublil plays two caprices by Italian guitarist Luigi Legnani. Shon Boublil (a 16-year-old Canadian) plays classical acoustic guitar, and his presence on the album justifies one of Lee Ritenour's aims in making the CD. Lee wanted to showcase some new talents, so he organised a "6 String Theory Guitar Competition" in which Boublil was the overall winner as well as winning the classical guitar category. His quicksilver playing justifies the belief that he will be a future star.
With this album, Lee Ritenour has illustrated the guitar's versatility, which is one of the elements that makes the instrument so popular and widespread. A jazzman himself, Lee shows his openness to all kinds of music, whose diversity as well as basic unity is established by the breadth of styles in this album. To cap it all, the CD has first-class recording quality.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Concord 0888072319110
