Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour | |
|---|---|
 Ritenour at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lee Mack Ritenour |
| Born | January 11, 1952 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Epic, Elektra, GRP, PolyGram, Decca, Peak, Concord, Discovery |
| Associated acts | Dave Grusin, Fourplay |
| Website | www |
Lee Mack Ritenour (born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.[1][2][3]
Biography[]
Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952 in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years later decided on a career in music. When he was 16 he played on his first recording session with the Mamas & the Papas. He developed a love for jazz and was influenced by guitarist Wes Montgomery.[4] At the age of 17 he worked with Lena Horne and Tony Bennett. He studied classical guitar at the University of Southern California.[2]
1976–1988[]
Ritenour's solo career began with the album First Course (1976), a good example of the jazz-funk sound of the 1970s, followed by Captain Fingers, The Captain's Journey (1978), and Feel the Night (1979).
In 1979, he "was brought in to beef up" one of Pink Floyd's The Wall's heaviest rock numbers, "Run Like Hell".[5] He played "uncredited rhythm guitar" on "One of My Turns".[6][7] As the 1980s began, Ritenour began to add stronger elements of pop to his music, beginning with Rit (1981). Rit became his only release to chart in Australia, peaking at number 98.[8] "Is It You" with vocals by Eric Tagg reached No. 15 on the Billboard pop chart and No. 27 on the Soul chart.[9] The track peaked at number fifteen on Hot Adult Contemporary chart.[10] He continued with the pop-oriented music for Rit/2 (1982) and Banded Together (1984), while releasing a Direct-Disk instrumental album in 1983 called On the Line. He also provided rhythm guitar on Tom Browne's album Funkin' for Jamaica. He recorded Harlequin (1985) with Dave Grusin and vocals by Ivan Lins.[4] His next album, Earth Run, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The album's title track was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition.[3][11] Portrait (GRP, 1987) included guest performances by The Yellowjackets, Djavan, and Kenny G.[12]
In 1988, his Brazilian influence came to the forefront on Festival, an album featuring his work on nylon-string guitar.[4] He changed direction with his straight-ahead jazz album Stolen Moments which he recorded with saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Harvey Mason. During the same year, he composed the theme song for the Canadian TV series Ramona.
1990–present[]
In 1991 Ritenour and keyboardist Bob James formed the group Fourplay.[4] He left the group in 1997 and was replaced by Larry Carlton. He released the career retrospective Overtime in 2005. Smoke n' Mirrors came out the next year with the debut of his thirteen-year-old son, Wesley, on drums.
Celebrating his fifty years as a guitarist in 2010, Ritenour released 6 String Theory, a title that refers to six musical areas covered by the use of guitar.[13]
Ritenour has been a judge for the Independent Music Awards.[14][15][16][17]
Awards[]
Grammy Awards[]
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Ritenour has received one award out of sixteen nominations.[3]
- Album of the Year, Jazziz magazine (2010)
- Best International Instrumentalist, Echo Jazz Award (2011)
Discography[]
Albums[]
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | First Course | Epic |
| 1977 | Gentle Thoughts | JVC |
| 1977 | Captain Fingers | Epic |
| 1977 | Sugar Loaf Express | JVC |
| 1978 | Friendship | Jasrac |
| 1978 | The Captain's Journey | Elektra |
| 1979 | Rio | GRP |
| 1979 | Feel the Night | Discovery |
| 1979 | Friendship | Elektra |
| 1981 | Rit | Discovery |
| 1982 | Rit 2 | Discovery |
| 1983 | On the Line | GRP |
| 1984 | Banded Together | Discovery |
| 1985 | Harlequin, with Dave Grusin | GRP |
| 1986 | Earth Run | GRP |
| 1987 | Portrait | GRP |
| 1988 | Festival | GRP |
| 1989 | Color Rit | GRP |
| 1990 | Stolen Moments | GRP |
| 1993 | Wes Bound | GRP |
| 1995 | Larry & Lee, with Larry Carlton | GRP |
| 1997 | Alive in L.A. | GRP |
| 1998 | This Is Love | I.E. Music |
| 2000 | Two Worlds | Decca |
| 2002 | Rit's House | GRP |
| 2003 | World Of Brazil | GRP |
| 2005 | Overtime | Peak |
| 2006 | Smoke 'n' Mirrors | Peak |
| 2008 | Amparo, with Dave Grusin | Decca |
| 2010 | 6 String Theory | Concord |
| 2012 | Rhythm Sessions | Concord |
| 2015 | A Twist of Rit | Concord |
| 2020 | Dreamcatcher | Mascot Label Group |
Charted singles[]
| Date | Title | Position | Chart (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Countdown Captain Fingers" | 43 | Dance[18] |
| "Is It You" | 15 | Hot 100[18] | |
| 1982 | "Cross My Heart" | 69 | |
| 1993 | "Waiting in Vain" (ft. Maxi Priest) | 54 | R&B[18] |
| 2007 | "Smoke 'n' Mirrors" | 27 | Smooth Jazz[18] |
| "Forget Me Nots" | 14 | ||
| 2010 | "Shape of My Heart" (Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather & Andy McKee) | 19 | |
| "Put the Top Down" (Dave Koz ft. Lee Ritenour) | 1 | ||
| 2012 | "Roadtrip" (Michael Lington ft. Lee Ritenour) | 3 | |
| 2013 | "The Village" | 3 | |
| "L.A. by Bike" | 15 | ||
| 2015 | "A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That" | 5 |
With Fourplay[]
- 1991 Fourplay
- 1993 Between the Sheets
- 1995 Elixir
- 1997 Best of Fourplay
With L.A. Workshop[]
- 1988: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
- 1994: Norwegian Wood, Vol. 2
Other credits[]
- 1977 "Strawberry Letter 23" from the album Right On Time by Brothers Johnson
- 1987 Joyride - track 6 "Midi Citi" - (En Pointe)
- 1985 American Flyer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with Greg Mathieson - GRP[citation needed]
As sideman[]
- Alphonse Mouzon – Mind Transplant (Blue Note, 1974)
- Peggy Lee - Let's Love (1974)
- Brass Fever – Brass Fever (1975)
- Aretha Franklin - You (1975)
- Carly Simon - Playing Possum (1975)
- Oliver Nelson - Skull Session (Flying Dutchman, 1975)
- Art Garfunkel - Breakaway (1975)
- Barbra Streisand - Lazy Afternoon (1975)
- Alphonse Mouzon – The Man Incognito (Blue Note, 1975)
- Brass Fever – Time Is Running Out (1976)
- Leo Sayer - Endless Flight (1976)
- Frankie Valli - Valli (1976)
- Joe Henderson – Black Miracle (Milestone, 1976)
- Stephen Bishop - Careless (1976)
- Stanley Turrentine – Everybody Come On Out (Fantasy, 1976)
- Paul Anka - The Painter (1976)
- John Handy - Carnival (ABC/Impulse, 1977)
- Quincy Jones - Roots (A&M, 1977)
- Carole Bayer Sager - Carole Bayer Sager (1977)
- Kenny Loggins - Celebrate Me Home (1977)
- Natalie Cole - Thankful (1977)
- Dizzy Gillespie – Free Ride (1977)
- Bette Midler - Broken Blossom (1977)
- Leo Sayer - Thunder in My Heart (1977)
- Lalo Schifrin – Rollercoaster (1977)
- John Denver - I Want to Live (1977)
- B.B. King - King Size (1977)
- Aretha Franklin - Sweet Passion (1977)
- Paulinho da Costa – Agora (Pablo/Concord, 1977)
- Eddie Henderson – Comin' Through (Capitol, 1977)
- Raul Seixas - O Dia em que a Terra Parou (1977)
- David "Fathead" Newman - Keep the Dream Alive (Prestige, 1978)
- Herb Alpert - Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela (Horizon, 1978)
- Carole Bayer Sager - ...Too (1978)
- Ben E. King - Let Me Live in Your Life (1978)
- Melissa Manchester - Don't Cry Out Loud (1978)
- Barbra Streisand - Songbird (1978)
- Livingston Taylor - Three Way Mirror (1978)
- Barry Manilow - Even Now (1978)
- Glen Campbell - Basic (1978)
- Pink Floyd – The Wall (Harvest/EMI, 1979)
- Yvonne Elliman - Yvonne (1979)
- Art Garfunkel - Fate for Breakfast (1979)
- Syreeta Wright - Syreeta (1980)
- George Benson - Give Me the Night (1980)
- Barbra Streisand - Guilty (1980)
- Neil Sedaka - In the Pocket (1980)
- Minnie Riperton - Love Lives Forever (1980)
- Carole Bayer Sager - Sometimes Late at Night (1981)
- Carly Simon - Torch (1981)
- Sarah Vaughan - Songs of The Beatles (1981)
- Roberta Flack - I'm the One (1982)
- Neil Diamond - Heartlight (1982)
- Grover Washington Jr. – The Best Is Yet to Come (Elektra, 1982)
- Carole King - Speeding Time (1983)
- Sheena Easton - A Private Heaven (1984)
- Melissa Manchester - Mathematics (1985)
- Diane Schuur - Schuur Thing (1985)
- Olivia Newton-John - Soul Kiss (1985)
- Patti Austin - Love Is Gonna Getcha (1990)
- Karimata – Jezz (1991), on "Rainy Days and You" only
- GRP All-Star Big Band – GRP All-Star Big Band (1992)
- Patti Austin - That Secret Place (1994)
- Natalie Cole - Stardust (1996)
- Diana DeGarmo - Blue Skies (2004)
- Brenda Russell - Between the Sun and the Moon (2004)
- George Benson - Songs and Stories (2009)
References[]
- ^ "Biography". Lee Ritenour. January 24, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Lee Ritenour". Allmusic.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Lee Ritenour". Grammy.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 1018. ISBN 978-1-85227-745-1.
- ^ Blake, Mark (2008). Comfortably Numb. Da Capo Press. pp. 270–. ISBN 978-1-56858-383-9. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. Omnibus Press. pp. 80–. ISBN 978-0-7119-4301-8. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "Inside the Mind of Pink Floyd: David Gilmour". Guitar. September 1995. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 253. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 494.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 205.
- ^ "Earth Run". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ "Lee Ritenour: Portrait". allmusic.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Judges". Independent Music Awards. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "11th Annual IMA Judges". Independent Music Awards. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ "She & Him, The Black Keys, Mark Hoppus, Aimee Mann and Bettye LaVette Join Judging Panel for the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Lee Ritenour Chart History". Billboard.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lee Ritenour. |
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Lee Ritenour |
- Lee Ritenour official site
- Lee Ritenour Interview NAMM Oral History Program (2014)
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- 20th-century American guitarists
- 21st-century American guitarists
- American jazz guitarists
- Smooth jazz guitarists
- American session musicians
- Singers from California
- 1952 births
- Living people
- Grammy Award winners
- Thornton School of Music alumni
- GRP Records artists
- Epic Records artists
- Elektra Records artists
- Warner Records artists
- Guitarists from California
- Fourplay members
- GRP All-Star Big Band members
- Brass Fever members
- Discovery Records artists