Customer Reviews

Stolen Moments

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is really worth having if you like jazz and especially if you like fine guitar playing in the mix. The whole band is top notch and his guitar playing is absolutely flawless. To me this is what a Jazz album should be. Saying that all of the songs are good would be a great understatement. A nice glass of wine and this CD playing make for a very special occasion. Enjoy!

Not a fan of Rittenour's fusion music, I was astounded to hear his rendition of Stolen Moments on the radio. This tune, and the rest of the album, is a great example of the finest of today's instrumental perfectionists, playing some great tunes of the heyday of jazz, with production values pleasing to both jazz aesthetes and casual listeners.

The tunes are recorded straight and clean without overdubbing. Unlike many direct-to-disc recordings, the playing is unrestrained, yet it achieves the perfection one expects from overdubbed construction. Best of all, these guys really groove together.

A nice range of styles and tempos, from the sultry Blue In Green and reflective Haunted Heart, to the lively Uptown and the strident St. Barts. Certainly not "ear candy", but still very pleasing, and therefore an excellent album to help guide one into the deeper waters of jazz. And the rendition of Stolen Moments is a must-listen to any serious jazz afficionado.

This is the serious album from Rit. Probably the one to passed to history as a player of serious music and not only as the one who invented "elevator Jazz" which is not really something to be proud of. Rit is a very good player. He has a trademark sound and this is the utmost important thing for a musician. He has chops, creativity, melodic control, harmonic knowledge. He has all these gifts. Unfortunatly very often in search for commercial success (that he had plenty of) he traded his musical gifts for money and did record a lot of boring stuff good for elevator people. Music for malls. Frankly he released in all those years few albums that are worthy the ticket price (Rit, Festival, Color Rit, Larry and Lee, Alive in LA, Wes Bound, Earth run, Stolen Moments.. ). This is the most serious album from Rit. The music is pure jazz and Rit plays here the Jazz idiom very well. The Montgomery fascination is evident but nevertheless Rit stll managed to sound like himself and no other. He plays standards in a very convincing way here. The sound that come out of his 1949 L5 is very good. If this album was released by another more serious record company (think to Blue Note etc) probably this album now would be considered memorable. But unfortunatly things never go the way we think they should. No jazz enthusiast now would consider a Rit album from GRP a serious album (serious album are such things as Kind of blue, Trane's Ballads, brubeck's Time out etc). But it is. It is a very good serious Jazz album and from a man who recorded tons of futile music (even if very well played) I think it is a great effort. Uh, I remember this album has been one of the first "real jazz" albums I did purchase, something like ... 16 years ago. Sometimes, I still listen to this music even if I know these songs and solos by memory.

This albumn is, without a doubt, an example of how well an album can be put together. A very "mood" diverse and entertaining selection that represents the talents of the artist at his best. This will be the fourth time that I have purchased this item in the last 10 years. Most of the time it has been borowed and never returned. I think that I have actually worn out one of the purchases. (originally bought as a cassette)

I remember buying Stolen Moments after its release in 89 or 90 and thinking - "Good grief, Rit, how boring. Why play that 'old sounding' jazz?"

My, has time ever changed my opinion of this album! How anyone could listen to this album as well as his latest release, Rit's House", and not count Rit as a pure jazz great is beyond belief. With both these releases Rit clearly defends the thesis that there is the Rit "signature" sound that distinguishes him from other players. His octave playing is astounding - funky, melodic and soulful - and clearly demarks his own sound and style.

A true jazz guitar treasure.

Stolen Moments
A talented guitarist, who has often been accused of selling-out to the "smooth jazz" crowd, Lee Ritenour wanted to make a "back to my jazz roots" recording when he went into the studios to produce this album. Did he succeed? I would say he did ... and then some. A strong cast of musicians and a thoughtful choice of material keep the whole 46:37 minutes moving along at a great pace.
Ernie Watts contributes tenor sax solos with his usual verve and inventivness and the rhythm team of Alan Broadbent (piano), John Patitucci (bass)and Harvey Mason (drums) demonstrate why, in so many different jazz settings, they all enjoy worldwide critical acclaim.
The fact that Lee is in such good form ... and yet always allows plenty of room for his bandmates to shine ... is what lifts this recording above the average jazz guitar CD. The first track, Uptown, gets the vibe going within the very first few notes. (Patitucci has a great solo on this opener).
Apparently Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments was something of a concern for Ritenour before going into the studio. "I was alsmost afraid to do this " he says "because I admired Oliver's own arrangement so much". Any doubts are quickly dispelled as this is one great interpretation. The same can be said for the band's reading of Blue in Green, an eight minute lesson in how to make a familiar tune interesting and satisfying no matter how many other versions you may have heard since Miles' in 1959.
The ballad, Haunted Heart, is another standout track. Lee's style of playing is perfectly suited to this material and Alan Broadbent's piano combines with the guitar to excellent effect on this Schwartz & Deitz standard.
Plaudits to all concerned. (this includes Mitch Holder who pops-up on acoustic guitar for two tracks - Waltz For Carmen & St Bart's). A further couple of tracks would have provided a solid hours worth of wonderful music and is the only reason why this gets four stars instead of five. A worthy addition for anybody who enjoys straightahead jazz played really, really well.