Customer Reviews

Two Worlds / Grusin & Ritenour

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To be honest, the only reason I bought this disc was to hear Renee Fleming. The power and the beauty of her voice is spine-tingling! Dave Grusin agrees, just read the liner notes. How intelligent of Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour to blend two different genres together to create something beautiful. Critics aside,to try something new with something familier is remarkable.

If you are a fan of Grusin and you like his Orchestral Album, you would also like his new collaboration with Ritenour. The result of their work together is more of a classical album, rather than jazz. The involvement of Renee Fleming adds some weight and charisma as well. Grusin's composition in this album carried the same thread as "Cubra Libre (Se Fue)" in "The Orchestral Album" - smooth and romantic, and "heavy" with instruments.

Upon playing the CD, dim the light, rearrange the order of the songs by putting the lively ones at first and play "Bachiana Brasileira" and "River Songs" back to back, and close with the melancholy "Lagrima" ...

It wasn't what my husband and I were expecting. We were expecting more of a jazz sound. We were both just blown away by this CD - it is just breath-taking - gives you goose bumps, the whole works. We recommend it to anyone, it is a music lover's CD.

There's nothing like the pompous opinion of a Jazz elitist that serves quite as well for being a reverse barometer for something I'll be inclined to enjoy. No wonder Jazz suffers from such little wide-spread acceptance in this country when those who claim to be fans are so quick to criticize anything that either doesn't fall under the highly interpretive definition of it or ventures into other realms. Is this a Jazz album? NO! Is this a Classical album? NO! Is this an album of well-performed classically-influenced music that is pleasing to listen to and doesn't make you feel as if you're being stabbed in the forehead with an ice pick? YES! By the way, Dave Grusin is the pianist, not Bob James!

The profound sincerity of Dave Grusin is one of his most notable qualities as human being. From time he as Sting, turns around to the classic mood and decides to put a sand's grain for proving the distance in musical genres is just in the mind.
The presence of Lee Ritenour, Julian Lloyd Weber, Gil Shaham and Renee Flemming so confirms it.
The tune trowel covers a wide spectrum. From Spain Moreno Torroba the master composer of so many overwhelming works such Spain Castles for instance, Don Manuel de Falla who elevated the Apennines Mountains with his Three Cornered Hat or El Amor brujo and Federico Mompou to the great Hungarian composer Bela Bartok , from Fritz Kreisler to Johann Sebastian Bach. The transcriptions are excellent and even maintain the authentic spirit. The best piece of the CD to my mind is Bartok's transcription Rumanian Folk Dances. Grusin kept the passion and profound noblesse of the score.
We all knew about his famous album dedicated to George Gershwin's memory in 1993, sand that' s why I am not so surprised by this musical tribute to this supreme universe. As a smooth breeze, surrounded and supported by pleasant harmonies. This album could become in the true for any jazz lover to incursion in the universe of the classics
Personally I really expect Grusin from time to time, make another superb arrangements. Imagine for instance Mendelssohn's Venetian Gondola, Grieg's Holberg Suite or Brahms ` Intermezzo Op. 117 No. 5, Samuel Barber's adagio, or Bocherini's Fandango.
It's good to remind Hubert Laws has to his own, another superb arrangements in the far seventies as Starvinsky's Le sacre and the famous adaptation of Tchaikovsky `s Romeo and Juliet or Ravel's Forlane from Couperin's grave, that meant for him a Special Award in 1976.
Bravo Mr. Grusin for this artistic recording

I have been a Ritenour fan for 5-6 years, mainly from the group Fourplay, although I do own 2-3 of his solo cd's. I also love classical so I purchased this cd as an experiment. I cannot put it down! The balance between Jazz and Classical is perfect. Neither comes through too strong but just right! I would recommend this cd to anyone, but get ready for so emotions as the perfromances by Fleming will bring tears to your eyes.

Grusin and Ritenour are fine jazz musicians. Here they combine with various vocalists and some composers of repute, Bach, Bartok, etc. to compose this excellent variety of jazzy classics.

Soothing and lifting, this recording is wide ranging in treatment and effect. I especially enjoy the tract of de Falla's Suite Popular Espanola and Renee Fleming's contribution on The Water is Wide from Shenandoah.

Guitar and synthesizer masterpiece!

I had high expectations for this album - lead by my musical enthusiasm for both Gil Shaham and Renee Fleming. While there appears to be a sincere attempt at giving classical offerings a fresh yet authentic rendering, I believe that the arrangements fall short of being either interesting or inspiring. The guest performances are superb, and I expected no less from such talented musicians. But the soft and melodic piano, and the overly accessible classical guitar work are just not that far from sounding like excerpts from movie soundtracks or television show intros. I don't think "smooth jazz" stations would be playing tracks from this album, but if they attempted it, they certainly would find the right audience - those who do not care for much complexity or dynamism in their music. I cannot recommend this album for even the modest classical or jazz fan. It's just too smooth.

I started listed listening to Dave Gruzan without knowing that it was him. I had a woodworking shop in a walkout basement which was wired for sound from the cable TV upstairs. There is nothing like listening to movies on stereo without the picture. It is like how a blind person must hear so well. I found that the movies I loved the best were all scored by Dave Gruzan.

I am also a big fan of Lee Ritenour, the Rippingtons, Rich Braun, David Benoit, and Fourplay.

This is a great CD. For me - it makes me feel alive.

The names Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin may be unfamiliar to classical music afficianados, as neither have made their reputations in the world of classical music. Yes, this is another crossover CD, in which these two musicians, having conquered the jazz and pop worlds, bring their thoughts and talents to another musical domain. However, this is not Yo-yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin, or the Play Bach Trio--there are no gross distortions of the originals, nor marketing tricks; just two musicians transcribing (and occasionally composing) a somewhat eclectic collection of "classical" music for themselves and their friends.

The first track epitomises the entire CD. As the notes say, Grusin and Ritenour are neither "overly reverential to their classical sources [nor] hell-bent on making something entirely different from them." But I have to ask, then, what exactly is the point? Although Grusin is a fine pianist and Ritenour is a fine guitarist; there are better performers. Is the odd mix of pieces, heavy on J.S. Bach and the Spanish or Spanish-influenced composers Torroba, Villa-Lobos, and de Falla, supposed to be compelling? Or is there a huge market for Bach transcribed for guitar and piano? If so, it is a secret to me! My question is not why Grusin and Ritenour made this CD--it is refreshing to dip occasionally into a different pool of music from the one in which you ordinarily swim, and it is always fun to play music with your friends. No, my question is why this product was brought to market--why should we buy it? It isn't bad, not by any means, but it isn't terribly compelling in any way. The composition Largima by Ritenour proves my point--pretty enough, and it shows Ritenour's and Grusin's backgrounds rather well. Ritenour made his name as a studio guitarist in the 70's and 80's and led several jazz bands; Grusin is not only a jazz pianist, but a rather prolific film composer. I find it rather telling, though, that although he composed the music to several major films, including Tootsie and the Milagro Beanfield War, I can't remember a note of it.

I find the most engaging track on this CD to be a transcription of Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances for violin, guitar, and piano. This works rather well, and the players bring a verve to the performance that the other tracks seem to be lacking. Perhaps this is the influence of the violinist, Gil Shaham, who has impeccable credentials in the classical music world, as a Grammy winner who has recorded solos with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Overall, though, I can't really give this CD a strong recommendation--it is likeable enough, but ultimately not really loveable.