Rit's House

Lee Ritenour

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Grp Records
• ASIN: B00006EXIV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,697 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The old Rit is back! His smiling, swaggering guitar-playing alter ego has resurfaced, and he's invited all his friends over for a tumultuous jam, including George Duke, Marcus Miller, and Peter Erskine. Red-hot organist Joey DeFrancesco brings the Wes Montgomery out of Ritenour on the corner of "78th & 3rd," and a killer overhaul of Dave Grusin's movie theme "Three Days of the Condor," re-titled "Condor," is a reminder that Rit was kicking the smooth jazz before they had a name for it. Some beboppers already know that Ritenour is quite capable in that genre, too. In case they've forgotten, he's got Lee Morgan's "Party Time" and Gary McFarland's nice Brazilian piece, "13." Michael McDonald sings a Sting song, and the guitarist's buddy, Ernie Watts is back on sax on "A Little Dolphin Dreamin'," a tune that harkens back to their old fusion days. There's no themes or long-form tributes; everyone is just having a great time and it sounds like it. Rit's House is the guitarist 30th album, but it's the first "real" Lee Ritenour record in a long time. --Mark Ruffin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rit's House is on a Solid Foundation, August 29, 2002

By	Steve Waite (Shelton, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a Rit fan for a couple of decades, and I've witnessed his highs and lows over that period. There is no doubt he is one of the most gifted guitar players in the world. The question in my mind has always been one of artistic direction. Lee is so talented that he is capable of playing just about any style of music his wants. And therein lies the problem...and opportunity. Having worked the LA studio scene for years, Lee always surrounds himself with some of the finest musicians in the world--this record being no exception. His main influence is Wes Montgomery, which speaks volume about his superb musical taste. The Wes influence comes through loud and clear the track "78th and 3rd," which is a great tune. There are many nice tracks on this record--Mizrab is a personal favorite. The weakest part of the record, in my view, is the cover of Sting's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Michael McDonald's voice (which I admire--especially on his work with Steely Dan) and Rit's arrangement seem out of synch. It's a tribute to Lee's greatness that he can still put out high quality records after all these years. I give Rit's House three stars--not Lee's finest outing, but a good record nonetheless.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rit has made a statement, September 5, 2002

By	21and12 "21and12" (Vestavia Hills, AL United States) - See all my reviews

"Rit's House" is a deep record with lots to chew on. Often one song will have more than one style or groove. "Mizrab" starts out with an exotic Mediterranean feel only to morph into a pure funk delight. Sampling from the original version by Hungarian guitarist, Gabor Szabo, is used, including Billy Cobhams's drum riff. As Rit plays his first notes in "13" - has there ever been a tone so understatedly cool? "78th & 3rd" scorches from beginning to end. SMOOTH JAZZ LOVERS BEWARE. "Rit's House" is aptly titled as this funky and breezy tune could be the "poster song" for contemporary West Coast jazz - a real foot-tapping, finger-clicking tune. The introverted "Just Listen" takes a step beyond the Bob James sound and I can hear Fourplay sighing now. "Olinda" is a brazilian flavored tune punctuated by Rit's funky octaves. "Party Time" could be part two to the theme to "The Odd Couple."

Has Rit made a statement as being possibly one of the best jazz players alive? I think he has.

I might add that the whole Verve catalog is quite impressive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter to Rit's House!, March 13, 2004

By	norman salazar (State of Mexico, México) - See all my reviews

Rit's House is an invitation to remember all Rit's evolution. This is a multigenre CD. Module 105 is for the post-modern jazz he has played on albums like This is Love and the "Twist of" series. We find a more mature Ritenour on Just Listen than back to 1991 with Bob James' Grand Piano Canyon album (From that disc started the idea of creating Fourplay). Condor is the new version of Grusin's Three Days of The Condor and the lovely Little Dolphin Dreamin' is a second part of Dolphin Dreams. This disc is a must have for all the Ritenour's fans. I've listen Lee since I was 14 years old (just about 1997) and now I'm the happy owner of 27 discs of this superb musician, just as Lee explains in the Wes Bound CD booklet....The music is intoxicating...