Jazz being the most spontaneous and improvisational of all musical forms, it's often best appreciated in a live setting, where artistry can take over for commercial considerations and jamming for minutes on end is encouraged.
Lee Ritenour has enhanced his pop-jazz catalog in recent years with projects featuring tunes that would lend themselves to such creative stretching, and so wraps up his long run at GRP with Alive in L.A., a brilliantly realized, no-overdubs-allowed ensemble date that delves into his diverse interests, from Brazilian to straight-ahead trio jazz and blues.
Fans who know him best from his lighthearted radio fare may just be astounded at his chops, which do proud the grand traditions of his idol Wes Montgomery, and even try to reach a bit beyond.
Recorded over three nights at the Ash Grove in Santa Monica, CA, Ritenour finds a gang of musicians even more explosive than his Fourplay pals in saxman Bill Evans (who wails heartily on Wes Montgomery's odd metered "4 on 6"), keyboardists Alan Pasqua and Barnaby Finch, and drummer Sonny Emory.
Rit's clearly in charge, but it's the energetic company he keeps that makes this a hard-grooving, unforgettable date.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Little Bumpin'Lee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Night RhythmsLee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 07:06 | 16 MB | 42 MB |
| 3 | Boss CityWes Montgomery | Lee Ritenour | Play | 06:20 | 14 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | San Juan SunsetDeodato | Lee Ritenour | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | UptownLee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 07:31 | 17 MB | 46 MB |
| 6 | Waltz for CarmenMitch Holder, Lee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 06:09 | 14 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | Wes BoundLee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| 8 | Pacific NightsLee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | Rio FunkLee Ritenour | Lee Ritenour | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | 4 on 6Wes Montgomery | Lee Ritenour | Play | 09:50 | 22 MB | 63 MB |
| 64 mins | 146 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 375 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ted Barela | Engineer |
| 2 | Tim Boland | Engineer |
| 3 | Charlie Bouis | Engineer |
| 4 | Melvin Davis | Bass |
| 5 | Deodato | Composer |
| 6 | Sonny Emory | Drums |
| 7 | Bill Evans | Guest Artist, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 8 | Barnaby Finch | Keyboards |
| 9 | David Gallo | Engineer |
| 10 | Mitch Holder | Composer |
| 11 | Eric Johnston | Engineer |
| 12 | David Kuhn | Engineer |
| 13 | James Minchin | Photography |
| 14 | Wes Montgomery | Composer |
| 15 | Don Murray | Engineer, Mastering, Mixing |
| 16 | Greg Nicholson | Production Coordination |
| 17 | Alan Pasqua | Fender Rhodes, Organ (Hammond), Piano |
| 18 | Lee Ritenour | Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |