Lee Ritenour & Mike Stern in LA Dec. 13-16

Influential Guitarists LEE RITENOUR and MIKE STERN

jazz through music’s topography @ CATALINA’s – December 13^th thru 16^th

***Jazz with Ritenour and Stern at CATALINA’s – Thursday, December 13^th through Sunday the 16^th.  Thursday through Saturday stage time is 8:30pm and 10:30pm.  Sunday times are 7:30pm and 9:30pm.  Tickets are $25-40.  Catalina’s is located at 6725 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.  For tickets call 323-466-2210. 

LEE RITENOUR: In a career that spans five decades and more than 40 albums, guitarist Lee Ritenour has developed a keen understanding of the symbiotic balance between the frontman and the supporting players, between the wisdom of experience and the enthusiasm of youth. With the September 25, 2012 Concord Records release of  Rhythm Sessions, Ritenour surrounds himself with a cadre of high-profile veterans and promising newcomers – all of whom reaffirm the vital role played by the rhythm section in any worthwhile musical endeavor.

Included on the Rhythm Sessions roster are luminaries like Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller and many others. Also appearing throughout the record are the winners of Ritenour’s 2012 Rhythm Section Competition, an international event he launched in 2009 as a guitar competition and later expanded to include aspiring keyboardists, bassists and percussionists. The competition winners appearing on the album include keyboardist Hans de Wild (Holland), pianist Demetrius Nabors (Michigan), bassist Michael Feinberg (New York) and drummer Selim Munir (Turkey).  The album also features Ritenour’s 19-year-old son Wesley, an aspiring drummer in his own right on one of the tracks.

The most recent result of that ongoing experiment is an album that embraces a variety of sounds and grooves, all rooted in jazz, but also layered with shades of funk, R&B, Latin, world music and more. The album’s sense of variety stems from the eclectic source material. Some songs were penned by Ritenour, while others come from heavyweights like Herbie Hancock, Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, EST and Nick Drake. “The songs I wrote for this project were written with these different musicians in mind, and the songs I picked by other songwriters brought to mind certain players as well. So while my name may be on this record, it’s as much about these other players as it is about me.”

MIKE STERN:  Since his days with Blood Sweat & Tears in the mid-1970s, followed by stints with Billy Cobham and Miles Davis’ band in the ‘80s, and a solo career that now spans more than 25 years, guitarist Mike Stern has used his jazz roots as a starting point for exploring a range of alternate territories that include R&B, rock, swing, funk, world music and further.  The recipient of Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend Award for 2012, he’s an artist who’s not afraid to bring numerous styles and ideas into the same place just to see what happens. With the June 2012 release of All Over the Place, Stern does just that in compiling brilliant guests to explore music’s landscape. 

Released on June 19, 2012 on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, the 11-song set of All Over the Place aligns the characteristically diverse and adventurous guitarist with a cadre of brilliant guests, including trumpeter Randy Brecker; saxophonist Kenny Garrett; and drummers Dave Weckl, Keith Carlock and Lionel Cordew. Also on hand is a delegation of high-caliber electric and acoustic bass players: Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey.