Guitarist Ritenour Displays the Range of His Musicality

Guitarist Lee Ritenour has worked effectively in so many different contexts, has been successful in so many different musical arenas, that his fundamental musicality is sometimes overlooked. Sunday night at UCLA’s Royce Hall, he provided some clarification, framing his program in a pair of contrasting segments that effectively showcased the elemental qualities of his playing.

In the opening half of the bill, Ritenour concentrated upon fairly straight-ahead jazz in an acoustic setting. Accompanied by saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Dave Weckl, he improvised with cool, focused economy. Tunes such as Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments” and Sonny Rollins’ “Alfie’s Theme” provided perfect frames for his blues-tinged phrasing and the Wes Montgomery-style octave playing that he renders with such effectiveness.

He was especially well aided by the rhythm section, with Weckl’s subtle drumming and Kennedy’s robust forward drive generating a vigorous sense of swing throughout the set.

The second half of the program took a dramatic shift in direction, with synthesizer keyboardist Barnaby Finch replacing Broadbent, electric bassist Melvin Davis replacing Kennedy, and Weckl surrounded by a massive rock-style drum kit. The focus, obviously, was electric jazz fusion--the other side of the Ritenour style.

Even here, however, where the emphasis was upon back-beat funk rhythms, thick-textured synthesizer sounds and soaring electric guitar lines, Ritenour was not content to simply revert to the two-chord riffing typical of the idiom. Performing musically appealing tunes of his own such as “Night Rhythms,” he also underscored his fascination with Brazilian music with a rhythmic romp through Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Agua de Beber” (Water to Drink).

Both halves of the show combined were the product of a performer whose widespread popularity has sometimes obscured his very real abilities. And they underscored the fact that, even though Ritenour has built a highly successful career, he has never abandoned his musical authenticity.