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Home , Barney Kessel, Fourplay, Lee Ritenour

NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Is Rhythm Sessions a sequel? How did you get into session work? tools of the trade They’re connected in one sense. Because I By the time I was 12 I knew I wanted to be had been on the road so much in the last year, a pro. What was cool about L.A. back then playing with stellar rhythm sections, I definitely was the great musicians’ numbers were in In the liner notes for the Rhythm Sessions wanted to do a straight-up the phone book. My dad called guitarists Joe CD, Lee Ritenour lists a small arsenal of record with my front and center. Pass and , and I took lessons , amplifiers and effects he used in with those guys, and later with the great the making of the album. From vintage axes How did you match players and songs? classical guitarist Christopher Parkening. A to state-of-the-art electronics, he likes to I started by picking material from other lot of these guys were centered around the keep his studio well stocked—but he has writers, and then composed quite studios. I also had a terrific teacher, Duke go-to favorites. Not surprisingly, the guitar extensively—I get into a composing mode Miller, who went on to start the studio guitar that bears his name tops the list. and then write for weeks, if not months. I program at USC, where I later went. So I “My L-5 Lee Ritenour model usually end up with a small pile of material was guided into studio work. At 16, I joined is a fantastic guitar,” he says. “I used to be that I feel confident with. I thought, “If I’m a band that was produced by John Phillips a Gibson 335 guy, but since recording the going to do these combinations of rhythm from the Mamas and the Papas. The band 6 String Theory album, I’ve had a straight sections, which section would be best for didn’t go anywhere, but he asked me to stick Gibson 59 Les Paul. I also play that on the this song?” I wanted to get George Duke, around and record with them. Then when I road these days. I also use a classical hybrid Stanley Clarke and Dave Weckl together, to was 18, the great Hungarian guitarist electric Yamaha Silent guitar, unmodified, find something rhythmically moving for Dave Gábor Szabó turned me on to , straight off the shelf, that’s relatively to play that would feature Stanley’s upright and I worked with her. Then came Peggy inexpensive—$500 or $600.” For the new bass and George’s minimoog and Rhodes. Lee and Sérgio Mendes—all before I was album, Ritenour also employed a Ramirez I needed a very sensitive rhythm for the 20. I was well prepared—I just drank the classical guitar and a Roger Sadowsky Nick Drake song, so I picked , guitar all day long. The session floodgates classical electric. He also played a Roland drummer Will Kennedy, and opened when I met Dave Grusin, who was GR-55 guitar synthesizer on the record. the darling of L.A. composers at that time. I “For amps, I’ve been using Boogies learned producing chops from working with straight across,” he says. “Mesa Boogie is an him and . interesting company because a lot of heavy- ‘The all-around metal guys use their stuff, but they build such

r ob s hanahan You played on ’s . amazing amplifiers that are so versatile I can musician today is I did a number of tracks—mostly acoustic use them from very clean jazz-type tones to guitar. The producer told me that our names blues, all the way up to rockin’ away. Those a one-man band probably wouldn’t be on the record because are the two main setups, and I use minimal they wanted to make sure it was just Pink pedals: Line 6 Live Pod, mostly, for some who can do it all.’ Floyd, and I said no problem. But on the CD versions they put all the credits. on bass. My son, Wesley, and I are big Brad lee ritenour Mehldau fans, and Brad has been covering What was your motivation for starting the giant plays a musical match game on his latest album a number of Nick Drake tunes over the past the 6 String Theory Competition? several years. Nick had this incredible voice, I wanted to celebrate the guitar, and while By Jeff tamarkin and “River Man” has such a great lyric. I I was making 6 String Theory I decided, thought, who could pull this off and put “Wouldn’t it be cool to find a brand-new To commemoraTe his 50Th anniversary as a and recently expanded to include keyboards, bass and drums. “i a different spin on it? I kept thinking that talent to join us?” That was the inspiration musician, Lee ritenour opened his phone book and invited thought it would be a great opportunity for the award winners to ’s voice would work great, and for the contest. Yamaha and Berklee College some fellow guitar-slingers to help him celebrate in the studio. play with well-known and in some cases legendary players,” he says. he killed it. The hard part was booking all of Music got involved, and the winner that The result, 2010’s 6 String Theory, featured contributions from after selecting his collaborators, ritenour matched each contributor these busy musicians. year was a young classical guitarist from B.B. King, , John scofield, slash, Keb’ mo’ and with material—some written by him, the rest covers—with the aim to Montreal. He landed a four-year scholarship other aces—but ritenour felt his work remained unfinished. inspire the best performance. How is cycling involved in your process? to Berklee and played on a track on the Rob Shanahan For his new Rhythm Sessions, he paired such notables as vocalist For ritenour, facing new challenges is nothing new. I’m what I call a cappuccino rider—I ride record. Last year the contest expanded, Kurt elling and keyboardists chick corea, George Duke and Before he cut his 1976 debut solo album, First Course, he’d from one coffee joint to the next. But one and now there are four scholarships from Dave Grusin with all-star rhythm sections including bassists already logged countless hours as the go-to session guitarist of the ways I prepare for an album is by Berklee worth upwards of $650,000. I’m stanley clarke, nathan east and christian mcBride, and drummers in L.a. for a vast variety of artists. his own catalog—more than listening to music while riding. It opens really enjoying mentoring. It gives me a , and Dave Weckl, among others. 40 albums—runs the gamut from smooth to straight-ahead jazz to up the stimuli. And then eventually I’ll start thrill whenever I can recommend a young he also brought in a number of younger players, including Brazilian styles. ritenour, who was also a founding member of the writing and jamming at home, sometimes musician for a gig or help them get to the his drummer son Wesley and, for the track “Punta del soul,” the jazz-pop supergroup , discusses his new album, on an acoustic guitar, sometimes on a drum next level. There’s still the American Idol-type winners of the 2012 international 6 string Theory competition—a mentoring young musicians, and the role cycling plays loop. I’ll put some jams together that might shows out there for the pop singers, but for contest that ritenour launched in the wake of the 2010 album in his creative process. be 30-50 minutes long and then get back the real players there’s not that exposure. on the bike and listen to those for a couple of hours. Sometimes there’s nothing there, Are young musicians versatile today? ‘it gives me a thrill whenever i can help a young but once in a while—maybe 12 minutes into Yes and no. There are some who are ambient color. As leader of the band, with the jam—there’ll be something. I’ll go back incredibly versatile and well prepared to be the guitar as the main sound, I don’t use too musician get to the next level.’ to my studio and start working on it. This all-around musicians. Places like the Berklee many effects these days, because the guitar process goes back and forth. College of Music, USC and other great tone has to cut through.” 62 63

M mag 24_cs6.indd 62 1/14/13 11:13 PM M mag 24_cs6.indd 63 1/14/13 11:12 PM ISSUE #24 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #24 MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Mark Venema/Getty Images

Onstage in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2009

‘One of the ways I prepare for an string kings

album is by listening to music Lee Ritenour is recognized for his jazz work, but since the start of his career he’s while [bicycle] riding.’ contributed to countless recordings as a first- call session ace. He’s not alone. Here are schools are preparing musicians extremely Thoughts on industry changes? some other renowned jazz axemen who can well. After four or five years you come out The deconstruction of the music business be heard on familiar recordings. a very versatile musician—not just a good has been horrible. But the reconstruction of player who can play any kind of music but it has been exciting. It’s harder for younger The Crusaders guitarist also as an arranger, programmer, orchestrator, musicians to get started and earn a living, played on as many as 500 recordings a sound designer, engineer and businessman, but people have music in their lives more year—including classics by Billy Joel, Michael too. The all-around musician today is a one- than ever today. And live music is still strong. Jackson, Joni Mitchell and . man band who can do it all. What’s next? Barney kessel As a member of L.A.’s iconic What’s your take on today’s music? I just debuted a symphonic piece, an epic Wrecking Crew, he played on classics by the The music is healthy. There are so many fusion song I wrote in 1978, “The Captain’s Beach Boys and the Monkees, and on many talented musicians throughout the world, and Journey.” I hope to record that with a great productions. it’s because of the internet and globalization. orchestra. I may start my own guitar-piano- There are great players everywhere, and with bass-drums quartet one of these days. I still Cornell Dupree The late, versatile musician the point of a mouse you can hear amazing love playing for audiences and playing with easily switched from jazz to R&B, and his riffs musicians. But there is a lot of mediocrity great rhythm sections. There’s nothing like funked up hits by , Bill Withers out there, too. playing live to keep your chops fresh and alive. and many others.

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