Lee Ritenour : Guitar Patrice Rushen : Piano, & Keyboards Melvin Davis : Bass Will Kennedy : Drums Smoke 'n Mirrors Wesbound Stolen Waters Edge Forget Me Nots Rio Funk
We don't hear much of Patrice Rushen since the 80's or 90's but not only is she a great signer but she's the perfect tour keyboard player. She doesn't compose but apparently knows all the tricks of the trade and can easily keep up with whoever she's touring with.
I listen to it often as well. This is one of Lee's concerts with the most energy. Saw him at a festival in Canada with the same lineup except for the drummer. Instead of Kennedy he had Sonny Emory, who isn't too bad either!
I saw Will Kennedy play with the Yellowjackets with Jimmy Haslip on bass........wow wow wow. Saw LR play the Baked Potato in Hollywierd with Chester Thompson on drums.....what a life these cats lead.......great players, great gear and gigs all over the world. I used to get off playing dive bars for 50 bucks a night.
Yup, can't count the blues songs I was too lazy to write about those $50-nighters but at least almost any one of tose gigs covered the monthly payment on my Les Paul, which I consider the more apt guitar for rock despite its lack of comfort. The riffs one can extract from are unique. Just effin' fabulous. Noe speaking of this song, I have no idea how Ritenour can play it on a jazz guitar, the guy is so talented some would call it magic.
That's it, rock. It seems the older Lee gets the funkier he becomes. Same also applies, in an even more dramatic way, to his accomplice Dave Grusin. The man is is 86 and still keeps up with rockin' Not sure he still plays with Ritenour though but last I heard he still was in 2018.
"Extremely skilled" is an understatement😉. In my opinion Davis is the best bassist on the fusion scene at par with Abraham Laboriel (who is now retired) and if you don't include Marcus Miller as fusion (I consider Miller a funk-jazz bassist). Davis is also a gifted jazz vocalist.
I love jazz as well (and rock too) but in this performance they play fusion that is more rocky than jazzy. No complaints from me! The rendition of Rio Funk is pure rock and even though there is no trace of its Latin Jazz origins this version is just to die for, and you tell all 4 members of the band are enjoying themselves in their display of energy. Apart from the bass, the interaction between Rushen's keyboards and Lee's guitar is particularly interesting, as in harmony.
Excellent vibrant concert with great sound!. Nice to see Patrice Rushen here as well as this awesome drummer I didn't know of, Will Kennedy, if I got his name right.
As far as playing a mean tricky synth/replicators she certainly is. In Rio Funk she keeps up with Lee so closely that it sounds like two guitars, not keyboard and guitar. Rarely encountered such a versatile musician as she. And she can sing to boot!
I was lucky to see the four of them play in Sydney in 2008 at the Basement: a fantastic show. But this was better What world class players ...what musical perfection
Davis is right up there with the likes of Marcus Miller, speed and sharp attack included. He reminds me a lot of a bassist who played with Frank Zappa for a while but whose name I forget.
Lee Ritenour plays as if his fingers running on full throttle search for a landing station or looking for where the next fretboard is... Not much licks and riffs the music peps up a class audience of music lovers. We had one such genius in India Late Pandit Ravi Shankar who played Sitar and a Guru to Late George Harrison. People sent by God to enjoy these mystics on Earth for us to hear good vibes.
Love the footage starting at 31:00! Great interaction between Melvin and Will. Love that MD7. Oh so tempted to get one for myself. Splendid concert. Thanks for posting.
