LEE RITENOUR — A Twist Of Rit (2015) SHM-CD | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Released in conjunction with a five-LP vinyl box set of some of his classic albums, guitarist Lee Ritenour's 2015 studio effort, A Twist of Rit, finds him looking back over his career, revisiting and reworking songs from some of his earliest albums. In fact, many of the songs here were culled off his debut record, 1975's First Course. Joining Ritenour on A Twist of Rit are such longtime collaborators as pianist Dave Grusin, drummer Dave Weckl, saxophonist Ernie Watts, and Fender Rhodes keyboardist John Beasley. Also featured is classical guitarist Tony Pusztai, who took home the grand prize in Ritenour's 2014 Six String Theory competition. Musically, this is soulful, groove-oriented jazz that will be familiar to most of Ritenour's longtime fans. And while many of the cuts on A Twist of Rit are reworked versions of older songs like "Wild Rice," "Fatback," and "Sweet Syncopation," they've been given new arrangements (hence, the "twist") and sound as contemporary as anything off Ritenour's previous Concord album, 2012's Rhythm Sessions. The transformation works especially well on the melody for "Soaring," off 1986's Earth Run. Originally played on the MIDI-controlled SynthAxe, here Ritenour sticks to a rounded, more natural guitar tone for a nuanced, modern fusion sound. Nonetheless, cuts like the sultry "Ooh Yeah" and the organic "A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That," replete with a hard-hitting R&B horn section, retain much of the breezy '70s soul style that made them sound so fresh to begin with. Similarly, "Countdown" from 1985's Rit, Vol. 1 and "Bullet Train" from 1979's Friendship 2 have the loose, congenial vibe of old friends reuniting. Ultimately, A Twist of Rit works to remind listeners of Ritenour's legacy as one of the driving innovators of instrumental smooth jazz. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1.    Wild Rice  5:32
Lee Ritenour
Baritone Saxophone – Adam Schroeder
Clavinet, Synthesizer – John Beasley
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Patrice Rushen 

Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Rhythm Guitar – Michael Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Tom Luer
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Ernie Watts
Trombone – Wendell Kelly
Trumpet – Rashawn Ross
2.    Fatback  5:51
Lee Ritenour
Baritone Saxophone – Bob Sheppard
Drums – Chris Coleman (9)
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis*
Electric Piano [Wurlitzer] – John Beasley
Organ [Hammond B3], Soloist – Dave Grusin
Rhythm Guitar, Soloist – Michael Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Trombone – Wendell Kelly
Trumpet – Rashawn Ross
3.    Ooh Yeah  5:01
Lee Ritenour
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – John Beasley
Flugelhorn – Rashawn Ross
Flute – Bob Sheppard
Rhythm Guitar – Michael Thompson
Synth [Minimoog] – Dave Grusin
4.    W.O.R.K.N' IT (Weckl, Ozone, Ritenour, Kennedy)  7:51
Lee Ritenour
Acoustic Bass – Tom Kennedy 
Drums – Dave Weckl
Organ [Hammond B3] – Makoto Ozone
5.    Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That  5:36
Lee Ritenour
Arranged By [Original Horn] – Michael Omartian
Baritone Saxophone – Adam Schroeder
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.*
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis*
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – John Beasley
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Piano [Acoustic] – Dave Grusin
Rhythm Guitar – Michael Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Trombone – Wendell Kelly
Trumpet – Rashawn Ross
6.    Pearl  4:50
Lee Ritenour
Acoustic Bass – Tom Kennedy 
Drums, Drums [Hand] – Dave Weckl
Piano [Acoustic] – Makoto Ozone
7.    Twist of Rit  5:38
Lee Ritenour
Drums – Chris Coleman 
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Flugelhorn – Rashawn Ross
Flute – Bob Sheppard
Guitar – David T. Walker, Wah Wah Watson
Piano [Acoustic] – Dave Grusin
Programmed By – Lee Ritenour
Synthesizer, Arranged By [Horns] – John Beasley
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Trombone – Wendell Kelly
8.    Countdown  4:51
Lee Ritenour
Clavinet, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Dave Grusin
Drums – Chris Coleman 
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer – John Beasley
Rhythm Guitar – Michael Thompson
9.    Soaring  8:10
Lee Ritenour
Acoustic Guitar – Michael Thompson
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – John Beasley
Synth [Vibes] – Dave Grusin
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
10.    Sweet Syncopation  5:28
Lee Ritenour
Baritone Saxophone – Adam Schroeder
Clavinet – John Beasley
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Patrice Rushen
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Rhythm Guitar – Michael Thompson
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts
Trombone – Wendell Kelly
Trumpet – Rashawn Ross
11.    Bullet Train  6:36
Lee Ritenour / Ernie Watts
Drums – Ron Bruner Jr.*
Electric Bass – Melvin Lee Davis*
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – John Beasley
Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa
Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer – Dave Grusin
Saxophone – Ernie Watts
12.    Waltz For Carmen  4:58
Mitch Holder / Lee Ritenour
Classical Guitar – Tony Pusztair