Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95911 in Music
• Released on: 1993-03-02
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Rit + Wes = jazz guitar heaven
From the early ninties comes possibly rit;s best effort has he pays tribute to one of the jazz guitar gods, Wes Montgomery. Half of the songs are written by Wes , the other by Rit. the fact that the songs he chose to write are played with complete Wes intonation is a marvel in the listening experience. The difference between the two artists is hardly discernible. I really like all of the tracks bu a few of my faves which I believe are the best are Wes's "Goi'n To Detroit,""Road Song" and "Boss City." Curiously enough he leaves out "Bumping on Sunset" but rather plays a very similar "Wes Bound" that is his own composition. Maybe there were some legal problems that didn't allow him to play one of Wes Montgomery's signature songs, "Bumping on Sunset?" In any case, it is unfortuante that that song is missing. The one addition that is out of place is probably one of the best songs even though it has vocals. I am talking about the Bob Marley classic "Waiting in Vain" Check it out, it is a nice version and still very fresh today. This smooth jazz album is one of Rit's best. If you are a guitar player that likes jazz this is for you. Also if you like jazz in general than this is the stuff.

Lee goes Wes Bound!
This cd is awesome one of the best Jazz cd's I own, I never get tired of it. I own a few Wes cd's also this is a nice tribute to one of the best Jazz guitarists to ever live. If you like Jazz and Wes get the cd!

Wes Bound: All Roads Lead To Boss City
"I think - I hope - I've done justice to Wes without losing my own identity." ~ Lee Ritenour

I've had this CD since 1993 and love it. It was a gift to me along with tickets to watch Lee Ritenour's live concert at the Universal Amphitheatre in the nineties and after listening to the CD and watching the concert, I have included him in my list of favorite guitarists of all-time. This CD topped the Billboard Jazz Chart in 1993 and is a tribute to a great jazz legend, Wes Montgomery, who was the greatest influence Lee Ritenour's guitar playing. Mr. Ritenour's style has been impressively influenced by Brazilian music but retained his own distinctive sound.

This CD consists of ten marvelous tracks in which four are his very own compositions: "Wes Bound," "A Little Bumpin'," "A New Day" and "Ocean Ave." The rest of the tracks are all original compositions of the great Wes Montgomery. Track #5 "Waiting In Vain" was written by Bob Marley and the lead vocal was provided by Maxi Priest.

Some of the highlights for me are the initial/title track "Wes Bound" which has a very contemporary groove, followed by Montgomery's "Boss City" which Ritenour interpreted splendidly with a shuffle style. "Ocean Ave." is also one of the best tracks and has some of the finest musicians backing him up, an incomparable pianist, Alan Broadbent and a skilled drummer and percussionist, Harvey Mason, to name a few.

I especially love track # 4, his own composition "A Little Bumpin'" with my all-time favorite contemporary jazz artist whom I also watched in a live concert, Bob James on piano.

Following are notable quotes from Lee Ritenour about his great jazz legend idol, Mr. Wes Montgomery:

"Intoxicating" is a word Lee Ritenour keeps repeating when he discusses the music of Wes Montgomery, intoxicating to play, and intoxicating to hear."

"Like every guitar player who's arrived on the scene since the sixties, I owe a great debt to Wes Montgomery."

"Wes music is so captivating, it can almost make you forget who you are."

"It amazes me that so many of today's young musicians are not familiar with Wes. I think he should be right up there with Ellington, Armstrong and Miles. So if I can introduce him to some of the younger musicians - jazz, rock, whatever - who don't know who he is, I'll be real happy."

I must admit and I'm sure you'll agree with me that this is guitar playing at its very BEST! I highly recommend this CD to all guitar music enthusiasts.