Lee Ritenour has established himself as one of the world's leading jazz guitarists with a series of accessible albums over three decades. Heavily influenced in his early days by the relaxed styles of Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Barney Kessel, he now has his own distinctive sound and fluid style. His list of session work is awesome (some 3,000 sessions), but some of his notable performances were with Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Pink Floyd.

 

Ritenour has unveiled his latest album "Smoke n' Mirrors", inspired by his travels to South Africa.

 

Ken Volpe and Lee Ritenour connected on The Jamcast and discussed the current state of Jazz, creativity in the younger generation, how his musical career has changed throughout the years, and how Lee has reinvented himself.