TABLE OF CONTENTS 00:00 Intro 03:17 Lee’s Work with The Brothers Johnson 08:44 Lee’s Strings of Choice 10:13 Revisiting “Strawberry Letter 23” 11:51 The Gear Lee Used for The Brothers Johnson Session 16:03 Lee’s Guitar Work on “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan 19:07 Sweetwater Gear Exchange 20:09 Revisiting “Deacon Blues” 22:30 Lee’s work with the Beegees 26:39 Lee’s NEW record: Brasil 27:21 Revisiting “Saturday Night Fever 29:31 Lee’s First Hit Song 30:44 Lee Recording the “Give Me The Night” Solo 41:58 The Vertex Effects Ultraphonix Overdrive 43:09 Revisiting “Give Me The Night” 46:01 Lee’s work with Pink Floyd 52:17 Revisiting “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 56:34 Revisiting “Comfortably Numb” 58:52 Strange Story from a Barbara Streisand Session 01:03:31 Lee’s Work with Barry White 01:08:03 Lee’s work with the Pointer Sisters 01:10:55 Revisiting “I’m So Excited” 01:13:00 The Gear Lee used During his Session Career 01:26:43 How Lee Ritenour Saved Steve Lukather’s Career 01:32:26 How Lee’s New Album “Brasil” Came to Be 01:36:13 Thanks for Watching!
You were geeking out Mason. 😁 I can't say I blame you, I would've been doing the same. Truly my guitar hero, but even I didn't have a clue just how present he was in my life of music. He was e-ver-y-where. Great interview!
Incredible interview! When I saw it was over an hour long I figured I would watch for 20-30 min. You did a great job with your prep work. I think Lee was having fun as well. I can’t tell you how enjoyable that Hour and a half was! Thank you! 😊
These interviews are absolutely legendary. The amount of preparation and attention to detail from Mason and the team is second to none. Brilliant work!
Lee Ritenour was The Man. My uncle had all the albums from the Jazz Fusion guys back in the 1970's, and he would let us listen to them all. That was where we started following them all, from their session work thru their guest-starring on each other's albums. There was a radio station in Berkeley, CA, named KRE-FM (when FM radio first started) that was a Jazz Fusion station where we would hear all this wonderful music. Lyrics weren't needed; those musicians could make their instruments tell stories. I saw Lee Ritenour live when he opened for Al Jarreau on the heels of both their best-selling albums: "Rit" and "Breaking Away"... ...it was at UC Berkeley's Greek Theater outdoor amphitheatre. I just want to say: on that starry night, halfway thru his opening set, Lee Ritenour had his band leave the stage to where it was only him under a single spotlight... ...and for the next 10 minutes Lee Ritenour went on to play **THE MOST AWESOME GUITAR SOLO EVER** And I mean that sincerely. The heavens opened up as he played it. People in the audience didn't even clap throughout because we were all just mesmerized. To the owner of this channel: please let Mr. Ritenour know that his guitar solo that night is a memory that I have treasured for 40 years. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 Thank you for this interview. The "jazz guys" were everywhere, and we our lives are better because of it.
Lee was one of the best known jazz-fusion guitar players in the 70's and 80's, and has maintained popularity to this day. He has headlined many jazz festivals all over the world, and is very popular in Asia like Japan, Korea and Indonesia. If you are comparing him with rock/pop stars like Eddie Van Halen or Clapton, of course he is less known, but that's a wrong comparison.
The best compliment I can think of for Lee Ritenour is that he is the type of human we should aspire to, not because he is a music legend or a successful individual but because his humanity and humility, God bless your soul Lee and thanks for the joy you have brought to the world .
Mason, I like the way you conduct your interviews in a professional and profound way. In your interviews, the guest gets to speak (which is not the case everywhere). What's so nice about the Internet is that I learn so much personal information in the videos from musicians whose LPs I listened to 40 and 50 years ago. Lee is definitely one of them. Big thanks to everyone who makes these videos possible. It's a cultural and historical legacy.
The great Captain Fingers! Lee can't stop noodling, even when he's not paying attention. And even then, he's playing better than us all. A true master! 🔥🙏🏻🔥🙏🏻🔥
Lee and I were with Duke Miller at the same time in the early sixties. Duke was an excellent teacher but it was different in those days and Duke demanded that students be able to read music. I stuck with it and he put me in a trio and got us our first gig at the Hollywood Teenage Fair in 1965. I'm not sure if Lee was in the trio 'cause my memory is kind of fuzzy. By the time Valley Arts started I was already studying with Ted Greene at Ernie Ball guitars in Tarzana. I have to hand it to my mother for finding the two best guitar teachers in the L.A. area for me: Duke Miller and Ted Greene. Guitar and music has been a life long journey and I'm still on that bus.
Great Interview , really enjoyed it . Just to point out though the Bee Gee's are actually British [ they were born on the Isle of Man ] which is between Ireland and England , they then lived in Manchester , not emigrating to Australia until I think they were in their teens .
Yes, the members were born in Isle of Man. But the band "Bee Gee's" was formed in Australia, therefore it is an Australian band. (I'm not australian nor british)
As a young man, we all knew Lee Ritenour played that famous run on Strawberry Letter 23! Thanks, Lee! Great job documenting the "greatness" and contribution of these musicians. Never knew he played with Pink Floyd. A great gem.
I really want to appreciate the editing here! It's so great when you (editor) put in photos of the things, they are talking about! It brings it so much more to life, if you have am image of the things from the conversation! Thanks!
Great interview, I could do without the commercial though, but I guess it's part of the deal. I like that video because even if I know that Lee did it all as studio session player, I know him more because his amazing solo career, so it's great to revisit his life as session player. PS : as drummer I had the huge honour to work/tour with Lee, a real dream that to became reality.
Roger, that's the cost of doing business and producing these things. Because we're using the original music, we don't have any other way to recoup the thousands of dollars in expenses to fly to LA, hire a crew, and edit the video without the help of sponsors. I try to keep it appropriate to either gear that the player being interviewed uses, or that we manufacture ourselves. It could be worse, if money were the only objective in a sponsorship selection, you'd be hearing ads for erectile disfunction and online therapy.
I didn’t mind the commercial parts at all since they are woven in in a natural way and as an extension of what came up during the interview. More of an updated elaboration than hard selling. The YT adds normally p..ss me off but this is done tastefully. Excellent interviewing style that comes from deep knowledge and great passion. Well done!
Excellent interview. Just a note. The Bee Gees were born in the Isle of Man (UK) They lived in Chorlton. Manchester UK. Before moving to Australia. Great channel guys 😎
Lee's exposure as a teen moving to Brazil and learning that impeccable rhythm from Samba music and musicians from other countries has molded him into one of the greatest session and solo artists of all time. He is a national treasure.
Love hearing stories from session players. Theres always so much focus on the star players, but these guys (and girls) are super league level. Great interview 🙏🏼💜✨
When it comes to A-List 1st call 📞 session players for guitar NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN LEE RITENOUR, LARRY CARLTON, JAY GRAYDON, THESE CATS ARE THE NITROGLYCERIN OF GUITAR WORLD!!! LEE....HEY BRO IT'S TIME U DO YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY 💯💣💥🤘🤙👊🤜🤛
Thanks for doing this great interview. It was amazing. I never realized Lee was such a big session player in his time. I only knew him from his solo albums. Great stuff! And yes, 3 days of the Condor was one of those films I used to watch all the time as a kid. Now I need to revisit it to hear Lee's great playing on it.
Thank you for interviewing Lee, I’ve been enjoying his playing and reading every article I could find on him since I started playing back in 1976. He is an amazing musician!
Quite unfortunate really that players were playing second fiddle to pop star producer types throughout that period, waste of time hiding their lights under such bushels, guys like Lee and many others were used like a piece of meat by most of the Quincy's of the time...being artsy fartzy is a loosers game in all honesty and a crying shame some of the great musicians were expected to take a back seat to somebody in the mix room instead of in the piece.
This gent is a great interviewer. Down to earth, relates to Lee, talks enough to get the conversation flowing and then when Lee starts to talk, he quickly shifts to listening. Great interview
Lee,Jay, Larry Carlton were the original dangerous session musicians, of course there’s the whole crew that turned out to be Toto but, Lee is a bad boy
Great interview - but disappointed that Lee's work on Floyd's One of My Turns wasn't covered. The rhythm wah is a sound many associate with Gilmour, but in a interview I read elsewhere he confirmed it wasn't him and that he had a creative block couldn't get anything to work.
@@davidnorman4923 I wouldn't be surprised about Run like hell - Wikipedia states that he was brought in to "to beef up the sound", but isn't specific. I think it speaks to the breadth of his abilities that he played such a big part in this album - it's so far away from the smooth jazz fusion based material he puts out himself.
Lee and I curated the songs that we'd talk about before the interview, this wasn't one that came up in our pre-interview about Pink Floyd. The only curveball was the Bee Gees stuff, that wasn't planned but came up during the interview.
Mason, thank you so much for these interviews! I was able to meet Lee in the 80s when I was just 19, but he took the time to speak with me after a concert and answer my questions before hopping in the van and taking off. I’ve never forgotten that. Wonderful person. Thank you again, Mason, for all your work in putting these together!
Amazing! Loved hearing Lee's stories. I too had the privilege of studying with Duke Miller (way after Lee). He was an incredibly kind man. An amazing guitar teacher. Thanks!
1:19:33 The late Doug Sax. Some of the early Sheffield Lab direct-to-disc albums were recorded at Producer's Workshop and the signal was routed next door to The Mastering Lab.
@@VertexEffectsInc Great video! I just happened to stumble across it somehow by chance and thought I'd give it a watch since I like Lee Ritenour. I'm an audiophile, so that's how I know about the Doug Sax/Lincoln Mayorga/The Mastering Lab/Producers Workshop connection.
MUCH more interesting than I thought it would be. Not because Ritenour isn’t interesting enough as a player or solo artist, but a great storyteller, and of course the interviewer prep and vibe. Really great. Unexpectedly great. Thank you.
However though, when these types of interviews are done, with a musician, and they don't play their ox, the interview is empty and hollow. Boring interview.
And again, when he can’t contain his involuntary response in saying “right,” with a smile ear to ear NOT just the solo, but the entire track itself. Clear as day.
I remember hearing a Steelly Dan interview they had alot of guitarist on Peg i have the cd i enjoyed looking at the credits my uncle played there music on vinyl in the late 70s i was hooked good stuff 🎸👍
Just a amazing interview and discussion on all this amazing work Lee did I knew he did amazing session work.. Bee Gees work I didn't know. His work with Four play is masterpiece and all his Solo albums
Hey brother,,,,am 65 yr old bass player & I gotta say your guitar interviews are FANTASTIC,,, thank you & keep it up,,,,PS =please throw in some Bass Guys 🎸🤠 from Arkansas.
I remember reading about Lee in Guitar Player in late 70s when i was learning. Regret i didn't focus more on studio, he's an actual God and super humble, what an amazing musician
This was such a pleasure to listen to a master. I have been following Mr Ritenour for decades. He is my age... But I had no idea he was such a humble soul. What a genius. Oh pity there was no talk on the synth period... He was ahead of his time. THANK YOU for this interview.
I hope this content lives for the rest of time because it’s very important for people of the future to understand how an “anonymous” player could shape and contribute to so much crucial and influential music. Amazing interview; amazing musician!
Several times I've watched a live performance on youtube rush over to buy the recorded version of the song and realized the soul has been "polished" out. Music made by humans have imperfections that make it move your soul, they aren't anomalies to be removed. Check out Neon Moon / Brooks and Dunn live and then listen to the recorded version, it sucks in comparison.
Man thanks for this. This was fantastic, and the whole interview I was thinking bout that Luke story in my mind, and the fact that you ended with that was the cherry on top!
Have been listening to Ritenour since the early 80s but never thought of him as one of the real studio cats back in the days until now when I have listen to interviews with Jay, Lukather etc.. He really must be one of the most recorded guitarists ever. Amazing stories and what a great guy he is 😍.
Lee definitely plays that outro plucky style that I,ve heard on his solo stuff! The song Tell me pretty lies features that same guitar effect! On his Rit album!
Too bad there's only the manual method to skip in video advertisements. Again it's "Why am I paying for YT Premium???!!!" I put interview vids on to listen to while I'm doing things. So I can't be bothered with this because of the non-stop interruptions. But hey, I made it 19 mins in. That's a good effort. It did answer the question as to why I haven't seen a Vertex Effects video in ages, though.
Greetings and Love from Norway I am a huge fan of RIT and had the utmost pleasure to "grow up" with him as the same age. Also been to several concerts. This interview was like a travel back in time and I cannot thank you enough but I will try. Thank you thank you thank you -
Another epic interview, Mason. These artists were on all the vinyl I was buying back then. Your videos will last the test of time as so many of these greats won't be with us forever. Please, please, PLEASE, interview George Benson whilst he is still with us.
The Lukather story is truly great. Lee downplays the story but you can tell Lee has outstanding character. This is one of my favorite stories of all time from these types of interviews.
Superb interview, but did I miss Lee actually playing anything during the reminiscing??? It’s a real shame that he ghost/air guitared along to hearing the recordings
Not up to me. I think you’ll see that this is the only interview we’ve done so far that doesn’t include extensive replaying of the original songs by the session musician themselves.
Lee after the increíble loss of your home have you ever fully recovered? I felt so bad when I herd of the terrible fire and that you lost your home. Miss seeing you since I’ve relocated to SLC Utah in 2015.
Guys like Lee and Jay Graydon have played on so many things, I think they forget. I know for a fact Jay Graydon does. He did something for us (Nobody`s) and I am sure he forgot. Jay Graydon could do anything on the fly and it was great. I never meet Lee Ritenour. I am sure he is just as great. The only thing I rember is Jay Gradon was smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself. Well I am not nor is anyone else going to hear it. I think that was the only time I saw one of these guys smoke while recording.
I love you Mr. Ritnour, you have a base sense of respect for people of color and it eminates all about you; reverence befits you, possessive of such magnificent chops.😊
TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 Intro
03:17 Lee’s Work with The Brothers Johnson
08:44 Lee’s Strings of Choice
10:13 Revisiting “Strawberry Letter 23”
11:51 The Gear Lee Used for The Brothers Johnson Session
16:03 Lee’s Guitar Work on “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan
19:07 Sweetwater Gear Exchange
20:09 Revisiting “Deacon Blues”
22:30 Lee’s work with the Beegees
26:39 Lee’s NEW record: Brasil
27:21 Revisiting “Saturday Night Fever
29:31 Lee’s First Hit Song
30:44 Lee Recording the “Give Me The Night” Solo
41:58 The Vertex Effects Ultraphonix Overdrive
43:09 Revisiting “Give Me The Night”
46:01 Lee’s work with Pink Floyd
52:17 Revisiting “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2
56:34 Revisiting “Comfortably Numb”
58:52 Strange Story from a Barbara Streisand Session
01:03:31 Lee’s Work with Barry White
01:08:03 Lee’s work with the Pointer Sisters
01:10:55 Revisiting “I’m So Excited”
01:13:00 The Gear Lee used During his Session Career
01:26:43 How Lee Ritenour Saved Steve Lukather’s Career
01:32:26 How Lee’s New Album “Brasil” Came to Be
01:36:13 Thanks for Watching!
Mason, you should've asked him if he's coming back to join FourPlay once more.
You were geeking out Mason. 😁 I can't say I blame you, I would've been doing the same. Truly my guitar hero, but even I didn't have a clue just how present he was in my life of music. He was e-ver-y-where.
Great interview!
Incredible interview! When I saw it was over an hour long I figured I would watch for 20-30 min. You did a great job with your prep work. I think Lee was having fun as well. I can’t tell you how enjoyable that Hour and a half was! Thank you! 😊
@@nuthinbutlove thanks for watching!
Captain Countdown is one of my favorites.🕺🏾💃🏾🕺🏾 🎶
These interviews are absolutely legendary. The amount of preparation and attention to detail from Mason and the team is second to none. Brilliant work!
Wow, thanks so much Ben! It's a labor of love for sure! I'm so glad you appreciate it!
Just discovered with these interviews
So good 👍🏽👍🏽
Lee Ritenour was The Man.
My uncle had all the albums from the Jazz Fusion guys back in the 1970's, and he would let us listen to them all. That was where we started following them all, from their session work thru their guest-starring on each other's albums.
There was a radio station in Berkeley, CA, named KRE-FM (when FM radio first started) that was a Jazz Fusion station where we would hear all this wonderful music. Lyrics weren't needed; those musicians could make their instruments tell stories.
I saw Lee Ritenour live when he opened for Al Jarreau on the heels of both their best-selling albums: "Rit" and "Breaking Away"...
...it was at UC Berkeley's Greek Theater outdoor amphitheatre.
I just want to say: on that starry night, halfway thru his opening set, Lee Ritenour had his band leave the stage to where it was only him under a single spotlight...
...and for the next 10 minutes Lee Ritenour went on to play **THE MOST AWESOME GUITAR SOLO EVER**
And I mean that sincerely. The heavens opened up as he played it. People in the audience didn't even clap throughout because we were all just mesmerized.
To the owner of this channel: please let Mr. Ritenour know that his guitar solo that night is a memory that I have treasured for 40 years. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Thank you for this interview. The "jazz guys" were everywhere, and we our lives are better because of it.
This man is one of the most respected but least known guitarist of this age IMO ❤ He is clearly a musician’s musician ~
❤ thanks for watching!
I don't know about least known.
Lee was one of the best known jazz-fusion guitar players in the 70's and 80's, and has maintained popularity to this day. He has headlined many jazz festivals all over the world, and is very popular in Asia like Japan, Korea and Indonesia.
If you are comparing him with rock/pop stars like Eddie Van Halen or Clapton, of course he is less known, but that's a wrong comparison.
@@user-dz3ie5me2t exactly
He is well known by guitarist, especially people following jazz…
Outside of those circles, he hasn’t been given enough credit IMO.
The best compliment I can think of for Lee Ritenour is that he is the type of human we should aspire to, not because he is a music legend or a successful individual but because his humanity and humility, God bless your soul Lee and thanks for the joy you have brought to the world .
Well said!
Mason, I like the way you conduct your interviews in a professional and profound way. In your interviews, the guest gets to speak (which is not the case everywhere).
What's so nice about the Internet is that I learn so much personal information in the videos from musicians whose LPs I listened to 40 and 50 years ago. Lee is definitely one of them. Big thanks to everyone who makes these videos possible. It's a cultural and historical legacy.
Glad you enjoy it!
Lee Ritenour is not only a great guitarist; he's a very fine human being.
exactly
❤️ Thanks for watching!
The great Captain Fingers! Lee can't stop noodling, even when he's not paying attention. And even then, he's playing better than us all. A true master! 🔥🙏🏻🔥🙏🏻🔥
Absolutely. The guitar player's guitarist.
Lee is a total class act. Great interview. Thanks 👏🏾👏🏾
❤ thanks for watching!
Pure gold this interview!!!!!
❤️ Thanks for watching!
Lee and I were with Duke Miller at the same time in the early sixties. Duke was an excellent teacher but it was different in those days and Duke demanded that students be able to read music. I stuck with it and he put me in a trio and got us our first gig at the Hollywood Teenage Fair in 1965. I'm not sure if Lee was in the trio 'cause my memory is kind of fuzzy. By the time Valley Arts started I was already studying with Ted Greene at Ernie Ball guitars in Tarzana. I have to hand it to my mother for finding the two best guitar teachers in the L.A. area for me: Duke Miller and Ted Greene. Guitar and music has been a life long journey and I'm still on that bus.
❤ thanks for watching and sharing this story!
God, I love this channel. Very rare that these kinds of interviews are done so well. Excellent guest choices too. Can't wait for more!
Glad you like them!
As a fellow guitarist I’ve always had great respect for Lee’s great talent. Nice guy too.
Couldn't agree more!
Great Interview , really enjoyed it . Just to point out though the Bee Gee's are actually British [ they were born on the Isle of Man ] which is between Ireland and England , they then lived in Manchester , not emigrating to Australia until I think they were in their teens .
❤️ Thanks for watching! Thanks for adding those details!
Yes, the members were born in Isle of Man. But the band "Bee Gee's" was formed in Australia, therefore it is an Australian band.
(I'm not australian nor british)
As a young man, we all knew Lee Ritenour played that famous run on Strawberry Letter 23! Thanks, Lee! Great job documenting the "greatness" and contribution of these musicians. Never knew he played with Pink Floyd. A great gem.
Shuggie Otis played all instruments, including that lead part on original version of Strawberry Letter 23
I really want to appreciate the editing here! It's so great when you (editor) put in photos of the things, they are talking about! It brings it so much more to life, if you have am image of the things from the conversation! Thanks!
Thank you so much!!
Great interview, I could do without the commercial though, but I guess it's part of the deal.
I like that video because even if I know that Lee did it all as studio session player, I know him more because his amazing solo career, so it's great to revisit his life as session player.
PS : as drummer I had the huge honour to work/tour with Lee, a real dream that to became reality.
Roger, that's the cost of doing business and producing these things. Because we're using the original music, we don't have any other way to recoup the thousands of dollars in expenses to fly to LA, hire a crew, and edit the video without the help of sponsors. I try to keep it appropriate to either gear that the player being interviewed uses, or that we manufacture ourselves. It could be worse, if money were the only objective in a sponsorship selection, you'd be hearing ads for erectile disfunction and online therapy.
I didn’t mind the commercial parts at all since they are woven in in a natural way and as an extension of what came up during the interview. More of an updated elaboration than hard selling. The YT adds normally p..ss me off but this is done tastefully. Excellent interviewing style that comes from deep knowledge and great passion. Well done!
@@VertexEffectsInc Yeah don't get me wrong, I totally understand the economic system of the whole stuff, great video nonetheless.
You have got to check out Lee on Norman Connors Stella
Will do! ❤️ Thanks for watching!
What a wonderful and interesting interview. It's one of the best I've ever seen... thank you for the inspiration.
Wow, thank you!
Excellent interview.
Just a note.
The Bee Gees were born in the Isle of Man (UK)
They lived in Chorlton. Manchester UK. Before moving to Australia.
Great channel guys 😎
Thanks for that!
Lee is my guy!!! Lee and my uncle Wah Wah Watson played on a lot records together!!! RIP!!!!
Lee and Dave Gruisin will be at the New Morning in Paris on Saturday July 13th. I'll be there 😀
❤️ Thanks for watching! Have fun at the show!
Lee's exposure as a teen moving to Brazil and learning that impeccable rhythm from Samba music and musicians from other countries has molded him
into one of the greatest session and solo artists of all time.
He is a national treasure.
That's a great comment😊
Love hearing stories from session players. Theres always so much focus on the star players, but these guys (and girls) are super league level.
Great interview 🙏🏼💜✨
❤️ Thanks for watching!
When it comes to A-List 1st call 📞 session players for guitar NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN LEE RITENOUR, LARRY CARLTON, JAY GRAYDON, THESE CATS ARE THE NITROGLYCERIN OF GUITAR WORLD!!! LEE....HEY BRO IT'S TIME U DO YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY 💯💣💥🤘🤙👊🤜🤛
Well said!
This interview is pure gold man, Lee the master of the good groove in session. Thanks for sharing Bro!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Legendary Lee! Still listen to instrumental cd’s (Larry and Lee instrumental) through audiophile headphones. Thanks for awesome playing Lee!
I like the Chris Farley vibe of the interviewer.
Incoherent and nonsensical? What part of the interview was satire?
Lee should be plugged in playing along live. Great interview Mason!👍
Not up to me unfortunately but glad you enjoyed the video nonetheless!
I saw Djvan in LA in the late 80's and Lee Ritenour came on and played with him; great stuff!.
Thanks for doing this great interview. It was amazing. I never realized Lee was such a big session player in his time. I only knew him from his solo albums. Great stuff! And yes, 3 days of the Condor was one of those films I used to watch all the time as a kid. Now I need to revisit it to hear Lee's great playing on it.
Thank you for interviewing Lee, I’ve been enjoying his playing and reading every article I could find on him since I started playing back in 1976. He is an amazing musician!
Quite unfortunate really that players were playing second fiddle to pop star producer types throughout that period, waste of time hiding their lights under such bushels, guys like Lee and many others were used like a piece of meat by most of the Quincy's of the time...being artsy fartzy is a loosers game in all honesty and a crying shame some of the great musicians were expected to take a back seat to somebody in the mix room instead of in the piece.
This gent is a great interviewer. Down to earth, relates to Lee, talks enough to get the conversation flowing and then when Lee starts to talk, he quickly shifts to listening. Great interview
Lee “ Mighty Mouse ” Ritenour. Here I am to save the day! Pulling it off one after another. Love you, man
Lee what a amazing player ,listened to all his work through the years
❤ thanks for watching!
Rit is definitely playing the muted guitar part that ends Deacon Blues but had no idea some of the fills too. Always assumed that was Carlton
❤ thanks for watching! Yea, that was a surprise for me too!
Lee,Jay, Larry Carlton were the original dangerous session musicians, of course there’s the whole crew that turned out to be Toto but, Lee is a bad boy
Best of the best!
The outro sounds like Lee the plinkety plunk sound on Deacon Blues! Never knew Lee played on the Night fever track! So versatile!
❤️ Thanks for watching!
Great interview - but disappointed that Lee's work on Floyd's One of My Turns wasn't covered. The rhythm wah is a sound many associate with Gilmour, but in a interview I read elsewhere he confirmed it wasn't him and that he had a creative block couldn't get anything to work.
Yeah i thought he,d wanna talk about that one ! I read also Lee played on Run like hell but it may be wrong!
@@davidnorman4923 I wouldn't be surprised about Run like hell - Wikipedia states that he was brought in to "to beef up the sound", but isn't specific. I think it speaks to the breadth of his abilities that he played such a big part in this album - it's so far away from the smooth jazz fusion based material he puts out himself.
Lee and I curated the songs that we'd talk about before the interview, this wasn't one that came up in our pre-interview about Pink Floyd. The only curveball was the Bee Gees stuff, that wasn't planned but came up during the interview.
The Bee Gees were English but their family moved to Australia, then back to the UK.
Thanks for that clarification!
Mason, thank you so much for these interviews! I was able to meet Lee in the 80s when I was just 19, but he took the time to speak with me after a concert and answer my questions before hopping in the van and taking off. I’ve never forgotten that. Wonderful person. Thank you again, Mason, for all your work in putting these together!
My pleasure!
Fantastic interview!
❤ thanks for watching!
Really great interviews on this channel.
Great stuff! Rit is pure class. Looking forward to checking out the new album.
Rock on!
Amazing! Loved hearing Lee's stories. I too had the privilege of studying with Duke Miller (way after Lee). He was an incredibly kind man. An amazing guitar teacher. Thanks!
❤ thanks for watching!
1:19:33 The late Doug Sax. Some of the early Sheffield Lab direct-to-disc albums were recorded at Producer's Workshop and the signal was routed next door to The Mastering Lab.
❤️ Thanks for watching!
@@VertexEffectsInc Great video! I just happened to stumble across it somehow by chance and thought I'd give it a watch since I like Lee Ritenour. I'm an audiophile, so that's how I know about the Doug Sax/Lincoln Mayorga/The Mastering Lab/Producers Workshop connection.
Great stuff. Love the Sadowsky. Nice instrument. Thanks Mason. I shared your Dann Huff one with my niece who is just coming up playing in high school.
Awesome! Thank you!
Wow!! Lee Ritenour was a major influence on my playing. Excellent episode!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
MUCH more interesting than I thought it would be. Not because Ritenour isn’t interesting enough as a player or solo artist, but a great storyteller, and of course the interviewer prep and vibe.
Really great. Unexpectedly great. Thank you.
❤️ Thanks for watching!
Finest you are Mr Lee Ritenour… in Spirit and that Embracing Music within .. Thank you Sir ☺️🙏🏽❤️
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However though, when these types of interviews are done, with a musician, and they don't play their ox, the interview is empty and hollow. Boring interview.
Huh?
Ladies and gentlemen…listen again to Lee’s work on Give Me the Night…back to back with Another Brick.
Again, I rest my case.
And again, when he can’t contain his involuntary response in saying “right,” with a smile ear to ear NOT just the solo, but the entire track itself.
Clear as day.
Why Mason am I so obsessed with this? Because it’s one of the most recognized and defining musical passages in the history of music.
It matters.
Used the Eventide Harmonizer in studio…turned my guitar into a freight train.
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What a Great interview .. Loved it !!
THE AIR GUITAR SOUNDED QUITE NICE. 😂 🤣 😂
Nice LC solo cut on the Ultraphonix demo!
Thanks for listening
I remember hearing a Steelly Dan interview they had alot of guitarist on Peg i have the cd i enjoyed looking at the credits my uncle played there music on vinyl in the late 70s i was hooked good stuff 🎸👍
Rock on!
Great show
Great guitar player
Did he play on Cindy lauper record 😊
❤️ Thanks for watching! I think that was Hugh McCracken or John McCurry
Just a amazing interview and discussion on all this amazing work Lee did
I knew he did amazing session work..
Bee Gees work I didn't know.
His work with Four play is masterpiece and all his Solo albums
❤ thanks for watching!
Hey brother,,,,am 65 yr old bass player & I gotta say your guitar interviews are FANTASTIC,,, thank you & keep it up,,,,PS =please throw in some Bass Guys 🎸🤠 from Arkansas.
❤ thanks for watching! Freddie Washington next week!
🎸Captain Fingers 🎸
Practicing scales during the entire interview 🙃
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Awesome awesome interview!!! You gotta love how Lee really liked being interviewed about his session years and his old rigs... just love it!!
Glad you enjoyed it
I can barely hear that acoustic guitar on comfortably numb? Can you ?
What are you listening on? I can hear it fine.
Harlequin is beautiful
Surprised they didn't talk about the guitar synth,,,the polyphonic 360
They did in another interview FYI
Our focus was on songs from Lee's session career. He and I curated this list together.
Rit was not only a rising Trailblazing guitarist, He was also head of the Strings Dept at USC Late 70's early 80's
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I remember reading about Lee in Guitar Player in late 70s when i was learning. Regret i didn't focus more on studio, he's an actual God and super humble, what an amazing musician
Another genius Jewish man who helped Roger Waters, what a pity that guy, i cant enjoy his music anymore
Another GREAT interview Mason !!! I wonder what"s next. Everything on your channel s great.Thank you !
Glad you enjoyed it!
Are there any mini EQ pedals you can recommend? Thanks
I think I answered this for you in another comment, check for it.
This was such a pleasure to listen to a master. I have been following Mr Ritenour for decades. He is my age... But I had no idea he was such a humble soul. What a genius. Oh pity there was no talk on the synth period... He was ahead of his time. THANK YOU for this interview.
Thank for interview all my favourite players, you and Rick Beato should do a program together!!!
I'm sure I'm too below his stature for us to be together on something!
Amazing interview- thank you both!!! Lee is amazing- Earth Run changed my life.
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The Bee Gees are not Australian - they're English.
I'm sorry that this detail overshadowed the entire interview for you. Dare I say, you missed out.
Seeing Lee live back n day one the millions of highlights of my life
❤ thanks for watching!
I like this channel.
❤️ thank you!
Lee is SUCH a class act--even without a guitar in his hands.
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Check out Lee's solo on Strawberry at the Montreaux Jazz festival Quincy's 70 birthday concert. Then watch the whole concert.
*Captain Fingers.* One of the top session-cats of the 70's. One of my first guitar heroes.
I hope this content lives for the rest of time because it’s very important for people of the future to understand how an “anonymous” player could shape and contribute to so much crucial and influential music. Amazing interview; amazing musician!
Several times I've watched a live performance on youtube rush over to buy the recorded version of the song and realized the soul has been "polished" out. Music made by humans have imperfections that make it move your soul, they aren't anomalies to be removed. Check out Neon Moon / Brooks and Dunn live and then listen to the recorded version, it sucks in comparison.
Some music is like that. I too like it when there are some "risks" being taken.
Man thanks for this. This was fantastic, and the whole interview I was thinking bout that Luke story in my mind, and the fact that you ended with that was the cherry on top!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Have been listening to Ritenour since the early 80s but never thought of him as one of the real studio cats back in the days until now when I have listen to interviews with Jay, Lukather etc.. He really must be one of the most recorded guitarists ever. Amazing stories and what a great guy he is 😍.
Check out Michael Thompson… he s got to be one of top 5 recorded guitarists
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Lee definitely plays that outro plucky style that I,ve heard on his solo stuff! The song Tell me pretty lies features that same guitar effect! On his Rit album!
I just ordered the record
Enjoy!
This came out just 13 minutes ago. It's an honor.
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Too bad there's only the manual method to skip in video advertisements. Again it's "Why am I paying for YT Premium???!!!"
I put interview vids on to listen to while I'm doing things. So I can't be bothered with this because of the non-stop interruptions. But hey, I made it 19 mins in. That's a good effort.
It did answer the question as to why I haven't seen a Vertex Effects video in ages, though.
Greetings and Love from Norway I am a huge fan of RIT and had the utmost pleasure to "grow up" with him as the same age. Also been to several concerts. This interview was like a travel back in time and I cannot thank you enough but I will try. Thank you thank you thank you -
I just KNEW they called Lee to do that solo in Strawberry bcuz George couldn’t cut it! 😝another banging interview Mason!🫡💯
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Jeff didnt play on the Guilty album! Must have been another album!
Another epic interview, Mason. These artists were on all the vinyl I was buying back then. Your videos will last the test of time as so many of these greats won't be with us forever. Please, please, PLEASE, interview George Benson whilst he is still with us.
The Lukather story is truly great. Lee downplays the story but you can tell Lee has outstanding character. This is one of my favorite stories of all time from these types of interviews.
Lee did more exercise in this interview than me for whole this day!
Amazing talk with amazing man and musician!
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Superb interview, but did I miss Lee actually playing anything during the reminiscing??? It’s a real shame that he ghost/air guitared along to hearing the recordings
Wish he would of plugged in and played! Great interview overall other than that.
Not up to me. I think you’ll see that this is the only interview we’ve done so far that doesn’t include extensive replaying of the original songs by the session musician themselves.
@@VertexEffectsInctotally understandable, regardless excellent interview on your part. Keep em’ coming!
Thank you Mason for this lovely interview. Lee Ritenour has been there, seen it and done it. What a humble and great humoured guy! More please!
Lee after the increíble loss of your home have you ever fully recovered? I felt so bad when I herd of the terrible fire and that you lost your home. Miss seeing you since I’ve relocated to SLC Utah in 2015.
Guys like Lee and Jay Graydon have played on so many things, I think they forget. I know for a fact Jay Graydon does. He did something for us (Nobody`s) and I am sure he forgot. Jay Graydon could do anything on the fly and it was great. I never meet Lee Ritenour. I am sure he is just as great. The only thing I rember is Jay Gradon was smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself. Well I am not nor is anyone else going to hear it. I think that was the only time I saw one of these guys smoke while recording.
Then Earl klugh George benson Kevin eubanks Mindi abair joyce cooling
Great guitar player and innovating too since the 70's, when I listened to for the first time in records of course.
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I love you Mr. Ritnour, you have a base sense of respect for people of color and it eminates all about you; reverence befits you, possessive of such magnificent chops.😊
Remember seeing lee at the bottom line nyc.. thats when I saw Phil perry doing is it you? And Mr briefcase..
Probably one of the most versatile guitarists ever.
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