Another special concert is coming up at NJPAC as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. "Dave Grusin: A Life in Music" will take place on Friday, November 17 at 8pm. The collaborating concert that celebrates the groundbreaking GRP Records label (Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen Productions) features Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Will Downing, Randy Brecker, Patti Austin, Jane Monheit, and the New York Voices.
Legendary guitarist Lee Ritenour joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about the concert and his longtime friend Dave Grusin.
"We just got back from performing in Japan and Hawaii and (laughing) the 200th tour together. The amazing thing is Dave is 89 and he still has his chops, clarity, vision and sense of humor. He acts like he's 60. He's so on it. It's incredible. Earlier this year, we went to Brazil and recorded a brand new album that going to to be called Brasil and it's with all Brazilian musicians and singers. It's a wonderful album. Dave plays incredible and I'm playing acoustic and electric guitar. I was able to mix the album at my new studio in my house in Malibu. It's important to keep your vision going. For Dave and I, music was part of this vision. I've been playing since I was eight years old and I'm 71 now."
Jazz Times wrote, "Dave Grusin’s 40-year career in the music business has led him down many paths, and all have been successful for this gifted musician, composer, arranger, recording executive, and cowboy.” The prolific Grusin has more than 3,000 credits as composer, producer, arranger, conductor, and performer. He has one Academy Award with eight nominations, 10 Grammy Awards with 30 nominations, and four Golden Globe nominations. Audiences will recognize his scores from films such as The Goonies, The Graduate, The Firm, and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Grusin helped build the careers of many artists as the founder of the first all-digital jazz record label, GRP Records. Other artists that will appear on stage at NJPAC November 19 are saxophonist Ernie Watts, drummer Dave Weckl, electric bass player Tom Kennedy, and more.
Meanwhile, Lee Ritenour's career has spanned more than 50 years. The guitarist has played on tracks recorded by some of music’s biggest names. Aretha Franklin, Joe Henderson, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, David “Fathead” Newman, George Benson, and Pink Floyd. Ritenour became interested in string instruments after receiving a present from his mother.
"When I was six or seven, my mom gave me a ukulele. That was my first chance I had to strum something. I always had a little fascination with the strings. My dad was an amateur piano player. They grew up in the Dearborn, Michigan area. My father loved music and he played by ear on the piano. He played a little stride piano and a little bit of jazz. When he was a kid, he would sneak into the clubs in Detroit and his parents didn't like that. I remember when I was about ten years old, I was just totally into guitars and already serious about it. My grandmother said this guitar thing is great but you should think about getting more serious about school, something more professional to do. My dad stepped into the room and said 'No, he's going to play guitar as much as he wants to' and that was that. He didn't get that opportunity. He was cool. My parents didn't push me but if that's what I wanted to do, they would open all the doors."
Ritenour stresses this upcoming concert will be special, especially since he has great respect for the label that Grusin and the late Larry Rosen created.
"Larry had incredible ears. He had this vision of what music should sound like. Larry was hearing a cleaner and more polished sound that eventually became the contemporary jazz sound that more people were familiar with and then later dug the smooth sound. Larry and Dave in those early days were combining great musicianship and sound qualities into a more contemporary sound."
GRP Records was sold to Universal many years ago.
Ritenour has recorded approximately 45 albums, yet until the release of his 2020 record, Dreamcatcher (Mascot Label Group), he had never recorded a true solo album, one created without input from other musicians or producers. Dreamcatcher was made at his home studio in Marina del Rey, California, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 wasn’t the only thing Ritenour has had to deal with. In 2018, the house and studio he and his wife owned in Malibu burnt down in one of the fires that has ravaged California. He lost more than 100 guitars, 40 amps and lots of music. He then had to deal with health problems. How was he able to persevere and keep going?
"Well I think Dave and I share this: music is the thing that keeps me healthy. There's such a love and dedication for the guitar and music, if I hadn't done a record at that time then I would have fallen apart. It was important to keep moving. Now, where I'm doing this interview from, outside a secondary garage in Malibu, is part of the brand new house that we just moved into, It took almost five years since the Woolsey fire in Los Angeles to put the house together. My studio is one of the crowning achievements of the house."
Ritenour says Dave Grusin will be in his comfort zone on November 19 when all his friends and former GRP artists joining him on stage.
During the interview (LISTEN AT THE TOP OF THE ARTICLE), you'll hear Lee's rescue dog "Quincy" and find out why he became a social media sensation.
