WHAT I LEARNED FROM LEE RITENOUR

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[This review was written on Sunday, March 20, 2005]
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HOT ROD GUITAR
by Danny Gatton
released: 1999
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I was introduced to the music of DANNY GATTON by Larry Rosen (better known to his friends as F'n Lelly.) In 1994, F'n Lelly (himself a pretty good guitarist in an L.A. Blues band at the time) recorded a cassette for me which he titled, 'Little Guitar Ditties: Lelly's Favorites'. It contained 3 Danny Gatton tracks including the '93 version of HARLEM NOCTURNE, which knocked me out! All these years later, the incredible playing of Gatton still amazes and satisfies. He was one of the most technically proficient musicians to ever sling a six-string; and the most versatile, which more than anything probably accounts for his relative obscurity.
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In 1978, I was on the set of a Lee's Sportswear commercial which featured the renowned Jazz guitarist LEE RITENOUR. I happened to be standing nearby when he spoke to another musician about this new inventive guitarist named EDDIE VAN HALEN who had just arrived on the scene. In demonstrating Eddie's "tapping" technique, Ritenour whipped off a perfect Van Halenesque solo. My jaw dropped! I was an 18-year-old "Rock 'N' Roll Actor" at the time (a silly phrase I had coined for myself to describe my attitude as a performer) and I was heavily into Rock music back then. I later struck up a conversation with Ritenour and asked him what he thought of several other Rock guitarists who were popular at the time. I was surprised to hear him say, "They're all good."
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The proverbial "light bulb" above my head lit up that day. It occurred to me that usually very little difference in technical facility separates the artists of any medium at the highest levels of professionalism. The greatest artists achieve legendary status and eternal fame not so much on their technical ability, but based on their innovations and/or stylistic approach.
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It's not because VAN GOGH was the greatest painter of his time that his works now sell for millions of dollars. He had a style all his own: landscapes composed of brilliant colors applied to the canvas as if in an emotional rage! Nearly every EDWARD HOPPER painting conveys a sense of lonely isolation. That was HIS style. As an actor, JAMES DEAN said that in one hand he had Marlon Brando saying "f*** you!" and in the other he had Montgomery Clift saying "help me!" This approach in combination with a fertile imagination made him an eternal silver screen legend. For a long time, Big Band leader GLENN MILLER sought to capture the unique "sound" he heard in his mind. In putting together arrangements, he eventually stumbled upon it. By using a clarinet or alto sax in tandem with four other saxes, doubling an octave above the lead, he created The Glenn Miller Sound that made his music instantly recognizable thereafter. JIMI HENDRIX was a good player, but Danny Gatton could have played circles around him, and so could many other guitarists who came later. But Hendrix created a whole new sonic palette within the Rock music framework, and that's why he's fondly remembered today.
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DANNY GATTON was a technically GREAT player who excelled at every musical genre. This compilation is a heartfelt guitar potpourri. Whether plugging in the incandescent candles on a midnight romance (SAX FIFTH AVENUE), kick-starting a heart with unbridled electricity (NOTCHCO BLUES), exploring Jazz Avenues at dusk (KINDRED SPIRITS), or rocking your car during the dark rides (FUNHOUSE), Gatton displays both muscularity and sensitivity. His playing was first-class; never maudlin or affected. He may have sacrificed a musical composition to hotdogging once in awhile (ORANGE BLOSSOM MEDLEY), but hey, even that was enjoyable! 
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A couple of reviewers (at Amazon.com) seem to think that "music" is defined by lightning runs over the frets. Well GATTON displays hyperspace speed when he wants to, but if that's all you're interested in, you will miss the shimmering gorgeousness of delicate pieces like CANADIAN SUNSET and POINCIANA. As a person's taste in music matures, they come to discover that speed does not even register on the list of essential elements. A fine illustration of what I'm referring to can be found in the great (Jazzy) Blues guitar album 'GOOD HANDS' by DANNY CARON.
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Releasing his first eclectic album for Elektra, and pondering the direction of his future recordings, GATTON said, "I can't afford to get shelved. It all depends on the public whims." This may account for his anonymity. Other than his prodigiously developed and literally jaw-dropping technique and mind-warping speed, GATTON did not have an immediately recognizable signature sound, a unique personal style (heck, even Tom Scholz of Boston had that!) If widespread fame was what he sought, perhaps he should have mined for his own musical voice -- "public whims" be damned.
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Nevertheless, if you want to experience the playing of a true six-string master in a variety of settings with some world class accompaniment, then you'll be thrilled by this 2 disc set. Purchase 'HOT ROD GUITAR' (along with Danny Caron's aforementioned 'GOOD HANDS') and you won't regret it. You can trust me; I've never lied to you before have I? And be sure to tell 'em that Stephen and F'n Lelly sent you!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

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AMERICAN GARAGE
Pat Metheny Group
released: 1979
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I spent some time in a particular record shop in Los Angeles as a twenty-something. In 1984, I kept examining a 2-disc live Jazz set called 'TRAVELS' because something about the album cover really intrigued me. One day, I finally broke down and purchased it even though I'd never heard of THE PAT METHENY GROUP. Every once in awhile you roll the dice and win big. Since then, Pat Metheny has enriched my life like no other musician!
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It wasn't long before I discovered that some purely magical quality [I still don't know what it is!] about his compositions made them conducive to stress-free driving and seemingly transformed life seen through the windshield into some kind of imaginary movie. Oddly, everything one sees seems to be the ideal visual accompaniment to the music that is playing at all times. (I'll never forget listening to 'TRAVELS' through headphones while traveling by locomotive through the deep woods between Fort Bragg and Willits, California. It was a nearly mystical experience!)
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After awhile I acquired other P.M.G. recordings like his elaborately textured, Brazilian-accented sets 'THE FIRST CIRCLE', and 'STILL LIFE (TALKING)', and 'LETTER FROM HOME' (my favorites) and found that I could put any one of them into my car's compact disc player and let it repeat for -- LITERALLY -- a month or more without ever tiring of it.
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Because Metheny's sound DID gain a deeper and richer resonance over the years and because I never owned 'AMERICAN GARAGE' on LP, I didn't realize that this disc was poorly mastered, as several other reviewers have pointed out. But it's true: the sound has a pronounced high-end jangling to it, and while it won't entirely infringe on your listening pleasure, it does leave something to be desired. (Like a little bass perhaps!)
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The first two tracks, (CROSS THE) HEARTLAND and AIRSTREAM, are great open road pieces, evoking images of corn and wheat fields seen flashing by at 65 miles an hour from the interstate, and the titles indicate that, early on, Metheny realized that his music inherently expresses a sense of motion.
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THE SEARCH features some very delicate and pretty piano work from Metheny's longtime musical collaborator, Lyle Mays. The title track, AMERICAN GARAGE, shows the Group in a revved up mood and employing some distinct Gospel inflections. This is closer to Rock than Jazz. And although I do enjoy THE EPIC -- aptly titled at 13 minutes -- it tends to meander just a bit. The whole album times out at just under 36 minutes -- about half of the musical content found on most of Metheny's later releases.
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'AMERICAN GARAGE' would be worth having if just for that great album cover: The deep blue, cloud-kissed sky and soft Autumn light reflecting off of an Airstream dealership. (Are you old enough to remember those large silver bullets being pulled all across the heartland? And the yearning to travel the countryside that they instilled in the mind?) Even so, I would have to place 'AMERICAN GARAGE' into Metheny's Second Tier of music. In my subjective opinion, the "Metheny Must-Haves" are the aforementioned titles, plus 'SECRET STORY'. If you dig those, then you may want to explore this disc, also 'WE LIVE HERE' (in which his trademark guitar-synthesizer finds a funky groove thang), '80/81' (for more traditional and improvisational Jazz), and 'BEYOND THE MISSOURI SKY' with Charlie Haden (for those late night / early morning super-mellow hours at home).
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[*WARNING: Make sure you've already heard what you're buying if it is labeled "Pat Metheny" without his "Group." I don't necessarily like every album he's produced, even with the "Group", but a few of his solo projects are nothing more than "experiments" in dissonance!]
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Just as a dog has never really experienced a walk until it has ditched its leash, you, my friend, have never really experienced a "road trip" until you've traveled with the Pat Metheny Group. If Stephen T. McCarthy is driving, you can be sure that Pat is playing!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BONE-DEEP BLUES!

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[This review was originally published at BigBitch.com on March 13, 2005.]
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GOOD HANDS
Danny Caron
2003
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Look, I'm 45 years old (my arthritic knees feel at least twice that age) and most people my age are rarely buying new music. I'm no exception. By 45, you know what you like and you've owned it for years. Because the tape deck in my truck broke several months back, I've been forced to listen to the radio while driving.
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Going home from work after midnight a few weeks ago, I put on the local pseudo-Jazz station. Late, when they figure nobody's listening anyway, KYOT sometimes shelves the Kenny G and Dave Koz and spins stuff a little more adventurous. About halfway home they started playing some hot guitarist whose style I did not recognize. Damn! This guy was GOOD! I pulled into my garage, shut off the engine and just sat there listening -- unable to go into the house until the track concluded. And I'm thinking: "You KYOT Airheadzona DJ better tell me who this is, doggone it!" 
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"That was DANNY CARON with THE PROMISE", he announced. Now, I know from past experiences that whenever a musical piece commands my attention to that degree upon first listen, I've got a winner.
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I ordered 'GOOD HANDS' from Amazon and when it arrived I found myself staring at a middle-aged, balding guy who looked like the archetypal late night television talk show host. My first impression: Well, yeah it's good, but maybe I didn't really need to own it. That opinion was radically reversed by my 4th or 5th trip through the nearly hour-long disc. By then, my ears had picked-up on what he was doing with that guitar, and now I'm thinking, "OH, HOKEY-SMOKE, MAN!".
While I have no doubt that CARON could trade blazing licks with virtually any "guitar god" out there (and although he does cut loose on the brief GATE WALKS THE BOARD) that's not what 'GOOD HANDS' is all about. These are mostly slow to mid-tempo deeply smoldering Blues, but played with awesome Jazz chops. The first thing you'll notice is the impeccable cleanness of his sound: sharp, single-note runs possessing an extraordinary finesse and rhythmic sense!
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But after your ears become "educated" you begin to notice the brilliantly executed shadings he employs to wring out the genuine emotional content of each piece. Hey, I love my Blues guitarists, but even the "Kings" (B.B., Albert and Freddie) could learn a thing from CARON about Blues nuance. Dang! This is just an exquisite Blues guitar album of uncommon sensitivity -- as soulful a recording as I have ever heard! If you're a young guitarist and you want to learn a thing or two about imbuing your music with an authentic feeling, a deep passion, 'GOOD HANDS' has a lot to teach you.
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And speaking of "HANDS", what's up with Caron's digits? The photographs indicate that either this guy is the size of Yao Ming, or else he has the most inordinately long fingers! That explains how he maneuvers around the neck of that guitar so nimbly.
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The tracks also contain some first-class accompaniment, notably: John Burr's romantic piano, Jim Pugh's funky Hammond B-3 organ, and a riotous tenor sax solo by Charles McNeal on HEY JIMMY. (Although I could do without the Charles Brown vocals on cuts #5 and #11.) If you like the classic Jazz guitarists such as Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, and early George Benson, then you'll SURELY want to add Danny Caron to your collection.
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My favorite piece is RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA. No, on second thought, I'd say IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD. Check that! It's definitely SHINE ON. Alright, I really can't decide.
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But did you notice that I didn't even mention THE PROMISE -- the head-turning track I heard on the radio that caught my attention to begin with? That's how impressive this album is! What a travesty of justice that so much acclaim is lavished on each new long-haired, Hard Rock speed-freak guitarist who comes along, but a player like THIS remains unknown. He's never going to get the recognition that he deserves, but hey, you can forget all about Allstate, man, because you're in REALLY 'GOOD HANDS' with DANNY CARON!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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A SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER SHOT OF WES (Salt Mandatory, Lime Wedge Optional)

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'TEQUILA'
by Wes Montgomery
1966
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I've never understood those so-called "purists" who raise a ruckus with shouts of "SELL OUT!" and "INAUTHENTIC!" as soon as a musician sails into previously uncharted waters.
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They called out the dogs when Richard Carpenter closed out GOODBYE TO LOVE with a loud fuzz guitar solo. (He was later credited with having invented the "power ballad" formula with that blasphemy!) They were ready to crucify Bob Dylan when he started singing about Jesus with SLOW TRAIN COMING. (Never mind that it happened to be the freshest, most exciting and heartfelt music he'd created in years!)
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When WES MONTGOMERY allowed his innovative Jazz guitar style to explore modern Pop pieces, his fans began to abandon ship in droves. And when he went so far as to... (dare I even say it?) ...add a dollop of strings on the TEQUILA set, they were ready to torpedo his boat themselves. He had "sold out" they said. Sold out to what? I'll tell you: MORE great music! 
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In the informative booklet notes that accompany the TEQUILA compact disc, Montgomery's fellow Jazz guitarist, Steve Khan, writes, "Like most Jazz fans, I prefer albums on which the tracks are timed at six minutes or more; anything less than that usually means limited space for improvising. But perhaps looking at the art of recording only in this manner causes one to miss works of extraordinary beauty and grace. TEQUILA is just such a recording." 
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Khan later (courageously?) confesses that MIDNIGHT MOOD is "one of the most beautiful pieces Montgomery ever recorded." Here's a person mature enough to realize that great music is great music, at six minutes... or less; with or without strings. It just so happens that my favorite track here is possibly LITTLE CHILD (DADDY DEAR), the shortest at just two and a half minutes, WITH strings (which only enhances the moving, melancholic melody). 
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TEQUILA has a slightly Latinized feel to it, thanks to the title track, the inclusion of Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic, INSENSATEZ (HOW INSENSITIVE), and especially the conga playing of Ray Barretto on half of the tracks. But make no mistake about it, this is genuine Jazz -- there's Grady Tate on drums and the legendary Ron Carter on the stand-up bass (love that rhythmic "thumping" on WIVES AND LOVERS, which stays with me for hours!) This is wonderful stuff, and the sparingly used Claus Ogerman strings do not detract from the mood, but rather highlight it. As if all that wasn't enough, TEQUILA sports one of the coolest Jazz album covers ever conceived (right up there with Pat Metheny's AMERICAN GARAGE). 
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WES MONTGOMERY was one of the most influential guitarists in the world of Jazz. By all accounts, he was a very classy and humble man. He certainly had good taste and knew good music. His musicianship elevated everything he played, transforming even minor Pop hits into compelling masterpieces. So smooth he was, but never sleepy! And this set is no exception. So what if this isn't Wes Montgomery poured straight from the bottle? Some folks like to add orange juice to their liquor and call it a Tequila Sunrise. Others prefer a mixture of lime juice and salt. They call that a Margarita.
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On TEQUILA, Wes didn't pour his guitar straight from the bottle, but stirred in some congas and some strings. It doesn't matter because, in short, if it says "WES MONTGOMERY" on the label, you can be sure that it's a damn fine drink. Uhm... no... that's not quite right. What I meant to say is: If it says "Wes Montgomery" on the COVER, you can be sure that it's damn fine music. Yeah, that's it... damn fine MUSIC!

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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