1988's Festival marks renowned guitarist Lee Ritenour's second acoustic effort (his first was 1979's Rio). Like Rio, Festival has a strong Latin influence, and features both Brazilian and American musicians. The album, which peaked at #3 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, includes such luminaries as Dave Grusin and Bob James on keyboards, Marcus Miller on Bass, Ernie Watts on saxophone and Joao Bosco on guitars and vocals.Since the beginning of his career, Ritenour has maintained a delicate balance between the individual creative vision and the group dynamic. His first session work was as a teenager, with the Mamas and the Papas, who dubbed him Captain Fingers for demonstrating incredible dexterity. Throughout the next decade, Ritenour became one of the most prolific session guitarists, working with the likes of Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin and Quincy Jones. Ritenour's solo work has earned him a GRAMMY® Award and 19 GRAMMY nominations. He has recorded more than 40 albums that have yielded 35 chart songs, and he is widely recognized as one of the best guitarists of his generation.Previously out of print, Festival will now be available digitally and on CD for the first time in years.
