| First Course | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Lee Ritenour | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Recorded | October 3, 1975 - October 15, 1975 at The Sound Labs, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Crossover jazz Jazz pop |
|||
| Length | 41:15 | |||
| Label | Epic Records (1976) Columbia Records (1990) |
|||
| Producer | Skip Drinkwater | |||
| Lee Ritenour chronology | ||||
|
||||
First Course is the first studio album released by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour. The album was released in 1976 on LP by the label Epic Records. It was re-released on CD by Columbia Records in 1990.
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
The album was made at the time that Ritenour was still a session musician, perhaps considered the best of the time in Los Angeles, California next to Larry Carlton.[2] He drafted friends and peers from Dante's and the Baked Potato club in Studio City, Los Angeles, California to record this "artifact of the early L.A. jazz/funk sound"[3] Ritenour was worried about creating the album, as he has stated "I was still thinking as a "studio musician", and I was very worried about having my own identity on the guitar, because up until that time my job as a studio musician had been to be a "chameleon" ... it wasn’t until several years later that I felt more comfortable with who I was stylistically."[2]
Financially, there were issues with the album, since the "sound perplexed studio executives" who were mainly looking for the next Bitches Brew or Return to Forever.[4] This was melodic rhythm and blues-based jazz that didn't find a home until new wave-type radio stations became mainstream over a decade later.[4]
All tracks composed by Lee Ritenour; except where indicated