“I always thought it’s a very cool model to combine very well-known, almost legendary players with completely new talent on the same record. I love that scenario. It’s not a format that many people have followed before, but I’ve always considered it a fascinating experiment, and a way to create some great sounds.”

Lee Ritenour, speaking on the release of Rhythm Sessions (Concord Records, 2012).

Ritenour’s career has spanned five decades as a session player, band leader, member of the supergroup Fourplay, songwriter, guitarist and now talent scout. Aided by jazz luminaries such as Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin and Marcus Miller, Ritenour also employs winners of the 2012 Rhythm Section Competition, an international event he launched in 2009 as a guitar competition but later expanded to include keyboardists, bassists and percussionists.

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