Forging a unique creative relationship,
Lee Ritenour and
Dave Grusin's mutual professional history extends back some two decades.
Ritenour was a core artist on
Grusin's label, GRP, throughout the 1980s and early '90s; in 1986, they first collaborated on the Grammy Award winning Harlequin, a critically-acclaimed, Brazilian-themed recording.
Ritenour also appeared on many of the pianist/composer's film scores and solo recordings, and the two jammed together on GRP Super Live in 1987. Two Worlds, the classical-oriented labor of love that reunites the two legends, is more than simply a beautiful creative departure from their usual jazz-oriented projects. A blend of original compositions and respectful reworkings of timeless classics from
Bach,
Bartok, Villalobos, Mompov, and
Segovia, the collection -- which features stellar guest performances by opera star
Renee Fleming, violinist
Gil Shaham, and cellist
Julian Lloyd-Webber -- finds
Ritenour and
Grusin joyously reconnecting with their rich classical roots. Among the highlights are the lush, highly percussive Vivaldi/
Bach piece "Bach Concerto, featuring a twenty-piece string section; "Bachianas Aria," a piece from Brazilian composer Villalobos, provides a showcase for opera diva
Renee Fleming. As for the original compositions, there's the haunting, melodic "Elegia," which
Grusin composed many years ago for his late father, a violinist, featuring
Gil Shaham; "Lagrima (Lee's Prelude)," a graceful
Ritenour original led by the classical guitar; "River's Song,"
Grusin's clever medley adaptation of the folk songs "The Water Is Wide" and "Shenandoah," featuring
Fleming on vocals and "Canto," an Italian-styled "winter song" which
Grusin originally wrote for a
Ritenour project in the late '70s. Timeless yet contemporary, Two Worlds is beautiful reunion of these musical soul mates. ~ Jonathan Widran