Widely considered to be a pioneer of both the contemporary jazz and jazz-funk genres, Lee Ritenour is jazz guitarist, composer and producer from Los Angeles who began his professional music career at the at the age of 16 when he played his first session with the Mamas & the Papas. The legendary folk rock group gave him the nickname Captain Fingers, because of his manual range and dexterity. By the mid-1970s, Ritenour was a highly sought after and critically acclaimed session player. As a solo artist, he released his debut album, First Course, in 1976 and went on to build an impressive catalog well into the 21st century while also maintaining a demanding collaboration schedule with other artists. With a discography of over 40 studio albums, not including the thousands of sessions he played in, Ritenour continues to release new material, such as his 2012 album Rhythm Sessions.
