Life & Mortality Quote by Lee Ritenour

Ritenour is quietly calling out a fantasy a lot of listeners (and plenty of players) cling to: that “jazz” is a fixed set of moves you can execute the same way regardless of the room, the bandstand, or the gear. He’s a studio-hardened guitarist who’s spent decades sliding between fusion, straight-ahead dates, pop sessions, and pristine LA production. So when he says a “dead standard” with acoustic piano and bass will make you play differently, he’s not romanticizing tradition; he’s describing gravity.

The phrase “dead standard” is doing extra work. It’s a little jab at repertoire that’s been overplayed into muscle memory, where the danger is autopilot. In that situation, acoustic instruments don’t just sound different, they enforce a different social contract: more space, more dynamic accountability, less hiding behind sustain, effects, or volume. Subtle tunes expose your touch and your time. They also expose your respect. The band can hear every choice, including the lazy ones.

“It depends on the music” lands like a shrug, but it’s the thesis. Ritenour is arguing for responsiveness over ideology. Not “acoustic good, electric bad,” not “standards are sacred,” not “fusion is freer.” Just the working pro’s ethic: serve the song, understand the context, and let the instrumentation change your behavior. In an era that treats “authenticity” like a branding strategy, his point is almost rebellious: the real tell isn’t what you play, it’s how you adjust.