Heroes: Uli Behringer Jams with Lee Ritenour

Heroes: Uli Behringer Jams with Lee Ritenour 

by Marc Johnson for TheToneKing.com

Players love to play. Although we may work in other facets of the industry, such as founding one of the largest manufactures of music products in the world, we still wait for those euphoric moments where we are able to meet, or even play with, someone who we recognize to be one of the greats. Uli Behringer, founder/chairman of Behringer amps and friend of The Tone King, recently experienced this type of euphoria when he had a chance to perform with Lee Ritenour. 

Lee “Captain Fingers” Ritenour is not only renowned in guitar player circles, he is considered to be one of the most important pioneers in the ‘smooth-jazz’ and ‘jazz-funk’ genres. After starting session playing at the age of sixteen, he has recorded over forty albums.

Mr. Ritenour signed on for 2010 to use Bugera amps’ 333XL (check price).  In addition to using the Boutique-Style 120-Watt 3-Channel Valve Amp, Lee is also working with Bugera to build a signature amplifier. During NAMM 2010, Lee closed out the Behringer kickoff party with a performance and asked Uli to join him.

In spite of the fact that Uli is a classically trained pianist, Uli grinned like a kid when he was asked to play with Mr. Ritenour. When he took the stage, an intent look of concentration came over him as he expertly performed “Street Life” with his musical hero of over thirty years. Even after the show had ended and he was saying goodbye to Anaheim for the year, Uli, with a giddy smile on his face, remarked that playing with Lee was his “personal highlight” of all of NAMM. 

While we players may be happy to be part of other parts of the industry, nothing makes us happier than when we get to play. And who better to play with than our heroes. Congrats Uli!

The Tone King 

Related posts: