ProJazz.net

Earth Run is the fifteenth studio album by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, released in April 1986 through GRP Records. The album reached number ten on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart in the United States and received a Grammy Award nomination for Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental. The title track was also nominated for Best Instrumental Composition.

Reception

Richard S. Ginell at AllMusic called the album “a more interesting record than most of its immediate predecessors” and noted the “peculiarly fuzzy, futuristic sound” of Ritenour’s SynthAxe guitar synthesizer (as depicted on the cover art; one of nine different guitars used on the album).

Track listing
1. “Soaring” Lee Ritenour 5:38
2. “Earth Run” Ritenour, Dave Grusin 4:39
3. “If I’m Dreamin’ (Don’t Wake Me)” Ritenour, Martin Page, Maurice White 5:12
4. “Watercolors” Don Grusin 5:14
5. “The Sauce” Greg Mathieson 4:22
6. “Butterfly” Herbie Hancock 5:11
7. “Hero” (CD edition bonus track) Ritenour, Grusin 3:52
8. “Sanctuary” Ritenour 4:46
9. “Water from the Moon” Ritenour 5:33

Personnel
Lee Ritenour – acoustic guitar (1), electric guitars (1, 3, 5–7), guitar melody and solo (1, 2, 4, 8), SynthAxe (1–4, 6, 8), SynthAxe with Oberheim and Yamaha synthesizers (1, 2, 4, 8), electric classical guitar (2, 4–6, 8, 9)
Dave Grusin – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 6, 9), synth bass (3), acoustic piano (8)
Marcus Ryle – SynthAxe programming (1, 2), synthesizer programming (7)
Larry Williams – synthesizers (1), SynthAxe programming (1, 2), horns (1), synthesizer programming (3, 5)
David Foster – keyboards (3), synth bass (3)
Don Grusin – synthesizers (4), keyboards (7), synthesizer programming (7)
Greg Mathieson – keyboards (5), synth bass (5)
Casey Young – synthesizer programming (5)
Jimmy Johnson – bass (1, 4, 7, 9)
Abraham Laboriel – bass (2, 6)
Carlos Vega – drums (1–3, 5–7, 9)
Harvey Mason – drums (8)
Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2–9)
Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone (1, 4)
Jerry Hey – horns (1)
Tom Scott – Lyricon (9)
Phil Perry – lead vocals (3)
Maurice White – vocals (3)
Tommy Funderburk – vocals (3)

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Released: April 1986
Studio: Starlight (Burbank, California)
Length: 44:28
Label: GRP
Producers:
Lee Ritenour, Greg Mathieson, Dave Grusin, Larry Rosen