The Songs on the Ritt Henn CD, Goin' Back

1. Establishing a groove for the title track (mono mix) (:22)
Drummer James Gadson gets us goin'. I was in the studio workin' with James recording Arthur Adams' CD, "Back on Track" (Blind Pig)...James did this thing where he'd get the groove goin' before the actual take, then count us into the downbeat. So when I got him on this project, I made sure the engineer had the tape rollin' as soon as we started makin' noise, in case we could use any of it. We could & we did. The mono mix was re-recorded playin' thru a trashy boom-box @ Sony's state-of-the-art master studio. Oh the ends we go thru to give you quality entertainment.

2. Goin' Back (4:02))
"I'm goin' back to be a kid again"...visitin' Mom & Dad down at the Jersey shore.
Groove a la Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions. Horns arranged by Greg Smith.

3. Touch My Heart (3:46)
"That's okay, fire away, turn my brains into pop art/You can't touch my heart"
After hearing this song, buddy John Groover McDuffie said, "And I thought I was bitter."

4. Tina (3:18)
Shhh....don't tell anyone, but the progression to this lovely ballad is from "Satin Doll," with the last 4 bars of the bridge coming from the last 4 of the bridge of "Darn That Dream."

5. 213 Oak St., Brookline, MA 01426 (:12)
"She said: Please don't write a song about me." Okay, I won't...but I sorta did.

6. Jake's Slate (:06)
When Leslie Chew & I were mixing this puppy, we just kept cracking up at the way Jake sez: "Change Sucks....Take 1!" So we kept it in.

7. Change Sucks (2:40)
But of course, change doesn't suck. Growth is good. It just hurts like hell. A duet with contempo cabaret maven D.C. Anderson. He invited me to sing this song when I was accompanying him on his shows, & we started doing it together. I figured I'd have him on the album cuz we had so much fun (& maybe a few more cabaret fans would buy the disc if they saw his name on it, too).

8. "Listening..." (:10)
One of those "It ended up on tape, we might as well put it on the CD" snippets. Leslie & I would join in on that heavy, world-weary sigh whenever we heard it. Maybe you will, too.

9. Time of Day (3:44)
This one really captures the band vibe I was goin' for when cuttin' this album...bluesy, swingy, with Neil Larsen on B-3 & Joe Jewell tearin' it up on guitar. In C# minor, just like "Born Under a Bad Sign"...lets you dig into that low open E quite hiply. Also has one of my favorite verses:

"Your wrist gets dwarfed by that massive Timex
Hands sweeping 'cross its face
Racing towards then fleeing from embrace
Can't stand still
As long as there's quartz
They'll continue to cavort
Forever chasing the time of day
The time of day skeedaddles away"

10. Match Made in Heaven (3:46)
Has another favorite verse, which was written while waiting in line in the coat-check room at MOMA in NYC.

"Cupid was catnapping when you walked thru the door
Takin' a breather from the rigors of amor
Left to my own devices to try & win your heart
Casanova had it down to a science
But when he started it was just an art"

The bari sax & flute battle is brought to you by the happily married couple & proprietors of Duncan's Pampered Pets in San Luis Obispo, Greg Smith & Beverly Dahlke-Smith. The bari ride-out is our homage to Lisa Simpson blowin' her horn as she leaves the band room & heads down the hall. Greg simply backed up from the mic into the spacious confines of Studio X, a.k.a. Tom Manche & Susan Streitwieser's bedroom.

11. Born to Hold You in My Arms (3:53)
Written for the true object of my affection: my bass. For those of you cross-harping, you'll want your Db harp, as the bulk is in Ab.

12. Don't Squeeze It, Pull It or Screw It Too Tight (1:18)
A solo bass piece deriving its title from the Concerned Citizens Tip that accompanied it when I first performed it on my tv show, "A Man, a Bass & a Box of Stuff." Ya see, a lot of things had been breaking lately as a result of overzealousness on my behalf.

13. Home on the Range (4:22)
Picture Otis Redding-meets-Sonny & Cher. A duet with Wanda L. Houston that truly kicks butt. I love workin' with Wanda, & I love this cut...you can hear us smilin', & I like that.

14. Just Gotta Laugh (1:34)
Written while floating on a dock on a lake in Massachusetts. It was the last day of my visit with my Goddaughter Catherine & her family, & I was about to whisk back to L.A. And I was gettin' all worked up about stuff I had no right or reason to get worked up about. The first to hear this song was my neice Samantha; I sang it for her while treading water en route to the shore. Features the nifty ol' Fluke, one hip li'l ukulele.

15. XYZ (2:55)
"If you're my x, y doesn't this seem like z end?" The oldest song of mine on the album, tweaked with the encouragement of co-producer Tom Manche. Once upon a time, we did the bridge with a 1/2 time feel. Screw that; this time we just swing throughout. My folks really like the groove on this one; it's great for swing dancin'.

16. Ev'ry Port (3:07)
In some regards, my favorite cut on the album for its simplicity & vibe. This is the only cut where there weren't any overdubs (except the solo bass pieces, of course). This was just Joe & me in a bedroom with a coupla mics, with me singin' as we played. I'm truly considering doin' the next album like this...hell, it'll sure cost less.

17. Beautiful Dreamer (1:52)
I'm an endorsee for Azola Basses. A few years back, I was their demo guy at the NAMM show, demonstrating the beauties of the almighty BugBass. This is one of the tunes I worked up to show off the tone & range of the instrument. Heck, it sounds pretty dang good on a real one, too.

18. All You Need Is Love (3:45)
I just picked up the bass one day & started noodlin' on this one. Did it for folks over in Belgium & they ate it up. Figured scores of Belgians can't be wrong.

19. The proverbial "mystery track" (?:??)
Where Dad divulges his recipe for cookin' scallops.


					Goin' Back: The Cuts 47 Swingin' Minutes of Music!

					1. Establishing a groove for the title track (mono mix) (:22) Drummer James Gadson gets us goin'. I was in the studio workin' with James recording Arthur Adams' CD, "Back on Track" (Blind Pig)...James did this thing where he'd get the groove goin' before the actual take, then count us into the downbeat. So when I got him on this project, I made sure the engineer had the tape rollin' as soon as we started makin' noise, in case we could use any of it. We could & we did. The mono mix was re-recorded playin' thru a trashy boom-box @ Sony's state-of-the-art master studio. Oh the ends we go thru to give you quality entertainment. 2. Goin' Back (4:02)) "I'm goin' back to be a kid again"...visitin' Mom & Dad down at the Jersey shore. Groove a la Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions. Horns arranged by Greg Smith. 3. Touch My Heart (3:46) "That's okay, fire away, turn my brains into pop art/You can't touch my heart" After hearing this song, buddy John Groover McDuffie said, "And I thought I was bitter." 4. Tina (3:18) Shhh....don't tell anyone, but the progression to this lovely ballad is from "Satin Doll," with the last 4 bars of the bridge coming from the last 4 of the bridge of "Darn That Dream." 5. 213 Oak St., Brookline, MA 01426 (:12) "She said: Please don't write a song about me." Okay, I won't...but I sorta did. 6. Jake's Slate (:06) When Leslie Chew & I were mixing this puppy, we just kept cracking up at the way Jake sez: "Change Sucks....Take 1!" So we kept it in. 7. Change Sucks (2:40) But of course, change doesn't suck. Growth is good. It just hurts like hell. A duet with contempo cabaret maven D.C. Anderson. He invited me to sing this song when I was accompanying him on his shows, & we started doing it together. I figured I'd have him on the album cuz we had so much fun (& maybe a few more cabaret fans would buy the disc if they saw his name on it, too). 8. "Listening..." (:10) One of those "It ended up on tape, we might as well put it on the CD" snippets. Leslie & I would join in on that heavy, world-weary sigh whenever we heard it. Maybe you will, too. 9. Time of Day (3:44) This one really captures the band vibe I was goin' for when cuttin' this album...bluesy, swingy, with Neil Larsen on B-3 & Joe Jewell tearin' it up on guitar. In C# minor, just like "Born Under a Bad Sign"...lets you dig into that low open E quite hiply. Also has one of my favorite verses: "Your wrist gets dwarfed by that massive Timex Hands sweeping 'cross its face Racing towards then fleeing from embrace Can't stand still As long as there's quartz They'll continue to cavort Forever chasing the time of day The time of day skeedaddles away" 10. Match Made in Heaven (3:46) Has another favorite verse, which was written while waiting in line in the coat-check room at MOMA in NYC. "Cupid was catnapping when you walked thru the door Takin' a breather from the rigors of amor Left to my own devices to try & win your heart Casanova had it down to a science But when he started it was just an art" The bari sax & flute battle is brought to you by the happily married couple & proprietors of Duncan's Pampered Pets in San Luis Obispo, Greg Smith & Beverly Dahlke-Smith. The bari ride-out is our homage to Lisa Simpson blowin' her horn as she leaves the band room & heads down the hall. Greg simply backed up from the mic into the spacious confines of Studio X, a.k.a. Tom Manche & Susan Streitwieser's bedroom. 11. Born to Hold You in My Arms (3:53) Written for the true object of my affection: my bass. For those of you cross-harping, you'll want your Db harp, as the bulk is in Ab. 12. Don't Squeeze It, Pull It or Screw It Too Tight (1:18) A solo bass piece deriving its title from the Concerned Citizens Tip that accompanied it when I first performed it on my tv show, "A Man, a Bass & a Box of Stuff." Ya see, a lot of things had been breaking lately as a result of overzealousness on my behalf. 13. Home on the Range (4:22) Picture Otis Redding-meets-Sonny & Cher. A duet with Wanda L. Houston that truly kicks butt. I love workin' with Wanda, & I love this cut...you can hear us smilin', & I like that. 14. Just Gotta Laugh (1:34) Written while floating on a dock on a lake in Massachusetts. It was the last day of my visit with my Goddaughter Catherine & her family, & I was about to whisk back to L.A. And I was gettin' all worked up about stuff I had no right or reason to get worked up about. The first to hear this song was my neice Samantha; I sang it for her while treading water en route to the shore. Features the nifty ol' Fluke, one hip li'l ukulele. 15. XYZ (2:55) "If you're my x, y doesn't this seem like z end?" The oldest song of mine on the album, tweaked with the encouragement of co-producer Tom Manche. Once upon a time, we did the bridge with a 1/2 time feel. Screw that; this time we just swing throughout. My folks really like the groove on this one; it's great for swing dancin'. 16. Ev'ry Port (3:07) In some regards, my favorite cut on the album for its simplicity & vibe. This is the only cut where there weren't any overdubs (except the solo bass pieces, of course). This was just Joe & me in a bedroom with a coupla mics, with me singin' as we played. I'm truly considering doin' the next album like this...hell, it'll sure cost less. 17. Beautiful Dreamer (1:52) I'm an endorsee for Azola Basses. A few years back, I was their demo guy at the NAMM show, demonstrating the beauties of the almighty BugBass. This is one of the tunes I worked up to show off the tone & range of the instrument. Heck, it sounds pretty dang good on a real one, too. 18. All You Need Is Love (3:45) I just picked up the bass one day & started noodlin' on this one. Did it for folks over in Belgium & they ate it up. Figured scores of Belgians can't be wrong. 19. The proverbial "mystery track" (?:??) Where Dad divulges his recipe for cookin' scallops. bio \| buzz \| cd's \| books \| tv \| videos \| the future \| the past how to order \| links \| contact \| home sweet home