Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter

Hunter at SPACE, Portland, Maine, February 25, 2006
Background information
Born (1967-05-23) May 23, 1967
Rhode Island, U.S.
Genres Jazz, jazz fusion, acid jazz, funk
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1990–present
Labels Blue Note, Ropeadope
Associated acts Garage A Trois, Groundtruther, T. J. Kirk, Bobby Previte, Scott Amendola
Website www.charliehunter.com
Notable instruments
Custom seven-string guitar by Jeff Traugott
Custom eight-string guitar by Ralph Novak
Custom seven-string guitar by Wes Lambe

Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, and melodies. Critic Sean Westergaard described Hunter's technique as "mind-boggling...he's an agile improviser with an ear for great tone, and always has excellent players alongside him in order to make great music, not to show off."[1] Hunter's technique is rooted in the styles of jazz guitarists Joe Pass and Tuck Andress, two of his biggest influences, who blended bass notes with melody in a way that created the illusion of two guitars.[2]

Biography

Charlie Hunter performs at the Bennett Alliance Music Fest in Rochester, New York (July 21, 2007)

Hunter was born in Rhode Island. At an early age, he was around guitars because his mother repaired them for a living.[3] He and his sister and mother lived for several years on a commune in Mendocino County, California, then settled in Berkeley. Hunter attended Berkeley High School and Phillips Exeter Academy, and took lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani. At eighteen he moved to Paris.[3] He has stated that busking in Paris gave him on the job training.[4] Returning to San Francisco, he played seven-string guitar and organ in Michael Franti's political rap group, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. In 1992, they were one of the opening acts for U2's Zoo TV Tour.

On his debut album, Charlie Hunter Trio (1993), he played seven-string guitar with Dave Ellis on saxphone and Jay Lane on drums.[3] On the next album, Bing, Bing, Bing! (Blue Note, 1995), he played an eight-string guitar custom built by Ralph Novak. In the 1990s, Hunter played in the band T. J. Kirk, which got its name from three musicians whose music it covered: Thelonious Monk, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk.[3] The band released two albums before breaking up.[2]

Hunter co-founded Garage a Trois, a jazz fusion band[3] with Stanton Moore and Skerik,[5] and Groundtruther with Bobby Previte.[2][3] In the summer of 2007, he toured in a trio with keyboardist Erik Deutsch and drummer Simon Lott[3] and recorded the album Mistico (Fantasy, 2007).

He performed on three songs on D'Angelo's album Voodoo (2000), including "The Root".[6] He has stated that the session for the song was the most challenging session he has worked on.[6]

He was an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists.[7]

Equipment

Hunter plays a custom seven-string guitar made by Jeff Traugott. Previously, Hunter played a custom-made, eight-string guitar made by luthier Ralph Novak of Novax Guitars. He played chords and lead guitar solos on the top five strings (tuned ADGBe), and simultaneously played bass lines on the bottom three strings (tuned EAD). With the addition of a Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere (a Leslie rotary speaker simulator), his unique style produced a sound similar to that of a Hammond organ—an instrument he set out to imitate.[8]

In 2006, Hunter removed the top guitar string and had the neck of his guitar reworked and now plays a modified 7-string on the formerly-8 string body. Hunter has mentioned that because of his small hands, he had to move out of position to make use of the 8th string and thus wasn't using it much. A change in Hunter's style away from the organ sound into a more blues and distortion based sound happened at the same time. After removing the 8th string, Hunter retuned all of the strings up a half step: F-A#-D# on the bass and A#-D#-G#-C on the guitar. As of 2008, he had once again retuned up another whole step: G-C-F on the bass and C-F-A#-D on the guitar.[9]

Discography

As leader

As sideman/co-leader

With Garage a Trois

With T. J. Kirk

With Groundtruther

With Bobby Previte

With Scott Amendola

With others

Videography

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Sean Westergaard (2005-03-29). "Steady Groovin' - Charlie Hunter | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Meredith, Bill. "Charlie Hunter | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Yanow, Scott (2013). The great jazz guitarists : the ultimate guide. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  4. ↑ "Charlie Hunter Guitar Legend". GuitarCasa.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  5. ↑ "Music + Culture + Clothing". Ropeadope.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  6. 1 2 "CharlieHunter.com". CharlieHunter.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  8. ↑ "Hunter credits musicians Jimmy Smith and Larry Young, both organ players, as huge influences on his style — Young in particular, because of the way Young would play bass lines with his left hand and chords and melodies with his right. In fact, many listeners often mistake Hunter's guitar for an organ because of the rich, vibrant sound and complex chords." Charlie Hunter Live in Studio 4A, by Lianne Hansen, April 2003
  9. ↑ Hunter, Charlie. "Charlie Hunter Has 'Neglected To Inform You'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  10. ↑ "Popular Uprising". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 28– 17 June 2000. ISSN 0006-2510.
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