Jazz Guitarist Charlie (y) Hunter

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Has anyone heard or heard of this musician ?
He plays an eight string guitar, the lowest three strings are tuned A-E-D and go to a bass amp. The upper five are same as the first 5 on a regular guitar but go to a lot of effects and he has a large range of genres from Elvis to R&B and Jazz. He uses a Leslie effect that reminds you of Jimmy Smith and he told the NPR interviewer that
he likes analog effects so I'm assuming he is not MIDI. He also said he likes a Phase Shifter and Delays etc. A really nice sound and I'm trying to get a little more info on
him if anyone has such, thank you in advance.

Regards, Paul

Steven Welborn · From: Ojai,CA USA

never heard of him. or an 8 strng guitar. George Van Epps invented a 7 string guitar with the 7th string a low B i believe. He was a highly accomplished jazz player who developed a complex style with multiple lines, including bass lines flowing simultanously (thats where that 7th string was used very effectively). Ted Green, an amazing chord melody master and teacher, was one of his students.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bluenose jazz loyalists doubtless hate him, but the Bay Area's Charlie Hunter is one of the music's saviors for the '90s. With his customized eight-stringed guitar in hand, Hunter essays the greasy glories of early '60s jazz funk, serving as guitarist, bassist, and de facto organist in these groove-driven gems abetted by Dave Ellis' ripe tenor saxophone and Jay Lane's concise, funky drumming. Acid jazz has understandably adopted Hunter as a leading light, but this music has more chops, heart, and reach--earning him the right to stand alongside better-known jazz and funk masters as a confident, compelling original. Infectious grooves prevail, and even Kurt Cobain gets funked up on a breezy and inventive deconstruction of "Come As You Are." --Sam Sutherland

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Blue Note revival, October 3, 2000
Reviewer: Steve Haley (see more about me) from Stillwater, Oklahoma United States
This was my intro to Charlie Hunter and I have to admit it took some time to grow on me. Yeah, Charlie is great, enough can't be said about him. But to me the highlight if this cd is Dave Ellis on Sax. Ties in with Sonny Rollins and Cannonball Adderly. And Jay Lane! Where did you come from my man? As far as I'm concerned, this trio could have stayed together for a lifetime.

Different and Good, January 29, 2000
Reviewer: A music fan from The planet jazz
I picked up this album after reading numerous reviews, labeling Charlie Hunter as the most innovative jazz guitarist imerging in recent years. The first time I listened, I enjoyed it and could appreciate the groove, it sounded like a decent quartet. But then I remembered, Charlie Hunter is the 8-string master and was simultaneously playing the addictive bass lines, as well as churning the organ sounding chord changes. With the melodic stylings of tenor, Dave Ellis, I immediately became a huge Charlie Hunter fan. With every listen, one will pick up on the intricate nuances of Hunter's style. A must have for a any guitar player or jazz head.

Awesome Virtuosity, January 10, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan from Baltimore, Maryland
This CD is a hype statement of the best of acid-jazz. Its (not use yet again the almost cliche phrase) use of funk, with incredibly thoughtful arrangements, and stellar instrumentation just flat out grooves. I guess I can rant and rave because its hard to imagine that one man is playing a thoroughly melodic and chordal guitar arrangement (which one associates with jazz), while also is bopping out the bass lines simultaneously!!! That blows my mind and that is what Charlie Hunter does. I often listen to it and wonder "does this really groove?" or "am I just enamored with the novelty of dual-simultaneous instrumentalist?" I encourage you to answer this question for yourself.

Boomer · From: Brentwood, TN USA

Charlie is definitely one of the guitar men of the year. I heard him and a review on National Public Radio last summer. In the country gendre, Tommy Crook does something similar in that he uses two bass strings (E & A) for the two bottom strings on a six string guitar and plays contrapuntal lines on those whilst playing melody on the other four strings. I saw him at the Sheraton in Tulsa. Quite a one man show. Chet Atkins was quoted as saying "If Tommy ever moves to Nashville, I'm quitting guitar". Quite a statement from Mr. Guitar. Best, Boomer

Chris Walke · From: St Charles, IL

Paul--

Check out a couple albums by a band called TJ Kirk. I believe the first was self-titled, the second was called "If four was one." They play a nice mixture of funk, jazz, rock. 3 guitarists, one being Hunter (who holds down the basslines and riffs thru a leslie), and drums. EXCELLENT playing throughout both albums.

By the way, the name is a code:

T=Thelonius Monk
J=James Brown
Kirk=Roland Kirk

Most of the music is based on songs, riffs, and melodies written by those artists, and are presented in seemless medleys.

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Jim: If you typed all that out by hand and it looks as if you have, then I owe you one big THANK YOU !! I appreciate that and it seems apparent that you appreciate Mr. Hunter and a lot of others do as well.

This was my first expousure to him and having grown up in a little PA town called Robesonia, I heard a lot of organ when I was a kid. Polkas and standards but I learned to love it. I'm still wondering what his electronic set-up is to get that faithful reproduction of a Leslie.

I look under Humor and if I don't see your name there, I move on. I'm scared I'll find Bobbe and that Irish lady in there ! Best Regards, Paul.

Jerry Gleason · From: Eugene, Oregon, USA

Paul, You can find a detailed list of Charlie's gear on his website www.charliehunter.com. When I last saw him, a couple of years ago he was using a Korg G4 rotary simulator for the organ sound. He's amazing to watch and hear, playing funky bass lines and chord solos at the same time on his 8 string.

Incidentely, his album "Bing, Bing, Bing" features some nice pedal steel by David Phillips.

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

I heard the tuning he uses is E,A,DAdgbe'.

Makes sense; bottom 3 strings of a bass guitar and top five of a regular guitar or, looking at it another way, continuing down in fourths from a drop-D tuning.

I had an 8-string nylon string guitar once that I modified myself from a six-stringer, and tuned it CEAdgbe'a'. I had great fun using it for classical stuff and ragtime, but it was stolen.

Van Eps tuned his seventh string to a low A, because he said he already knew the bass notes on the fifth string and was too lazy to learn a B, string. We should all be so lazy.

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