Charlie Hunter
| Charlie Hunter | |
|---|---|
Hunter at SPACE, Portland, Maine, February 25, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born |
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 |
| Notable instruments | |
| Custom seven-string guitar by Jeff Traugott Custom eight-string guitar by Ralph Novak |
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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 basslines, rhythm guitar, and solos. 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." The 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.
Hunter was born in Rhode Island. At an early age, he was around guitars because his mother repaired them for a living. He and his sister and mother lived for several years on a commune in Mendocino County, California, then settled in Berkeley. Hunter graduated from Berkeley High School and took lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani. At eighteen he moved to Paris. He has stated that busking in Paris gave him on the job training. 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. 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. The band released two albums before breaking up.
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