Charlie Hunter
The New Face of Jazz
by Bill Milkowski

Allow me to introduce Mr. Charlie Hunter, the reluctant yet undeniable hero of the next generation of jazz. This 32-year-old musical pioneer who hails from San Francisco may be the greatest guitarist you've never heard: Although primarily considered a jazz player, Hunter has assimilated a wide breadth of influences and successfully reassembled them into his own unique musical Esperanto. "It's rhythm music," says Hunter, I come out of the jazz idiom as far as improvisation ...but I'm also influenced by R&B, Latin, Brazilian, and African music." In his diverse artistic vision, dividing lines between be-bop, hip-hop, funk, reggae, world music, and rock are rendered non-existent and irrelevant.

One of Hunter's earliest guitar teachers was Joe Satriani, though his style shows no traces of the complex speed metal Satriani is famous for. Hunter's own sound began to emerge in 1989 when he purchased his first 7-string. In 1992 he acquired the unusual instrument he still plays, an 8-string hybrid allowing him to execute bass and lead lines simultaneously. Explains Hunter, " Around the turn of the century in New Orleans, somebody saw a drummer playing a bass drum and another drummer playing a snare and said 'Hey I could put those two together' and he came up with the first drum kit. He couldn't play all the same stuff those guys were playing so he came up with his own vocabulary. Basically, that's what I've done with the guitar and the bass, I've put those two things together and I'm coming up with my own vocabulary."

Hunter first garnered attention with rap pioneers The Disposable Heroes of Hip-Hoprisy in the early '90s. After a stadium tour supporting U2, Hunter left to form a group that included original Primus drummer Jay Lane. Their first album (produced by Prlmus' Les Claypool) eamed them a second stage slot on Lollapalloza as well as deal with prestigious Blue Note jazz label. On 1995's Bing Bing Bing! Hunter solidified his reputation among jazz and rock listeners with his bouncy, swinging cover of NIrvana's "Come As You Are." Since then Hunter has continued touring and recording as a bandleader and worked on side projects with everyone from D'Angelo to Tevin Campbell to William S. Burroughs. He was also involved with T.J. KIrk, a funk-Jazz outfit devoted entirely to the music of Thelonius Monk, James Brown and Roland KIrk. In 1997 Hunter released Natty Dread, a Jazz treatment of the classic Bob Marley album.

Hunter's latest release, the self-titled CharlIe Hunter, finds the guitarist again expanding his musical horizons, Several tracks feature New Orleans-inflected horn work from trombonist Josh Roseman and saxophonist Peter Applebaum. Other tunes find Hunter weaving grooving bass lines and minimalistic guitar splashes around the Latin-tinged percussion of Stephen Chopek, Leon Parker, and Robert Perkins. The CD's cohesive feel is something Hunter attributes to hip-hop Influences, "Groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul know how to make CDs instead of tryIng to make an LP .They're the first to use the CD format in an artistic way."

Although Hunter Is not on a crusade to spread the "jazz gospel." he might be the musician of his generation most resoibsible forbringing jazz to a wider, younger audience. At his most recent New York gIg, Hunter played noted rock venue The Bowery Ballroom. He regularly avoids ap- pearing at the more traditional Jazz rooms because, as he explains, "My fans can't really afford to go to those places. Some of them are O.K. but some of them are so uptight, I feel like I'm in a dentist's office. I want to feel like it's a party and we're having a good time. People don't work all week to spend all their money to come feel uptight."