'FRIENDS SEEN AND UNSEEN' CD REVIEW
By Mike Joyce

This is guitarist Charlie Hunter's first trio recording in a decade, but it seldom sounds like a trio session. That's because Hunter has mastered the art of multitasking. Playing his signature eight-string ax, he produces single-note guitar and bass lines simultaneously. Employing electronic effects, he can simulate the sweeping resonance of a Hammond B-3 organ and produce showers of wah-wah tones that point to rock and funk guitar influences.

"Friends" certainly sounds cozy enough, though. It's brimming with conversational exchanges and casually unfolding improvisations. It helps that saxophonist-flutist John Ellis and drummer Derrek Phillips share the bandleader's tastes for spiky intervals, odd meters and stop-time rhythms.

After listening to just a few tracks, it becomes clear that Thelonious Monk, James Brown, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Jimi Hendrix are still on Hunter's shortlist of favorites. The opening cut, Ellis's "One for the Kelpers," mixes lopsided funk beats with sax lines that move from stumble to strut before giving way to pedal-driven guitar flourishes. Hunter's "Freedom Tickler" is a strange brew of stubborn vamp and New Orleans shuffle, with Ellis favoring tart tones and Hunter creating looping designs. Then there's "Lulu's Crawl," an outre lounge theme that could have been composed after a long night of listening to Monk and Tom Waits.

Some of the melodies and rhythms on the album seem ironed out by comparison, allowing for the flute-tinted lyricism heard on "Darkly" and for the blues-tinged cover of "Soweto's Where It's At," a bittersweet homage composed by pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. But for the most part, "Friends" boasts a curiously textured charm and kinetic pulse that's hard to resist.