Charlie Hunter’s second album for Blue Note (his third altogether) follows the example set by the first (Bing, Bing, Bing!, reviewed February 1996) in presenting more Scofield-styled swamp boogie and broody ballads and again using an exclamation mark at the end of its title. The band is, however, augmented by another soloist – altoist Calder Spanier.
Except perhaps in technical terms (with his eight-string guitar he fills the roles of guitarist, bassist and Hammond organist simultaneously) Hunter is not an innovator, the music echoing not only Scofield’s recent Eddie Harris phase (the most powerful influence, surely, on his playing and writing) but also Paul Motian’s recent groups and something of Britain’s Jim Mullen imitating Scofield. It all leads back to Scofield in other ways too – the album was produced by long-time Scofield producer Lee Townsend and, just as Scofield’s 1992 What We Do album had a track called Call 911, so Hunter’s latest has one called simply 911. Oddly though, the press notes only mention Scofield in connection with Lee Townsend and cite Hunter’s guitar influences as the unlikely Charlie Christian and Joe Pass. However, the writing and soloing are of the highest quality, even as the retro sixties organ fad wears a bit thin.
Discography
Ashby Man; Teabaggin’; Let’s Get Medieval; The Shango Pt III; Dersu; 911; Shango … The Ballad; Thursday The 12th; Sutton (52.45)
Hunter (elg); Dave Ellis (ts); Calder Spanier (as); Scott Amendola (d). Marin County, Ca, circa 1996.
(Blue Note CDP 7243 8 37101 2 8)
