Charlie Hunter


Charlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer, producer and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, and melodies. 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." Hunter's 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.

Biography

Charlie Hunter's affinity for guitars was cultivated from a young age, largely due to his mother's profession as a guitar repairer. He and his mother and sister lived for several years on a commune in Mendocino County, California, then settled in Berkeley. Hunter attended Berkeley High School and took lessons from rock 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 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.
For his self-titled 1993 debut album, Charlie Hunter Trio, Hunter played a seven-string guitar for the duality effect, locking down the bottom with drummer Jay Lane and mixing melodically with saxophonist Dave Ellis. On trio’s 1995 sophomore release, Bing, Bing, Bing!, he unveiled his custom-made Novax eight-string guitar. Designed by Ralph Novak, the instrument featured fanned frets and separate pickups for its guitar and bass portions. Picking bass notes with his right thumb while fretting them with his left index finger, Hunter achieved the real sound of two-for-one.
Hunter played with the side group T.J. Kirk in the mid-’90s, a band that derived their name from the cover material they exclusively played: Thelonious Monk, James Brown, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. T.J. Kirk released a self-titled 1995 debut and their 1996 follow-up, If Four Was One received a GRAMMY nomination. Hunter’s next project was an instrumental remake of Bob Marley’s Natty Dread album in its entirety. Also featuring saxophonists Kenny Brooks and Calder Spanier, the 1997 release beat the odds by becoming arguably Hunter’s best album. Teaming with vibraphonist Stefon Harris and percussionist John Santos, Charlie Hunter & Pound for Pound released Return of the Candyman. A departure from Natty Dread, mainly due to the work of Harris, the disc featured a vibes-heavy cover of Steve Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle.”
He performed on three songs on D'Angelo's album Voodoo, including "The Root". He has stated that the session for the song was the most challenging session he has worked on.
In between tours he recorded a 1999 duo album with drummer/percussionist Leon Parker and a self-titled 2000 album that featured Parker and an otherwise ensemble cast. Hunter also contributed greatly to the 2000 comeback album by drummer Mike Clark, Actual Proof. Hunter concluded his run at Blue Note with 2001’s Songs from the Analog Playground, which saw him collaborating with vocalists for the first time, ranging from labelmates Norah Jones and Kurt Elling to Mos Def. 2003 found Hunter with a new label and two new bands on Right Now Move, and the beginning of Groundtruther, a partnership with percussionist/composer Bobby Previte. They released Come in Red Dog, This Is Tango Leader before adopting the Groundtruther moniker. In 2003 he released Friends Seen and Unseen, with drummer Derrek Phillips and saxman John Ellis, both members of the Quintet. By now, Groundtruther had taken on a life of its own, with Hunter and Previte joined by a rotating third member. Latitude was first, in 2004 with saxophonist Greg Osby, followed by Longitude with DJ Logic in 2005.
In 2006, the Charlie Hunter Trio resurfaced with Copperopolis. After recruiting Erik Deutsch on keys and Simon Lott on drums, the trio released Mistico in the summer of 2007. In 2008, Hunter released the self-titled Charlie Hunter Trio and "Baboon Strength" and then continued into the new decade with "Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid." Hunter's exploration into various genres led to the creation of a unique catalog of instrumental music From 2008 to 2018, he released a series of albums that further explored his 7-string guitar style. Highlights during this period were “Baboon Strength”, “Gentlemen I Neglected to Tell You You Will Not Be Getting Paid”, “ Let the Bells Ring On", "Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth". In 2016, he embarked on a groundbreaking tour with a new quartet that included a trombone, an instrument seldom seen in his previous line-ups. After releasing Blue Note’s "Songs of the Analog Playground" which featured Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Mos Def, Theryl DeClouet, he continued to work with vocalists such as D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, John Mayer, alongside emerging voices like Dara Tucker, Lucy Woodward, Silvana Estrada, Maritzaida and Victoria Elliott.
By the end of the decade, Hunter’s innovative and pioneering contributions to the jazz genre had significantly reshaped its landscape, earning him a place among the most influential jazz artists of the 21st century.
During the 2019 pandemic, Hunter turned his attention towards music production and long-distance collaborations. This led to the creation of , a groundbreaking metronome app featuring some of today’s most notable drummers. Furthermore, Hunter founded , his personal record label and artist development house. As a staunch advocate for artist rights, he gained control of his master recordings, which he subsequently remastered and reissued. SideHustle Records’ artist development house is committed to nurturing emerging talent. Occasionally teaming up with , a non-profit organization known for its dedication to promoting and preserving diverse cultural expressions, Hunter works to amplify new voices and talents and build a more inclusive music community. His various collaborations are instrumental in escalating the careers of many budding artists, further establishing his reputation as a producer, collaborator and mentor.
After a long-distance collaboration, former Blue Note label mate and GRAMMY award-winning vocalist, Kurt Elling, alongside Hunter, Corey Fonville, and DJ Harrison, debuted their innovative band, SuperBlue, in late 2020. Their unique blend of traditional jazz elements with modern influences heralds a new era of music exploration. Following their debut, the band embarked on several international tours and released four LPs. SuperBlue has been nominated twice for the GRAMMY awards.

Equipment

Hunter currently plays 6 and 7 string guitars made by Hybrid Guitars Co. Hybrid Guitars was founded in 2015 when he teamed up with luthiers Clay Conner and Wes Lambe to produce fanned-fret instruments to his specifications. Previously, Hunter played custom-made seven-string guitar/s made by Jeff Traugott, eight-string guitar/s made by luthier Ralph Novak of Novax Guitars. He played chords and lead guitar solos on the top five strings, and simultaneously played bass lines on the bottom three strings. With the addition of a Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere, his unique style produced a sound similar to that of a Hammond organ—an instrument he set out to imitate.
In 2006, Hunter removed the top guitar string and had the neck of his guitar reworked and now plays a modified 7-string on the formerly-8 string body. Hunter has mentioned that because of his small hands, he had to move out of position to make use of the 8th string and thus wasn't using it much. A change in Hunter's style away from the organ sound into a more blues and distortion based sound happened at the same time. After removing the 8th string, Hunter retuned all of the strings up a half step: F-Bb-Eb on the bass and Bb-Eb-Ab-C on the guitar. As of 2008, he had once again retuned up another whole step: G-C-F on the bass and C-F-Bb-D on the guitar.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

  • Charlie Hunter Trio
  • Bing, Bing, Bing!
  • Ready...Set...Shango!
  • Natty Dread
  • Return of the Candyman with Pound for Pound
  • Duo with Leon Parker
  • Charlie Hunter
  • Solo Eight-String Guitar
  • Songs from the Analog Playground
  • Right Now Move
  • Come in Red Dog, This is Tango Leader with Bobby Previte
  • Friends Seen and Unseen
  • Earth Tones with Earl "Chinna" Smith and Ernest Ranglin
  • Copperopolis
  • Mistico
  • Baboon Strength
  • Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid
  • Public Domain
  • Not Getting Behind Is the New Getting Ahead with Scott Amendola
  • Pucker with Scott Amendola
  • Cars/Williams/Porter/Ellington with Scott Amendola
  • Dionne Dionne with Dionne Farris
  • Let the Bells Ring On
  • We Two Kings: Charlie Hunter and Bobby Previte Play the Great Carols with Bobby Previte
  • Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth
  • Charlie Hunter/Carter McLean Featuring Silvana Estrada with Carter McLean and Silvana Estrada
  • Music! Music! Music! with Lucy Woodward
  • Charlie Hunter/Carter McLean Volume One with Carter McLean
  • Avant Blues with Bobby Previte
  • Patton in Percussion
  • I'm a Stranger Here with Lucy Woodward
  • Sam Fribush Organ Trio Vol. 1 Riverboat
  • Sam Fribush Organ Trio Vol. 2 The Root
  • Kick, Snare, Baritone Guitar
  • Charlie Hunter Trio Live At The Memphis Music Mansion
  • Montrose with Corey Fonville and Adrian Olsen
  • Different Strokes for Different Folks Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold
  • The 1966 Fender Mustang Songbook Vol 1 Night/Vol 2 Day
With Groundtruther
  • Latitude
  • Longitude
  • Altitude
With Victoria Victoria
  • To The Wayside
  • First Snow
  • Victoria Victoria and Charlie Hunter - Live Sessions
  • Sweetest Ache
With SuperBlue