The Guitar Channel

Current Listening

Listening to lots of great new stuff lately...

 

Prashant Aswani - Visions

Awesome melodic rock fusion disc. Loaded with Aswani's signature legato lines, smooth overdriven tones, and groove-heavy writing. Includes a guest appearance by Jeff Kollman.

Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers - HBC

Awesome, raw record with killer playing from all involved. Love the stripped-down trio arrangements of fusion classics such as "Actual Proof" and "Mysterious Traveller." A must-have for Scott Henderson fans.

John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension - Now Here This

Another great release from the godfather of fusion and his crack quartet, the 4th Dimension. Filled with deep improvisation and band interplay. Not to mention, McLaughlin's ripping runs on "Riff Raff" prove that he is still one of the greatest pickers ever.

Karizma - Perfect Harmony

New three-disc release from keyboardist David Garfield's classic west coast jazz band. Includes new music, plus demos and live tracks. Features Michael Landau, Tim Pierce, James Harrah, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Porcaro, and many others. Loaded with great playing.

Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola - Not Getting Behind Is The New Getting Ahead

Love the vibe on this one. Loaded with deep grooves and subtle interplay between Hunter and Amendola.

The Fusion Syndicate

Cool collection of jazz-fusion originals from producer Billy Sherwood, performed by a lengthy roster of the genre's giants. Lineup includes Steve Morse, Larry Coryell, Steve Stevens, Scott Kinsey, Chad Wackerman, Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman, Jordan Rudess, Derek Sherinian, Jimmy Haslip, Randy Brecker, Percy Jones, and many others.

My Charlie Hunter Photo "Deconstructed"

Artist Adam Brucker reached out to me recently about using a photo I had taken of Charlie Hunter for his Deconstruction 77 digital art project. Not only are the results really cool (you can check out the pic below), but Adam was kind enough to have Hunter sign a copy of one of the prints for me at a recent show! It's hanging proudly in my Guitar Channel man-cave at this very moment. You can see more of Adam's work on his website - http://cleverspec.com/. Thanks so much Adam!

Videos: Charlie Hunter Clinic - June 2011

Great videos of Charlie Hunter's June 16th clinic at the Woodwind & Brasswind Flagship Superstore.

Photos: Charlie Hunter Duo - Live in Evanston, IL 6/15/11

I caught Charlie Hunter's gig with drummer Derrek Phillips at SPACE in Evanston IL last night. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing for me, and I'm really glad I went. Such a cool show - Hunter was amazing, and the groove between these two guys was unreal. It was my first time seeing Hunter play, and there's no doubt he's one of the most talented guitarists I've ever seen live. Here are some pics from this great performance.

Photos: Charlie Hunter Duo - Live in Evanston, IL 6/15/11

Favorite Albums of 2010

Looking back over this past year, I really believe 2010 has been the most incredible year in music I've ever experienced. It's certainly been the best year I've seen since I started The Guitar Channel in 2004. On one hand, I've never witnessed as much amazing live music as I have this year. There were the great Winter NAMM gigs (such as OHM w/ Mike Kenneally, Alex Machacek w/ Ric Fierabracci, the Bombastic Meatbats, and more), awesome Chicago gigs by Mike Stern, Allan Holdsworth, and others, and of course the festivals - starting with the incredible Baked Potato 40th Anniversary Jazz Festival in May, the legend-packed Crossroads Guitar Festival in June, and the capper: the amazing New Universe Music Festival last month.

Then of course, there were the great albums of 2010. And there were a lot of them. Here are my favorite albums that were released this year, in no particular order.

Alex Machacek featuring Marco Minnemann - 24 Tales (Review)

A remarkable disc featuring music Machacek composed over a 52-minute Minnemann drum solo.

Michael Landau, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip, Gary Novak - Renegade Creation (Review)

Awesome blues rock super group that brings together guitar legends Landau and Ford. Killer playing; amazing guitar tones.

Ray Riendeau - Atmospheres

This one came out of nowhere and really grabbed me. Great collection of fusion tunes with a killer guest list that includes Alex Machacek, Jeff Kollman, Greg Koch, Nat Janoff, and many others.

Lenny White - Anomaly

Fantastic old-school jazz rock album from the legendary drummer. Includes guests Jimmy Herring and David Gilmore.

Prashant Aswani - Sonically Speaking (Review)

Tasty, melodic instrumental rock disc with killer playing and writing. Includes guests Brett Garsed and Rob Caggiano.

Bombastic Meatbats featuring Chad Smith - More Meat

Awesome throwback fusion with great grooves. Features Jeff Kollman on guitar.

Charlie Hunter - Public Domain

This may seem like an out-of-left-field choice, but I can't get enough of this album. Features Hunter playing solo versions of old public domain classics chosen by his grandfather.

Other favorites from 2010:

Kirk Fletcher - My Turn
John McLaughlin - To The One (Review)
John Czajkowski and Marco Minnemann - West ZooOpolis
Steve Lukather - All's Well That Ends Well
Tetsuo Sakurai - Vital World (Review)
Ranjit Barot - Bada Boom
Michael Dolce - Everything Til Now
Jeff Richman - Like That (Interview)

See Also:

Favorite Albums of 2009
Favorite Albums of 2008
Favorite Albums of 2007
Favorite Albums of 2006

Charlie Hunter Tour Dates

See below for the current list of Charlie Hunter tour dates. Hunter's new album Public Domain is available now through his website, as well as iTunes and other digital retailers. Click here to download a free MP3 of the song "Limehouse Blues."

 

OCT 22, 2010 THE ASYLUM w/ Eric Kalb (drums) PORTLAND, ME
OCT 23, 2010 THE VAN DYCK LOUNGE w/ Eric Kalb SCHENECTADY, NY
OCT 25, 2010 NIGHTTOWN w/ Michael R. Williams (bass trumpet) and Eric Kalb CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH
OCT 27, 2010 GILLY'S w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb DAYTON, OH
OCT 28, 2010 MAGIC BAG w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb FERNDALE, MI
OCT 31, 2010 8x10 CLUB w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb BALTIMORE, MD
NOV 7, 2010 FESTIVAL DE VIOLAO w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL
NOV 13, 2010 WORLD CAFE LIVE w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb PHILADELPHIA, PA
NOV 14, 2010 JAMMIN JAVA w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb VIENNA, VA
NOV 15, 2010 LE POSSON ROUGE w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb NEW YORK, NY
DEC 3, 2010 THE MINT w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb LOS ANGELES, CA
DEC 4, 2010 THE MINT w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb LOS ANGELES, CA
DEC 5, 2010 McCABE'S GUITAR SHOP solo show SANTA MONICA, CA
DEC 7, 2010 THE LODGE AT THE REGENCY CENTER w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb SAN FRANCISCO, CA
DEC 8, 2010 MYSTIC THEATER w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb PETALUMA, CA
DEC 9, 2010 YOSHI'S w/ Eric Kalb OAKLAND, CA
DEC 10, 2010 YOSHI'S w/ Eric Kalb OAKLAND, CA
DEC 11, 2010 YOSHI'S w/ Eric Kalb OAKLAND, CA
DEC 12, 2010 YOSHI'S w/ Eric Kalb OAKLAND, CA
DEC 13, 2010 KUUMBWA JAZZ CENTER w/ Eric Kalb SANTA CRUZ, CA
DEC 15, 2010 CULTURE WORKS w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb ASHLAND, OR
DEC 18, 2010 GREEN FROG CAFE ACOUSTIC TAVERN w/ Michael R. Williams and Eric Kalb BELLINGHAM, WA
JAN 18, 2011 THE SPACE w/ Eric Kalb EVANSTON, IL
JAN 19, 2011 JAZZ AT THE BISTRO w/ Eric Kalb ST. LOUIS, MO
JAN 20, 2011 JAZZ AT THE BISTRO w/ Eric Kalb ST. LOUIS, MO
JAN 21, 2011 JAZZ AT THE BISTRO w/ Eric Kalb ST. LOUIS, MO
JAN 22, 2011 JAZZ AT THE BISTRO w/ Eric Kalb ST. LOUIS, MO
JAN 23, 2011 WINTERFEST ON THE MOUNTAIN NEDERLAND COMMUNITY CENTER w/ Eric Kalb NEDERLAND, CO

via Jambase

Current Listening

Some of the stuff I've been listening to / watching lately...

Charlie Hunter - Public Domain

Completely solo guitar album in which Hunter performs classic songs that are all in the public domain (and all chosen by his Grandfather!). Amazing stuff. "Danny Boy" alone is worth the price of admission.

Tetsuo Sakurai - Vital World (Review)

Awesome heavy fusion album with Greg Howe on guitar, and Dennis Chambers on drums. Incredible playing from everyone.

Tomo Fujita - Pure

Great jazz/blues album from the Berklee faculty member. Includes Will Lee, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie and Steve Jordan.

Black Country Communion

Killer super-group rock album with Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals, Derek Sherinian on keys, and Jason Bonham on drums.

Dann Glenn - Eleven Eleven Orchestra

Eclectic fusion album with cool writing. Bassist Jeff Berlin guests on one track.

Chad Wackerman Trio - Hits Live DVD

Excellent live-in-the-studio style DVD from Chad Wackerman's Trio. Includes Mike Miller on guitar and Doug Linn on bass. Can't get enough of this one.

 

 

 

 

Charlie Hunter Interview for Premier Guitar

Premier Guitar has a great new interview up with Charlie Hunter. Hunter discusses his latest album Public Domain, which will be released September 14th.

Premier Guitar Interview: Charlie Hunter - Life in the Pocket

Current Listening

A quick roundup of the albums I've been listening to lately...

 

Ray Riendeau - Atmospheres

Really cool jazz-prog-funk-fusion album from bassist Riendeau. Killer guest list includes Jeff Kollman, Alex Machacek, Marco Sfogli, Greg Koch, and many others.

 

Paul Gilbert - Fuzz Universe

Gilbert's 3rd instrumental album is loaded with over-the-top tones and playing. Includes a cool cover of Todd Rundgren's "Blue Orpheus."

 

Mark Papagno Trio (Review)

Great Holdsworthian fusion. The double bass adds a cool, straight-ahead vibe.

 

Lee Ritenour - 6 String Theory

Fantastic disc that is essentially a tribute to the guitar. Guests include Steve Lukather, John Scofield, B.B. King, Mike Stern, Joe Bonamassa, Guthrie Govan, Slash, and many others. Win a copy of the album here!

 

Garage a Trois - Outre Mer

This is about 5 years old, but I still listen to it a lot. Awesome funky jazz album with Charlie Hunter on guitar.

Current Listening

Here are some of the albums I've been listening to over the last couple of months.

MSM Schmidt - Destination

High-quality jazz fusion recording featuring an all-star cast of LA's finest players. Includes Alex Machacek and Mike Miller on guitar.

The Code - Mianca

Great modern fusion band from Canada. Guitarist John Pelosi is a killer player in the Holdsworth vein. 

Charlie Hunter - Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid

More of a throwback slow-jazz feel than Hunter's previous work. The fact that it was recorded in "Glorious Mono" really adds to the retro vibe.

Amit Heri Group - Elephant Walk

I met and hung out with Amit a bit during my NAMM trip. Great guy, and a great guitarist. This album is a re-issue of one of his older releases. A very lyrical jazz recording with an occasional Indian influence. Includes Matt Garrison on bass. 

 Steve Morse and Sarah Spencer - Angelfire

New vocal project pairing Morse's compositions and Spencer's gorgeous vocals. Mostly acoustic-based, with an almost Enya-like feel. This album has not been released yet, but I picked up the "Tour Edition" at their first live performance last month. Turns out I was the first person to ever buy this album!

Links Links Links!

During my NAMM and post-NAMM haze, many post-worthy articles/links have popped up on the radar that I haven't had time to share. Here are some links of interest that have come up recently.

Jeff Beck to release new album in April

All About Jazz review: Charlie Hunter - Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid

Eric Johnson discusses his upcoming album

Video: Robben Ford and Michael Landau - "Spoonful" Live at Yoshi's 1/14/10

Greg Howe Premier Guitar Column: Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

Guitar International: NAMM 2010 Coverage

Premier Guitar: NAMM 2010 Coverage

Guitar Player: NAMM 2010 Coverage

New Charlie Hunter album to be released in January

Charlie Hunter's new studio album Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid will be released January 12, 2010 on his Spire Artist Media label. Joining Hunter on this release will be  Eric Kalb (drums), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Alan Ferber (trombone) and Eric Biondo (trumpet). In support of the new disc, Hunter will have a four week Tuesday night residency at Brooklyn’s Rose Live Music in Brooklyn, NY starting on January 5.

via Jambands.com