Charlie Hunter

The Charlie Hunter Trio is a jazz group that I went and checked out this weekend at the Green Mill, (separate entry), and this show was unbelievable. I am actually not lying I could not believe my ears and eyes.

Charlie Hunter plays an 8-string guitar, this means that the guitar is more than just a guitar it is also a bass. It is not like the old 80's guitars where it is two different instruments combined, it looks from a far as though it is a normal electric guitar, but when you get closer you can easily realize there is something special about his guitar.

When he is playing you do not know where to look, his left hand, his right, his face, his feet, everything is moving a mile a minute. Because he is playing both the bass and the guitar at the same time he can not take his right hand and just go across all the strings like a normal guitar, but instead has to pluck each individual string every time. While this is happening his left hand is somehow playing two different parts of the instrument with his fingers. Two are playing the guitar part and two are playing the bass part.

My favorite part about Charlie Hunters playing though was his expressions. I can only imagine the amount of work that is going into the way he plays, but I got some sort of idea of it by the way he contorts his face and mouth. The music almost seems to be coming out through his body expressions.

The music was amazing and his ability was gifted, but he was not the only part of the band. John Ellis on the Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Wurlitzer & Melodica, (google it, its worth it) and Derrek Phillips on the Drums and other percussion instruments.

These two were also masters of their instruments and made it look easy to be playing two or three instruments all at the same time.

My favorite part of the show came during one of Derrek Phillips' drum solos, he was jammin and then all of the sudden Charlie hunter came over and started playing the symbols while Derrek kept bangging away at the drums, one hand with a drumstick the other just his hand. Then John came over with moraccas and some other noise maker and all of them crowded around the drums and played in perfect rhythm.

They will not be around again for awhile, but I am going to make it my mission to see these guys again.