Search - Charlie Hunter :: Ready Set Shango!

Ready Set Shango!
Charlie Hunter
Ready Set Shango!
Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Rock
 
This is funky, organ-driven soul-jazz, with one catch: there's no organ. Because Hunter fills the organ's role with his fluid eight-string guitar grooves, everyone wants to lump him into acid jazz or even rock. Hunter borr...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Charlie Hunter
Title: Ready Set Shango!
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Blue Note Records
Original Release Date: 5/28/1996
Re-Release Date: 8/19/2008
Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Rock
Styles: Acid Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Experimental Music, Jam Bands, Jazz Jam Bands
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 724383710126, 0724383710157, 724383710140, 724383710157, 724383710126

Synopsis

Amazon.com
This is funky, organ-driven soul-jazz, with one catch: there's no organ. Because Hunter fills the organ's role with his fluid eight-string guitar grooves, everyone wants to lump him into acid jazz or even rock. Hunter borrows a certain intensity from rock, but he also includes dynamic funk-oriented rhythms and jazz's improvisational aesthetic. Like many of the best of the soul-jazz albums, this 1996 release is predicated on emotion and feeling, not complex chord changes or technically impressive flurries. These nine originals use a variety of rhythms as improvisational springboards: joyous romps, slow grinds, soft Latin-tinged waves, and bluesy shuffles. Saxmen Dave Ellis and the late Calder Spanier can handle fragile melodic phrases as easily as from-the-belly wails. Hunter's guitar aims for tones, moods, and textures while he anchors the bass line with those extra two strings. --Marc Greilsamer

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CD Reviews

Shango/Django?
J. kuhn | Si Valley, USA | 05/15/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"from what i heard this can only be the start of something big. trad jazz (eg Thad Jones & normal 3/4-tets must be paying Jimmy Smith & Captain Jack the same dues finally that Joey DiFrancesco is getting, playing also cornet, because this organ stand-in "six string bass" guitar is using what rock has dropped for decades - WAH-WAH pedal as a judicious organ stop. This is no acid jazz, this hip rhythm collective reaches back to the original rhythm section of the standard trio to pull out some funk & rescue the lowly hendrix pedal from oblivion. No label, this is straight ahead. i followed it up from Christian Jacob/Steve Swallow, another rock transfer (Chuck Mangione, or was it "Larry Coryell"?), & can only describe what can't be summarized - listen w/ caution, it is uncommon rare."
A hint of what's to come.
Paul J. Decoursey-clark | Boise, ID | 11/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)

""Ready ... Set ... Shango" by almost any other contemporary jazz guitarist would be their best. But, this is not just any Jazz guitarist.



Charlie Hunter has been quietly setting himself apart from his contemporaries with his groove driven, funk and rock inspired tracks. His approach to composition is pure entertainment and very accessible, with little of the obfuscation and dense noodling that some contemporary jazz falls prey to. Charlie Hunter strains to bring jazz back to the popular perch it occupied in its heyday; probably not achievable, but a laudable goal nontheless. He probably owes as much to John Frusciante as to Wes Montgomery, and this shows in his execution.



Although not his best, this album has its highlights, and a large vision of what's to come. The opener, Ashby Man is particularly enjoyable. Neither Charlie nor his partners on the album show the confidence of later albums, notably "Friends, Seen and Unseen", but I can wholeheartedly recommend this album anyway. Shango on!"
Get ready to
R. Wall | Seattle, WA USA | 11/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Play this energetic album during your next party and guests will undoubtedly compliment your smart music tastes. Play it while sitting alone and you'll soon realize why he's a pioneer in today's jazz/fusion scene. It's my favorite Charlie Hunter album (and I own them all). SHANGO!"