Search - Charlie Hunter, Leon Parker :: Duo

An acquired taste in jazz

Mark Nason | 12/31/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Charlie Hunter is an incredible jazz guitar player. His style is not for every jazz fan however. On certain tracks like "Recess", if you close your eyes, you'd be convinced that you are listening to a Hammond B3 organ. The only instruments used on this album are drums and guitar. Hunter uses an 8 string guitar (3 bass strings and 5 regular strings). It is with this guitar (and a number of guitar pedals) that he can trick our ears into hearing an organ. "Recess" alone, makes this recording worthwhile. I wrote "acquired" because Hunter is an original. He is not a standard jazz guitarist (just check out an older recording of Hunter on "Bing Bing Bing" where he does a jazz rendition of Nivana's "Come As You Are"). If you're looking for something original that grew from classic jazz roots, this may be for you. Just put it on the CD player, sit back and close your eyes."

An Enjoyable Session

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Guitarist Hunter and drummer/percussionist Parker recorded this CD live in the studio with the exception of some overdubbed percussion parts on one cut. I mention this because when you put this CD on and start listening, you are going to think there is a trio playing, and you are going to wonder how two men could produce three parts. The secret is the eight-string guitar that Hunter wields, which contains three bass strings and five standard guitar strings. This instrument allows him to accompany himself on bass while playing jazz guitar lines at the same time. He also at times employs electronic manipulation that makes the guitar sound like an organ.



Although Parker typically prefers a straightforward, even rudimentary drumkit, his imagination and dexterity give his drumming a colorful quality that makes him a most enjoyable drummer to hear at work--or perhaps I should write, "at play," because Parker always seems to enjoy himself so much in his drumming.



The program these two have put together is a varied one, covering a variety of musical styles. Hunter composed the lion's share of the cuts (he produced the session), there is one Parker composition, an old standard ("You Don't Know What Love Is"), and a new not-quite-standard ("Don't Talk [Put Your Head on My Shoulder]"). The recorded sound is clean and enjoyable. Overall, then, this is quite an enjoyable recording that should appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes."

Listen to a few tracks first

J. Justice | San Antonio, TX | 08/31/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"You really should listen to a few tracks from this album before purchasing it. Charlie Hunter is an incredible guitarist, but his choice of music here is geared to a specific audience. I, unfortunately, am not among that number. However, the talent demonstrated here is clearly evident whether one likes their music on not."