Songs from the Analog Playground

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Charlie Hunter always put his emphasis on the groove, using his eight-string guitar to create an uncanny blend of bright leads, bass lines, and chord riffs that can simulate classic funk organ. For Songs from the Analog Playground, he's added a series of guest vocalists to the mix, touching on pop sensibilities with an eclectic mix of originals and cover tunes. Norah Jones is the big news, bringing a breathy intimacy and soulful depths to Bryan Ferry's "More Than This" and Nick Drake's "Day Is Done," making them very much her own in the process. Theryl de Clouet, from the funk band Galactic, is a gritty, forceful presence on Earth, Wind & Fire's "Mighty Mighty" and the classic blues of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," while Mos Def raps on "Street Sounds" and takes his own stab at R&B singing on "Creole." Kurt Elling's loose treatments of "Desert Way" and the Afro-Cuban suffused "Close Your Eyes" invoke traditional jazz singing. Tying it all together--vocals and instrumentals alike--are Hunter and his working quartet, stripping soul jazz down to its essentials, then rebuilding it in their own image, with frequent Latin and Caribbean touches expanded on by drummer Stephen Chopek and percussionist Chris Lovejoy. Hunter and tenor saxophonist John Ellis shine on jams like "Rhythm Music Rides Again" and "Run for It," alternately digging into the beat or floating atop. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

Street Sounds
Rhythm Music Rides Again
Mighty Mighty
Mitch Better Have My Bunny
More Than This
Desert Way
Run For It
Spoonful
Close Your Eyes
Percussion Shuffle
Creole
Sunday Morning
Day Is Done

Amazon.com

Charlie Hunter always put his emphasis on the groove, using his eight-string guitar to create an uncanny blend of bright leads, bass lines, and chord riffs that can simulate classic funk organ. For Songs from the Analog Playground, he's added a series of guest vocalists to the mix, touching on pop sensibilities with an eclectic mix of originals and cover tunes. Norah Jones is the big news, bringing a breathy intimacy and soulful depths to Bryan Ferry's "More Than This" and Nick Drake's "Day Is Done," making them very much her own in the process. Theryl de Clouet, from the funk band Galactic, is a gritty, forceful presence on Earth, Wind & Fire's "Mighty Mighty" and the classic blues of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," while Mos Def raps on "Street Sounds" and takes his own stab at R&B singing on "Creole." Kurt Elling's loose treatments of "Desert Way" and the Afro-Cuban suffused "Close Your Eyes" invoke traditional jazz singing. Tying it all together--vocals and instrumentals alike--are Hunter and his working quartet, stripping soul jazz down to its essentials, then rebuilding it in their own image, with frequent Latin and Caribbean touches expanded on by drummer Stephen Chopek and percussionist Chris Lovejoy. Hunter and tenor saxophonist John Ellis shine on jams like "Rhythm Music Rides Again" and "Run for It," alternately digging into the beat or floating atop. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Analog Playground.......2004-11-10

Songs from the Analog Playground is one of the better modern jazz albums I've heard.

It features a few solid guest vocalists along with some great playing by Charlie Hunter and his band. Each of the guest vocalists bring a uniqueness with them and they make their song special.

The vocalists help keep the album from getting too repetitive and boring. Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Mos Def and the lead vocalist from the band Galactic do about two songs each. There are also some straight-ahead instrumentals.

The entire cd is filled with very good music. It's very laidback, jazzy and grooving.

I would recommend this Cd, even to people who are on the fringe of being jazzheads because it has that universal musical appeal. Good stuff!

Get this only if you're a hippie.......2002-10-24

I got this after hearing that Charlie Hunter was "the future" of jazz. Well, this comment is totally off the mark. Hunter isn't the future of anything, he's nothing but yet another hippie jammer straight off the current bandwagon. Really quite bad.

a great choice.......2002-05-08

A definite choice for any jazz and funk fan. it is a perfect balance of rythms, jazz, funk, vocals, and soft sounds. Sweet enough for any woman, tough enough for any guy. If you like Hunter, buy the CD

Musician's Musician.......2002-01-22

There are few musicians who can actually make my jaw drop, but Charlie Hunter is definitely one of them. You'll notice that the only instruments in the band are saxophone (John Ellis), percussion (Chris Lovejoy) and drums (Stephen Chopek), and Hunter on guitar. There's no organist and no real bassist, even though you can hear all these instruments on this album. Hunter's 8-string guitar is a meld between the first three strings of a bass and the five top strings of a guitar, and he plays everything else you hear.

Hunter's sound mostly consists of Latin jazz. This album is a mix of both slow and up-tempo songs with both instrumentals and singing. The album opens to a percussion piece with a bossa nova feel. Hunter displays his guitar talent starting with "Rhythm Music Rides Again" backed with some great sax from Ellis. "Mitch Better Have My Bunny" returns to the bossa nova rhythm again. Listen to how Hunter mixes a walking bass line with the guitar rhythm. Hunter has several guest along to add to the mix with their voices. "More Than This" is a slow piece allowing focus to be given to the beautiful voice of Norah Jones. Hunter also does a cover of the classic "Spoonful" with the gravelly voice of Theryl De Clouet. An excellent job. Mos Def and Kurt Elling also appear on this album. Each singer lends their talent on two songs each.

The rest of the band are excellent musicians themselves. Both Lovejoy and Chopek provide an entertaining beat to the music. These two are a joy to listen to, and even more fun to see live. It's amazing what these gentlemen do. If you're a fan of guitar, jazz, or even music, check out Charlie Hunter. If you can see him live, he's well worth the price of admission.

Wow.......2001-12-06

I just saw Charlie hunter just a few days ago (12/3/01) and he was simply *amazing*. I've seen him before last year at about the same time, and I was impresssed, but this time. amazing. the new singer he has with him is one of the best voices ive heard in quite awhile, especially when it comes to the 'new jazz' scene.

If you like charlie hunter, you'll *love* this cd.

also check out the opening band for Charlie, called the Jacob Fred Jazz odyssey. they were excellent as well.

Tracks:

Street Sounds - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Mos Def
Rhythm Music Rides Again - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Mighty Mighty - Theryl DeClouet, Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Mitch Better Have My Bunny - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
More Than This - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Norah Jones
Desert Way - Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Run for It - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Spoonful - Theryl DeClouet, Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Close Your Eyes - Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Percussion Shuffle - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Creole - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Mos Def
Sunday Morning - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet
Day Is Done - Charlie Hunter, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Norah Jones

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