Mistico - CD

Charlie and his Trio, featuring Erik Deutsch on keyboards and Simon Lott on drums, have finished recording their next record entitled 'Mistico'. Due out on July 31st on Concord/Fantasy Records, 'Mistico' has a loose, live feel to it and explores uncharted territories for Charlie.

The Bay Area-born guitarist Charlie Hunter burst on to the scene in the '90s with his eight-string guitar, which enabled him to simultaneously play solos, melodic lines, and basslines. After collaborating artists like Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, and Mos Def, Hunter returns to his familiar triad format with drummer Simon Lott and keyboardist Erik Deutsch. Armed with a filed-down, seven-string axe, Hunter's edgy, twangy tones owe more to grunge than to Grant Green. This 10-track CD spotlights the leader's jazz-fluent soloing, counterpointed by some spirited rock-friendly fusion, as especially on the Crescent City syncopated 'Wizard Sleeve,' the super-swinging, multi-tempo 'Spoken Word,' and the cavernous melodic mood on 'Ballad.' Hunter doesn't break musical barriers per se; he redraws them, and in doing so, writes his own sonic signature on the open stylistic canvas that covers this still-young century. --Eugene Holley, Jr.