| 'Right Now Move' just rocks
By Art Bamford
Staff Writer
I’m always hesitant to review an instrumental album for Chimes because I realize that most people don’t listen to much instrumental music. Every once in a while however, an instrumental group will come along that is good enough to get some mainstream success (like the Flecktones, who seem to be popular around here). Charlie Hunter came close when his quartet recorded an instrumental cover version of the classic Bob Marley album “Natty Dread” in 1997, but with “Right Now Move” he’s done it for sure.
Here are some numbers on Charlie: Right Now Move is his ninth album in his ten-year long career. He plays an eight-string guitar (most have just six he uses two bass strings) and has done solo projects, a duo, a trio and a quartet. His latest album uses a quintet made up of saxophone, drums, trombone and chromatic harmonica, in addition to the eight-string guitar. Hunter’s guitar playing is extraordinary. He somehow plays bass, lead and rhythm guitar—sometimes all three at once. The quintet has a great funky but smooth sound that adapts to any genre. Gregoire Maret’s harmonica solos sound very much like Stevie Wonder, and a ‘70s funk vibe carries throughout the album. As the title of the
second track on the album, “Oakland,” might suggest, Charlie is from the Bay area in California. This is a musically interesting part of the country because of the variety of styles found there, and this is a musically interesting album because you can hear all those styles. Imagine Santana with the Buena Vista Social Club trying to play Snoop
Dogg, or the “Sanford and Sons” theme song begin covered by the Grateful Dead. Surprisingly it somehow comes together very nicely. What really makes Right Now Move stand out is that despite all the soloing, the songs themselves are memorable, and more importantly, enjoyable. ـCharlie has some catchy hooks hiding beneath his virtuoso playing and the songs stick with you, which is rare in instrumental music and ever more rare in jam and jazz band albums. “Right Now Move” is a seamless album full of classics that is going to move some records for Charlie Hunter right now.
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