The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 22, 2002, Page 5, Image 5
-- THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, February 22, 2002
CONTACT US THEY SAID IT"
A iiHj I U kj - JOHN BARLETT: “I have gathered a
^ Story ideas? Questions? Comments? P°sie of other men’s flowers, and
E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com nothing but the thread that binds
. them is mine own.”
ft
Charlie Hunter brings
innovation to jazz with his
unique eight-string guitar.
As a child, Hunter studied
under the famous guitarist
Joe Satriani. The Charlie
Hunter Quartet, which
includes tenor saxophone
and percussion
instruments, will play New
Brookland Tavern with the
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
on Sunday.
PHOTO BY GERRARD NEEDHAM
Charlie Hunter plays
the Columbia blues
BY JUSTIN BAJAN
THE GAMECOCK
Casting convention aside,
Charlie Hunter upholds a key to
understanding jazz: innovation.
This comes in the form of an eight
string guitar, an instrument he
created. The guitar combines the
lower register of an electric bass
with the higher range of an elec
tric guitar.
The Charlie Hunter Quartet in
cludes John Ellis on tenor saxo
phone, Chris Lovejoy on percus
sion and Stephen Chopek on
drums. Combined with Hunter’s
versatility, the band emits a laid
back, free-flowing sound that re
laxes the muscles and eases the
heart. Hunter plays double duty,
supplying the rhythmic backbone
while enriching each composition
with his improvised guitar licks.
Well-versed, or “played,” gui
tarists will appreciate that Hunter
was schooled as a 12-year-old un
der Joe Satriani, a world-famous
but highly underappreciated gui
tar player. Getting his start in the
now-defunct Disposable Heroes of
Hiphoprisy, led by Michael Franti
of Spearhead fame, Hunter got to
mold his mammoth eight-string
guitar model.
After a stint as bandleader for
\ Prawn Song Records, a label Les
% Claypool started, Hunter made it
to jazz label Blue Note Records. The
label is the operating hall of fame
for such legendary artists as
Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis and
Benny Goodman. Since his initial
signing, Hunter has released six al
bums, including his latest, “Songs
from the Analog Playground.”
The album is a turning point in
Hunter’s career; it’s the first to in
clude vocalists. The vocals supply
an added dimension, something
Hunter recognizes as important.
“That’s the kind of music I was
brought up on,” he said. “As a
street musician, that’s all you
played because, if you played in
strumental music, you really went
broke.” But instead of filling up
his album with easily recogniz
able-but mediocre artistry. Hunter
lets lesser-known, talented musi
cians shine, including Kurt Elling,
Theryl DeClouet, Norah Jones and
Mos Def.
All the featured guests make
multiple appearances and allow
the listener to become better ac
quainted with their talent.
DeClouet, from funky jazz group
Galactic, jazzes up the Earth Wind
and Fire original “Mighty
Mighty.” The quartet comple
ments DeClouet’s soothing vocals
and follows his every change of
emotion.
But as it proves on this album,
the band can convey music with
out vocals. The sonic quality in
duces a methodical and rhythmic
head-nodding as Hunter flexes the
range of his super-guitar, which
If you’re going...
WHO: Charlie Hunter with
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
WHERE: New Brookland
Tavern
WHEN: 8 p.m. Sunday
TICKETS: $10 cover charge
at times sounds more like a
Hammond organ. This soulful syn
ergy can be heard on the curiously
titled “Mitch Better Have My
Bunny.” As the track progresses,
layers of instrumentation are in
tricately added to the already
catchy melody Ellis supplies.
With an enlarged guitar in
hand, Hunter chops down the lim
its of artistic capability and proves
that one man really can do two
things at one time. He’s a symbol
of instrumental efficiency. The
quartet’s sound might range in
style, but never oversteps its mis
sion: to make enjoyable music that
entreats the ears and invites the
body to move.
Hunter will perform at New
Brookland Tavern with the Jacob
Fred Jazz Odyssey on Sunday. The
show starts at 8 p.m. and will cost
$10.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockmixeditor@hotma il.com
Cosmic Fame most at
home in atmosphere
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
^ Columbia-based Cosmic Fame sounds best when It sticks to a mellower, more atmospheric
sound. It will play with Beam and Dropping Dimes at New Brookland Tavern on Saturday.
BY MIKE LUKE
™E (iAMRCOCK
In the record industry today,
there’s little chance for a band to
survive by sounding like what’s
popular. Bands must be unique,
and Cosmic Fame definitely has
that aspect of music down to a
science.
The four members of
Columbia’s Cosmic Fame—Marty
Fort on guitar and vocals, Mike
Reid on keyboards. Rich Shirah on
hass and Jason Summers on
drums — have a new seven-song
) CD circulating. The CD,
“Goddess,” was recorded in
Columbia’s Jam Room.
The band has two styles: a
the better style; and a heavier
sound, which Cosmic Fame’s pre
decessors have watered down.
Pop-rock radio is not this band’s
career path.
The CD’s opening track, “Dark
Star,” brings a vocal melody that
strikes a contrast with heavy, yet
atmospheric music. The title
song sounds somewhat New-Age;
the keyboard strikes listeners as
the backbone of the song.
“The Day Before” is the beau
tiful, piano-driven introduction
to “Seven Days.” Those two
pieces work together to form a
progressive song with three or
four theme changes.
“Power” leans more toward
rock’s commercial side. It lives
up to its own name, though, and
is definitely the most aggressive
song on the album.
The last song is a deep and
dark rendition of the classic
Christmas song “Greensleeves.”
Cosmic Fame has been togeth
er for only a year. It still must
grow as a band, but it’s well-ac
complished considering its short
timp tnppthpr The hand has heen
hard at work, touring Columbia
and playing with bands such as
Big Wreck and Skid Row.
Fort, who wrote all the album’s
songs except “Greensleeves,” said
he was anticipating getting back
in the studio after reaping the re
wards of touring.
“The band has a real chem
istry in the studio, and we love to
record. ...Cosmic Fame is magic
in the studio,” he said.
If you’re going...
WHO: “Cosmic Fame with
Beam and Dropping Dimes
WHERE: New Brookland
Tavern
WHEN: Feb. 23,10 p.m.
TICKETS: $5 cover charge
One might wish that bands
such as Cosmic Fame, which
haven’t yet broken through, were
already established in the music
industry. A full-length album
would really do the band justice.
Most of its songs are anticlimac
tic. With the band’s atmospheric
sound, a mellower guitar would
better complement the lyrics.
With support from WUSC and
other local stations, and more ex
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should be on the rise.
The band will be interviewed
live on WUSC at 5 p.m. today. It
will perform with Beam and
Dropping Dimes at New
Brookland Tavern on Saturday
night.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
3 Rivers talent ‘stellar’
Acts planned for
3 Rivers Music
Festival include
Outkast, Zodiacs
BY LOGAN BARLOW
THE GAMECOCK
The Three Rivers Music and
Heritage Foundation held a news
conference yesterday to discuss
this year’s 3 Rivers Music Festival,
to be held April 5-7.
BellSouth, one of the event’s
largest sponsors, played host to the
conference. Other sponsors are
Manifest Discs and Tapes,
Budweiser of Columbia, Blue
Cross Blue Shield and Wachovia.
Fred Monk, foundation chair
man, said the original inspiration
for starting the festival was that
“we wanted to do something spe
cial for Columbia that brought
people together through diversity
of music. In its third year, I think
we’re going to expand that even
further.”
Monk called the talent lineup for
this year’s festival “stellar.” He said,
“We wanted to get those that were
heading on top and very current.”
George Clinton and the
Parliament Funkadelic will start
the festival Friday, April 5, on the
BellSouth/Cingular stage. Cameo,
a ’70s funk band best known for its
hit “Word Up,” will also appear.
Hip-hop band 2 Skinnee J’s will
kick off the festival on the
Budweiser stage.
A1 Green, Maurice Williams
and the Zodiacs, Loretta
Holloway, Catalinas, Billy Scott
and the Prophets, Charles Pope
and the Tams, and John Mayall
and the Bluesbreakers are also
scheduled to appear on the
BellSouth/Cingular stage.
Outkast, perhaps the festival’s
most anticipated act, will perform
that Saturday night on the
Budweiser stage.
Medeski Martin Wood, Nappy
Roots and The Del McCoury Band
will also appear on the Budweiser
stage.
On the State Farm stage, Joan
Jett and the Blackhearts,
Buckwheat Zydeco, Little Feat
and Jackyl are scheduled to per
♦R1VERS, SEE PAGE 6
CALENDAR
Friday
February 22
40 OZ. WITH INFINITE AND
SIMPLE AS THAT: New
Brookland Tavern, 122 State St.
NERCROCIDE WITH MIRAGE,
MEAT ROCKET AND WRETCH:
Uncle Doctor’s, 1034 Mobile
Ave.,9p.m.
THE SINATORS CD SIGNING
PARTY: Local band will
perform and sign copies of its
CD, “Coloured.” Manifest
Discs and Tapes, 1563 Bush
River Road, 7 p.m. Free.
Saturday
February 23
COSMIC FAME WITH BEAM
AND DROPPING DIMES: New
Brookland Tavern, 122 State
St., 10 p.m. $5
EXIT 101 WITH FLYING TIGERS:
Uncle Doctor’s, 1034 Mobile Ave.
FRIENDS OF THE SCHOOL OF
MUSIC MOVABLE MUSICAL
FEAST: USC School of Music. 7
p.m. $50
Mm mtflin
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SATURDAY, FEB. 23: Friends of Bluegrass presents bluegrass
band Mountain Heart. Tickets are available at Sounds Familiar
and at Bill’s Music Shop. Gambrell Hall, room 153. 7 p.m.$15.
ouriuay
February 24
CHARLIE HUNTER WITH JACOB
FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY: New
Brookland Tavern, 122 State
St. 8 p.m. $10 ^
FACULTY/GUEST ARTIST
SERIES: Helen Tintes
Schaurmann, mezzo-soprano.
School of Music Recital Hall. 5
p.m. Free.