Funky soulfulness from Charlie Hunter – he: formerly way back of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and more recently Kurt Elling. And she – Ella Feingold a new name to me whose career to date includes stints with Bruno Mars, Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. She plays, according to Hunter’s website a Mexican Fender Strat strung “inverted tuning”, ukulele felt pick, 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb and an Ensoniq ASR-10 VCF Filter; while Hunter wields his own Hybrid Big 6 guitar tuned FBbEb BbEbAb, and uses a Two Rock Signature 35 amp for guitar and an ACME audio Motown direct box for the bass side. He also dubs in his own drums and percussion on some tracks. Tunes reference for instance Sly Stone who died recently ‘There’s Still A Riot Goin’ On’ and civil rights icon Shirley Chisholm who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.
You’ll be head bobbing along – trust me – and moving your body. Is that so wrong, ask yourself – movement being the sweetest taboo to your average stony faced rigor mortis loving jazz tap a toe refusenik?
You know the kind – the reliably intense faithful never happy unless everything is in some ludicrous key, comes with eccentric tonalities, is kitted out with fiendishly asymmetric meter, proves unsingable, bracingly atonal, has rubato and general shapelessness as plus points and is properly obscure for oh quite a while until everyone then says they knew the ”tune” all along even when there isn’t one and had the opus on a flexidisc issued firstly by Hobbit Scimitar’s cult label Wooky in association with The Plod exclusively, a strategy that – massive props – deterred the masses from daring to aspire to even being allowed to buy the thing.
Humming is frowned upon and deemed definitely out. Spontaneous caterwauling along to the space between the notes and a bit of optional levitating and speaking in tongues afterwards, however, is mercifully tolerated. These avant gardeners who lurk in the jazz snob shrubbery are like Barry (played by Jack Black) in the film version of Nick Hornby’s record shop comedy High Fidelity even when the genre isn’t the same who says to Rob with his pruning shears to the ready: “I owe it to myself to go RIGHT to the edge. And this band does exactly that. Over the edge, in fact!”
By contrast cutting a rug if not edge is in on Different Strokes for Different Folks. An album that’s like when the rhythm section takes over. OK that has its drawbacks if looking for a sound in the full. And it is without being a bit of a party pooper a bit samey. But nevertheless the idea works on its own merits and both players are wonderful guitarists. Favourite track ok, it’s ‘Brownie McGhee’ named for the American folk and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist also commemorated in a song by Van Morrison on his working man classic, ‘Cleaning Windows’. Heard Leadbelly and Blind Lemon on the street where I was born, yeah/Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Muddy Waters singin’/I’m a rollin’ stone. Made with a lot of love – catnip for guitarists. There’s nothing disposable here. Music to grow a goatee to.
MORE FROM MARLBANK
