Charlie Hunter

Guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter has been around guitars all his life; his mother used to repair them and after he graduated from Berkeley High School, Hunter's fledgling guitar style was honed through being tutored by the legendary Joe Satriani. He moved to Paris where he worked for a short time as a busker and on his return to the US began to experiment with what became his trademark instrument - the seven string guitar. He had previously used an eight string but found that his small hands made it difficult to play and so he did away with the redundant string retuning all the strings a half step. Used in conjunction with a Leslie cabinet, Hunter is able to emulate the rich tonal sound of a Hammond and this has become a feature of his innovative, jazz influenced style. With over 35 albums to his credit , either as a sideman or as a band leader, Hunter's experimental style has won him respect within the jazz community. His 2016 release, Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth, saw him return to a quartet format and draw upon blues, Latin, rock and jazz influences.