View Full Version : ATTN: CJ, FG, BW, CE and other LA-area THs
I have been here at a hotel at LAX for work and it looks like I may be freed up for some fun tomorrow night before leaving on Friday morning. A look at Jambase revealed a show at a place called Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach that I think I am going to catch, as it is reasonably close to where I am and sounds great: Charlie Hunter Trio, presently described as follows:
Charlie has been in the studio and is just about done wrapping up the recording of his next as-of-yet untitled record. The lineup includes Eric Kalb (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, John Scofield) on drums, Curtis Fowlkes (Jazz Passengers, Lounge Lizards, Bill Frisell) and Alan Ferber (Don Byron, Kenny Wheeler) on trombone, and Eric Biondo (Antibalas TV On The Radio) on trumpet!
Would love to meet up with any of you there, and to hear any input on the place in any event (or other local things I might be interested in for tomorrow night). Some of you have my e-mail--I don't have any of my contact stuff with me but can access e-mails if you want to touch base. Otherwise post here and I will check in. Thanks!
festivalgirl
12-02-2009, 11:38 PM
Hmmmm, could be doable. Are you reachable through regular email?
Hmmmm, could be doable. Are you reachable through regular email?
Yes.
Baconwrapped
12-02-2009, 11:47 PM
Thanks for the offer.... but can't make it. There was a really good story about Charlie in the L.A. Times yesterday by my friend Andy Gilbert. Worth reading...
Thanks for the offer.... but can't make it. There was a really good story about Charlie in the L.A. Times yesterday by my friend Andy Gilbert. Worth reading...
Thanks for the heads up. Just read it and discovered that the lineup I posted is the lineup for his upcoming album, but the lineup for this show will be a little different:
But Hunter is traveling light for the West Coast tour that brings him to Hermosa Beach's Saint Rocke on Thursday and to the Mint on Friday and Saturday.
Aside from his regular drummer, Eric Kalb, a slyly funky player who's toured with the Allman Brothers Band and Deep Banana Blackout, Hunter is picking up the rest of his band on the road, a striking development for a player whose following reaches far beyond jazz's market niche.
"I'm hiring local cats to do the horn parts," Hunter, 42, said from his home in Brooklyn. "That's the way [stuff] is these days. As long as you've got the killing drummer, you can take care of business. Eric and I do the lion's share of playing. We could do all this music as a duo, but it's the difference between an awesome line drawing and a painting. The horns add the color."
For the Southland gigs, Hunter is relying upon talent scouting by Ferber, who made an impression on the L.A. scene with his twin brother, drummer Mark Ferber, when they studied at UCLA in the late 1990s. He's recruited trombonist Garrett Smith, 29, and trumpeter Jumaane Smith (no relation), 28, a Juilliard grad mentored by drum legend Rashied Ali.
"What I really like about Charlie's approach is that he encourages us to come up with spontaneous backgrounds and to solo over different sections," said Alan Ferber. "His music is orchestrated in a way where it's not like you hear three soloists in a row."
Though rhythm and blues always has been Hunter's bread and butter, his earthy sensibility often leads people to overlook his resourcefulness as an improviser. He's naturally drawn to situations where he can bear down rhythmically, like the fusion power trio Garage a Trois with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and Critters Buggin saxophonist Skerik. But he's also collaborated with quintessential Downtown drummer Bobby Previte on the free improv project Groundtruther.
Indeed, Hunter almost serves as a bridge between the avant-garde and jazz's populist edge. When Bay Area clarinetist Ben Goldberg decided he needed to explore rootsy song forms, he called upon Hunter, a collaboration that resulted in the 2009 album "Go Home."
"I had no idea what it would sound like, but I knew Charlie would cook up some monstrous grooves," said Goldberg, who pioneered the synthesis of free jazz and traditional Ashkenazi melodies in the New Klezmer Trio. "Having worked with him when he lived in Berkeley, I knew what an absolute genius he is."
Considering the awe that Hunter inspired when he first appeared with a custom-built eight-string guitar, his economizing on strings has gone relatively unnoticed. In recent years he's downsized to a seven-string instrument, which doesn't seem to interfere with the remarkable technique that enables him to generate simultaneous lead and bass lines.
"It's got most of the range of a bass and a guitar, and I play it like a drum set," Hunter said. "It sounds even less like a guitar. That's the quest, to avoid clichés and be its own thing."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-charlie-hunter30-2009nov30,0,7022886.story
Apostrophe (')
12-03-2009, 12:41 AM
don't matta. if it's charlie hunter and you have a chance to go, do it. that guy is consistently amazing.
chrisjoseph
12-03-2009, 06:17 AM
Lit, wish I could go. But I'll be a the Getty Museum tonight.
don't matta. if it's charlie hunter and you have a chance to go, do it. that guy is consistently amazing.
That's what I'm thinking.
Lit, wish I could go. But I'll be a the Getty Museum tonight.
That looks like an interesting talk there tonight on art and craft; but I haven't adjusted to the time change yet and I'm afraid I'd fall asleep without some live music.
sharon_loves_fats
12-03-2009, 08:08 PM
Lit, hope you are enjoying Charlie Hunter!!
festivalgirl
12-03-2009, 08:20 PM
Lit, hope you are enjoying Charlie Hunter!!
We should be soon. Still early here. ;)
mymecca
12-03-2009, 08:25 PM
always a treat...even if not always booty shakin' from start to finish...my main requirement for live music...got that covered tomorrow with dragon smoke
sharon_loves_fats
12-03-2009, 09:19 PM
We should be soon. Still early here. ;)
Duh, Sharon, it is not the same time 'round the world! Have a great time tonite Lit, Chrissa, Steve and whoever else is goin'!!!!
sharon_loves_fats
12-03-2009, 09:20 PM
...got that covered tomorrow with dragon smoke
Lucky girl!!!!
Well that was some afternoon and evening for me. Lucked into finding one of the best and coolest beer bars I've ever been to (Naja's Place in Redondo Beach) and met and hung out with some good local folks for several hours. Then met up with Chrissa and Steve for some great company, conversation and music at the Charlie Hunter show. Very cool club. The trio was actually a quintet last night: Charlie, his drummer, two 'bones and a trumpet. Wish I had bought the disc he was selling there, but was...ummm...not thinking clearly when we left (and Steve and Chrissa very kindly delivered me back to my hotel). Great groove--like a slow, smoldering burn for two hour-long sets.
CEfromLA
12-04-2009, 09:20 AM
I'm sorry I missed this; sounds like you had a great time!
Well that was some afternoon and evening for me. Lucked into finding one of the best and coolest beer bars I've ever been to (Naja's Place in Redondo Beach) and met and hung out with some good local folks for several hours. Then met up with Chrissa and Steve for some great company, conversation and music at the Charlie Hunter show. Very cool club. The trio was actually a quintet last night: Charlie, his drummer, two 'bones and a trumpet. Wish I had bought the disc he was selling there, but was...ummm...not thinking clearly when we left (and Steve and Chrissa very kindly delivered me back to my hotel). Great groove--like a slow, smoldering burn for two hour-long sets.
Lit! How did you wind up at Naja's? It's such a local's spot & a hidden gem :) I used to live right up the street from there. Tons of beer on tap, huh? Our other favorite spot was Old Tony's..also on the Redondo Pier.
Glad to hear you liked Saint Rocke...haven't been there since it was called the Pitcher House, but it was always a cool bar!
marignygreg
12-04-2009, 12:02 PM
Lit! How did you wind up at Naja's? It's such a local's spot & a hidden gem :) I used to live right up the street from there. Tons of beer on tap, huh? Our other favorite spot was Old Tony's..also on the Redondo Pier.
Glad to hear you liked Saint Rocke...haven't been there since it was called the Pitcher House, but it was always a cool bar!
Lit knows how to sniff out a great 'joint'.;)
neverleft
12-05-2009, 12:42 AM
Well that was some afternoon and evening for me. Lucked into finding one of the best and coolest beer bars I've ever been to (Naja's Place in Redondo Beach) and met and hung out with some good local folks for several hours. Then met up with Chrissa and Steve for some great company, conversation and music at the Charlie Hunter show. Very cool club. The trio was actually a quintet last night: Charlie, his drummer, two 'bones and a trumpet. Wish I had bought the disc he was selling there, but was...ummm...not thinking clearly when we left (and Steve and Chrissa very kindly delivered me back to my hotel). Great groove--like a slow, smoldering burn for two hour-long sets.
Hey Lit, Sorry I wasn't there. I would've loved to party with you, Chrissa and Steve. I'm way down in Mexico now in the great Maya World (Izamal, Merida and Chichen Itza) It' been to cool of a trip. All those bars you went to were my hangouts when I lived in Redondo. I would of liked to see how they changed, sounds like for the good. Glad you had a great time.
Lit! How did you wind up at Naja's? It's such a local's spot & a hidden gem :) I used to live right up the street from there. Tons of beer on tap, huh? Our other favorite spot was Old Tony's..also on the Redondo Pier.
Glad to hear you liked Saint Rocke...haven't been there since it was called the Pitcher House, but it was always a cool bar!
Google is a wonderful thing. I knew I needed to end up in Hermosa Beach for the show at Saint Rocke, so I googled "beer bar Hermosa Beach," and Naja's in Redondo was the first place that came up. I quickly skimmed the reviews, checked the map, and it looked like a decent place for a bite and a few beers. I had no idea how perfect it was for what I wanted until I walked in the door, saw the taps, and then turned around and saw the view through the open-air frontage. Just an ideal spot for me--a piece of heaven imo. And it quickly filled in with interesting and cool locals as the afternoon turned into evening.
I had planned to hit Old Tony's too, based on a recommendation from the local court reporter; but I simply couldn't pull myself away from Naja's and before I knew it several hours had passed and it was time to head to the show. The locals told me about Saint Rocke's former life as the Pitcher House, and by all accounts it is quite an upgrade. Sounds like the old place had some divey charm, but the new place is a very cool, interesting club with great acoustics and sight lines.
Sorry that you, Robbie, CE and others couldn't make it out. But a very good time nonetheless. If I am ever back in that area again, Naja's will be a definite first (and maybe last) stop...
jhjpotter
12-05-2009, 01:38 PM
always a treat...even if not always booty shakin' from start to finish...my main requirement for live music...got that covered tomorrow with dragon smokeHey El, how was da Dragon Smoke?
Hey El, how was da Dragon Smoke?
Very positive reports from friends of mine who attended. Stanton was on his feet by the second tune, which it appears was shortly after midnight.
jhjpotter
12-05-2009, 02:01 PM
Very positive reports from friends of mine who attended. Stanton was on his feet by the second tune, which it appears was shortly after midnight.
I'm awaiting info on the Anders, Stanton, Robert Walter tour that they are supposedly planning in support of Anders new album. hoping it's for real. standing by the second or third song seems pretty standard for stanton with DS or Galactic, i think he gets himself pumped for the rest of the show.
festivalgirl
12-05-2009, 04:06 PM
It was a fun night .... we LOVE Naja's .... next time we'll meet up there. Maybe we'll try to swing by the Mint tonight and see if the girl at the door will let us buy the Charlie Hunter CD without actually going in.