Charlie Hunter Trio: Bing Bing Bing—Blue Note Classic Series vinyl reissue
Blue Note is three years into their Classic Series reissues and it is now well established they are some of the best value reissues in jazz. Naturally, Blue Note is leaning heavily on their deep catalogue of hard bop and soul jazz but the more interesting titles in the series are the early bop sessions and later recordings from the ’80s and ’90s. Bing, Bing, Bing!, the 1995 release from prolific guitarist Charlie Hunter, is one of those outliers worth exploring. It’s Hunter’s second album as a leader and his first of seven for Blue Note. If his name sounds familiar, Hunter has also gained notoriety outside the jazz scene for his studio contributions to neo-soul classics Voodoo by D’Angelo and Orange by Frank Ocean.
Charlie Hunter is a guitar virtuoso with a singular musical voice. He plays an 8-string guitar, customized to his requirements with 3 bass strings allowing him to play two parts simultaneously. That creates a powerful illusion of two players in one. It’s a technique he perfected after being inspired by Joe Pass who could achieve similar effects with a 6-string guitar.
Hunter creates incredible tones as well. He has a clean bell-like tone with a sustain that almost sounds like a synth or Hammond organ—further building out his phantom rhythm section. Hunter is no one-man-band gimmick, though. Instead of relying on his virtuosity alone, his performances are team affairs just like the great bop sessions. The whole band lays down a groove, and Hunter brings everything together. Filling out the Trio on Bing, Bing, Bing! are tenor man David Ellis and drummer Jay Lane, formerly of funk-metal band Primus.
On Bing, Bing, Bing! (and his other work for that matter) Hunter tells stories—not in the cliche country music sense, but by creating a distinct mood as if every song was a miniature movie soundtrack. The listener is drawn in and compelled to paint an imaginary vignette in their mind along with the band.
With many of the legendary jazz albums I have in semi-permanent rotation, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about the studio and the recording session. It’s no knock on the music but rather an audiophile habit. Why does it sound like Trane is standing so far off to one side? Did Chet’s trumpet overload the mic a little bit there? What did it smell like in Van Gelder’s living room? And on and on… This is the magic of Charlie Hunter: it’s too fun to over-analyze.
This set consists mostly of original tunes by Hunter, a couple by his bandmates, and a cover of “Come as You Are” by Nirvana. I said fun, right? Every track here is fully formed and inescapably groovy. Plenty of space for Hunter to show off his out-of-this-world technique without overwhelming the band or getting lost.
There isn’t a bar of filler on the whole album but Side 2 is a personal highlight. Power chord rocker “Come as You Are” finds a beautiful second life as a vehicle for the group's explorations. “Scrabbling for Purchase,” whatever that might mean, is a jam with a perfect dose of noir and mystique. Side 2 closer, “Bullethead” is the funkiest, knottiest track on the album. Lane’s bounce sets the stage for Hunter and Ellis to indulge in luscious solos. Of course, there are some mellow moments too, like “Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing” bringing the balance to the session.
Charlie Hunter Trio: Jay Lane (L), Charlie Hunter (C) and David Ellis (R).
The sound quality on this pressing is frankly stunning. I did not know what to expect but my assumption that this was originally a digital recording was overturned as soon as the stylus hit the groove. Lights out. This a full-bodied, lush recording, dynamic and still packed with detail. In contrast to some Van Gelder eras, the soundstage is more knit together than some of those classic titles where the instrument separation can be extreme.
As with other Classic Series reissues albums I’ve picked up, the quality of the vinyl is indistinguishable from the top-shelf Tone Poet series. The 180-gram disc arrived flat, centred, glossy and clean without a speck of dust in the grooves. Basic packaging is utilized to hit a competitive price point for the Classic Series. The sleeve is a single slipcover for both discs with average cardstock weight and printing quality. No complaints though. The poly-lined sleeves show that Blue Note is prioritizing the music (some preceding Blue Note 80 reissues came with paper sleeves).
I can’t talk about the physical product without mentioning the amazing cover art. Just look at those stone-cold mugshots. A perfect mix of ’90s grunge attitude and that classic ‘60’s Blue Note style.
This is the first-ever vinyl release of Bing, Bing, Bing! Making the Classic Series reissue the definitive pressing by default. Blue Note collectors should snag this title to pepper a little variety into their hard bop lineup. Fans of Hunter's studio work will find a lot to dig here and could even find it a gateway into the world of Blue Note. And of course, anyone who wonders if there was any fresh jazz happening in the ’90s needs to get hip to Charlie Hunter. Bing, Bing, Bing! remains timeless. I contend it would be tough for an unfamiliar listener to date it. Do not sleep on this release. Blue Note, if you’re reading: more Charlie Hunter reissues, please!
