Sul sito del quotidiano Santa Barbara Indipendent è apparsa una intervista con il chitarrista Charlie Hunter, in occasione della pubblicazione del suo ultimo album dal curioso titolo Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid che si avvale di una particolare formazione con il batterista Eric Kalb, ed una brass ensamble composta da due trombonisti (Alan Ferber e Curtis Fowlkes) ed un trombettista Eric Biondo, che riprende le sonorità della celebre Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy.
Ecco un estratto dell'intervista:
This record differs a lot from the stripped-down style you’ve been exploring. What were your thoughts going into this project?
I just wanted to make a really, really good record for very little money. [Laughs.] And I did that by recording live, which I always do anyway; I never do any overdubs. So we recorded live to half-inch tape mono, which means no mixing, and I had a great engineer—Dave McNair—who hooked all the mixing up on the fly, and we had great musicians to play, so we just went in their and knocked it out in a couple days.
Other than the cost, what do you get out of recording to analog?
Well, mixing costs a lot of money because it takes a lot of time, and we know how to play, so… [laughs]. Most nights a year, we’re playing, so for us to go into a studio and just play means we don’t have to worry about having a net. It became all about recording to tape and just how good that sounds, and all the analog gear and how much better, generally, that sounds than digital. For just recording a band straight up that knows what they’re doing, there’s just no substitute for tape and tubes, you know?
Can you tell me a bit about the album title, Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid?
[Laughs.] It’s a quote from an old musician. I can’t say his name or I’ll get into a lot of trouble. … But I can relate to it. If you’re a musician, you’re at the bottom of the pile in this industry. You’re the very last person to get paid, and if there’s anything left, you’ll get that.
How do you approach playing some of these bigger-band pieces live with a trio?
Well, we’ve been doing the trio for so long that we just kind of do it however we can. But it’s great. Every one of those songs has its own, different vibe, and a trio is great because you can get a big sound, but you’re still able to maneuver. Having three individuals communicating onstage is much quicker. The problem with the five-piece is that it sounds great, but it’s just too expensive.
You’re getting close to having 20 albums under your belt. Do you have a preference between recording and playing live?
Oh always with an audience, because that’s what we do. We’re improvisers, and we play live. The studio is fun, and great, and it’s a necessary thing—when I practice, I always tape myself practicing and listen to it back because it’s great to have that instantaneous feedback—but playing in front of an audience, that’s the fun part of it
L'intervista integrale a questo indirizzo.
Ecco un estratto dell'intervista:
This record differs a lot from the stripped-down style you’ve been exploring. What were your thoughts going into this project?
I just wanted to make a really, really good record for very little money. [Laughs.] And I did that by recording live, which I always do anyway; I never do any overdubs. So we recorded live to half-inch tape mono, which means no mixing, and I had a great engineer—Dave McNair—who hooked all the mixing up on the fly, and we had great musicians to play, so we just went in their and knocked it out in a couple days.
Other than the cost, what do you get out of recording to analog?
Well, mixing costs a lot of money because it takes a lot of time, and we know how to play, so… [laughs]. Most nights a year, we’re playing, so for us to go into a studio and just play means we don’t have to worry about having a net. It became all about recording to tape and just how good that sounds, and all the analog gear and how much better, generally, that sounds than digital. For just recording a band straight up that knows what they’re doing, there’s just no substitute for tape and tubes, you know?
Can you tell me a bit about the album title, Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid?
[Laughs.] It’s a quote from an old musician. I can’t say his name or I’ll get into a lot of trouble. … But I can relate to it. If you’re a musician, you’re at the bottom of the pile in this industry. You’re the very last person to get paid, and if there’s anything left, you’ll get that.
How do you approach playing some of these bigger-band pieces live with a trio?
Well, we’ve been doing the trio for so long that we just kind of do it however we can. But it’s great. Every one of those songs has its own, different vibe, and a trio is great because you can get a big sound, but you’re still able to maneuver. Having three individuals communicating onstage is much quicker. The problem with the five-piece is that it sounds great, but it’s just too expensive.
You’re getting close to having 20 albums under your belt. Do you have a preference between recording and playing live?
Oh always with an audience, because that’s what we do. We’re improvisers, and we play live. The studio is fun, and great, and it’s a necessary thing—when I practice, I always tape myself practicing and listen to it back because it’s great to have that instantaneous feedback—but playing in front of an audience, that’s the fun part of it
L'intervista integrale a questo indirizzo.
Ecco il video di un pezzo dell'album, tratto da un concerto dal vivo registrato lo scorso 27 febbraio, al Blue Room di Kansas City
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