 | | |
| | Natty Dread | | | Music Artist : | | Charlie Hunter Quartet | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Blue Note Records | | Release Date : | | 1997-03-25 | | Store Price : | | $11.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $11.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
|
|
|
|
|
CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Lively Up Yourself
2. No Woman, No Cry
3. Them Belly Full
4. Rebel Muisc
5. So Jah Seh
6. Natty Dread
7. Bend Down Low
8. Talkin' Blues
9. Revolution
| |
Other Artist Albums
|
|
|
|
Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
|
 Not as good as the original
Submitted on: 2004-02-01 |
|
| This album is decent as a jazz album but ultimately doesn't do the original justice. The Charlie Hunter Quartet takes "Natty Dread", one of Bob Marley's classics, and jazzes it up. The first two tracks are the best,in my opinion. Both capture the mood of the originals. The quartet's version of "Lively Up Yourself" is even livelier than the original, and their version of "No Woman, No Cry" definitely captures the solemnity of that original. The one other track that demands replay is "Rebel Music." The problem with albums such as these is that the artist has to reinterpret another artist's work without mangling the originals. The songs on this album are certainly not mangled versions of the originals, but they're not all that compelling. If you haven't heard the originals, you may have a different take on this album. However, if you're a rabid Bob Marley fan like me, you're better off with the originals. |
|
|
|
 his master's voice
Submitted on: 2002-11-14 |
|
| I am a hard core reggae fan, and a hard core jazz fan. what does 'hard core' mean? for me, it boils down to the artist's intent. do they intend to rock your world with their vision? that's hard core. this cd is hard core. hunter takes marley's classic tunes and turns them inside out, discovering nuance and emotion that certainly marley also felt. i do my yoga practice to this music and i also blast it loud cruising down the west side highway at night, meaning it's got air and beats. ususally when anybody, jazz, rock, whatever, tries their hand at reggae they always get two things wrong, and these are the two most crucial elements to reggae - drum and bass. hunter gets them right, on his own terms, and i love him for it. |
|
|
|
 Covers, not copies
Submitted on: 2002-10-04 |
|
| Well, if you want to hear Bob Marley pickin' and singin', you'd better put a Marley CD in the player. This is an album of covers, not copies. Should be obvious, right? Now, if you like the jazz idiom, and want to hear how some Bob Marley tunes sound *as jazz*, this is a pretty good album. If you want to hear a young jazz guitarist fusing different styles, without sounding like a fusion wanker, once again this is a pretty good album. The contrapuntal sax work by Calder Spanier (alto) and Kenny Brooks (tenor) on this album is very interesting. It adds a lot of complexity and variety to these simple tunes, without sounding like somebody's trying to show off. At times it sounds like the free-but-together lines Chris Potter (tenor sax) and Robin Eubanks (trombone) do with the Dave Holland Quintet. None of this is anywhere as easy as it sounds, and it's pretty cool to hear the Charlie Hunter Quartet take a stab at it and succeed. This album shows how reggae tunes can be arranged as jazz, without doing violence to the originals, or sounding like processed cheese. Right on. Definitely this album would be of interest to jazz musicians and serious jazz fans. Jazz musicians in particular will be up nights transcribing this stuff, trying to cop what the Charlie Hunter Quartet has done. Reviewers and the general public might be left scratching their heads, and wondering why it doesn't sound more like a Bob Marley album. |
|
|
|
What's so great about Charlie Hunter -
Submitted on: 2000-06-26 |
|
| Charlie Hunter graduated from Berkeley High School, like Joshua Redman, Bennie Green, and a number of other jazz players, and formed a little trio that played locally. They played the San Francisco club scene, mostly young people into all sorts of music, not your hard core jazz audience. They released a record, "The Charlie Hunter Trio" on a local label, and it was something of a local hit. Unprecedented for a SF group to my knowledge. On the basis of this record they landed a deal with Blue Note and recorded two more albums before they disbanded. What was so great about the trio and the first CD? Lot's of things. First is the two gimmicks, a drums/guitar/sax trio, and Charlie's 9-string guitar that he uses to play both lead and bass. Then, there is the rhythm. This group doesn't restrict itself to the standard chink chinka chink jazz rhythm but instead uses funk, hip-hop, fusion and other rhythms. So, it swings much harder then the typical jazz group. And, Charlie's comping on guitar/bass has the rhythmic drive of a Hammond organ combo. Second is the tunes. CH writes catchy tunes, this is of inestimable value. Third, Dave Ellis, the sax player, is a great melodic soloist. And forth, because the group is so small, the players support each other, and it's unusual to hear a sax player supporting the guitar. It gives the band a sound that is unique. So, after experiencing meteoric success, based in large part on sensitive mutual support, the Charlie Hunter Trio disbanded! To record "Natty Dread" Dave Ellis was replaced by two local sax players, Calder Spanier and Kenny Brooks. The whole sound of the band changed. So, what's so great about this CD? What's so great about this CD is the cut "Lively Up Yourself". It's absolutely great. It has a clever melody, played as a backdrop, based on the Bob Marley tune; it has Charlie Hunter's patented driving, organ like, rhythm that is infectious and doesn't let up start to finish. And it has two of the best sax solos you're ever going to hear. Spanier lead off with a quirky alto solo; his playing can only be compared with Paul Desmond's, he doesn't have the 'dry martini' sound, but he does have the oblique melodicism that made Desmond great. Then Kenny Brooks comes on with a solo that kicks out the jams. Way out. It's a staggeringly good solo, with laid back but intense inner workings alternating with wild flights to the extreme reaches of the horn. Take my word for it, this isn't senseless noodling, this is hard driving melodic jazz that is as good as it gets. Check this one out. |
|
|
|
This one will stay in your disc player for months.
Submitted on: 2000-06-05 |
|
| This album is not a cover album. It distills the essence of each track on Bob Marley's classic Natty Dread and translates each tune into the jazz idiom without lossing any of Bob Marley's sensibilities. The album is an affectionate and respectful tribute to Bob Marley. The musicianship is world class. The music is delivered with wisdom, soul, passion and humor. Anyone who appreciates reggae or funky jazz will love this album. I look forward to more great things from Charlie Hunter. He has deep understanding of the subject material. |
|
|
|
![Ready Set Shango! [CD on Demand] by Charlie Hunter Quartet](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M9cAy3aNL._SL160_.jpg)
![Return Of The Candyman [CD on Demand] by Charlie Hunter & Pound For Pound](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NzGksKRZL._SL160_.jpg)
