Charlie Hunter Quintet
Right Now Live
(Ropeadope)

Recorded in a warehouse in North Philly before a small audience at the end of 2002, Charlie and company get down with a tight set of funk jam fusion. The multi-camera shoot gets up close and personal on each band member, but it’s Charlie’s fingers that are the star of the show. Thumbing basslines on the top four strings of his eight-string axe and picking leads with the rest, Hunter’s prowess is unique among guitar slingers and it’s cool to be able to witness his technique in such detail. He flies solo for the first four numbers, covering soul classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Too High” and Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” before being joined by the rest of the quintet for six original compositions. Did I already say tight? -- David Bassin