Jazz Police - Stanton Moore and Charlie Hunter Trios at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood 12/8

A New Orleans musician in every sense of the word, drummer Stanton Moore's main gig is with the popular funk band Galactic, but he also plays with a wide variety of other musicians in both club and studio settings. His trio, which he has been touring for a few years now, features like-minded Hammond organ maestro Robert Walter and a revolving chair of bass player talent. The combination of Moore’s Funky Meters-inspired syncopations and Walter’s wailing organ will make for a night of supreme funkiness. Co-headlining with Moore is Charlie Hunter, who has been on a long pilgrimage of musical growth sense he first took lessons from a not-yet-famous Joe Satriani. Charlie absorbed a wide variety of musical influences growing up in the Bay Area, from the Dead Kennedys to P-Funk. He joined Michael Franti’s Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy but left in ’93 to pursue music more purely jazz-oriented. A year later, the Charlie Hunter Trio recorded their debut for Primus-bassist/leader Les Claypool’s Prawnsong label. Along the way, Hunter famously developed the 8-string guitar, which allows him to cop the bass parts along with the melodies and chords normally handled on the guitar. The result is a jazz that is quite unique, but still easy to get into and funky as it wants to be.

Stanton Moore

Born and raised in New Orleans (and living there still, when he’s not on the road), Stanton Moore is very much a product of geography, culture and creative networking. He grew up in the thriving music scene of his hometown that included Professor Longhair, Doctor John, the Meters and countless other Big Easy mainstays.

In the early ‘90s, Moore hooked up with guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio and keyboardist Rich Vogel and saxophonist Ben Ellman to form the New Orleans-based “steam-roller” funk band known as Galactic. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in music and business from Loyola University, Moore and the band made their first record (the widely acclaimed Coolin’ Off) and hit the road to do nearly 200 gigs a year for the first ten years of Galactic’s existence. The band has since released five more albums since Coolin’ Off, and continues to amass a worldwide audience via recording and touring globally.

Stanton Moore

Aided by eight-string guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool, John Scofield, Roger Waters), Moore launched his solo career in the late ‘90s with the All Kooked Out!, an album recorded in New Orleans just after Mardi Gras in 1998 and released later that year. In addition to the Moore-Hunter-Skerik core, All Kooked Out! also featured a handful of New Orleans horn players, including Brent Rose, Brian Seeger, Matt Perrine, Ben Ellman, and former Sun Ra trumpeter Michael Ray. Moore extended the solo discography with the 2001 release of Flyin’ the Koop (Verve/Blue Thumb).

In September 2006 Telarc released III, Moore's third solo recording ( Click here for a Jazz Police review). In addition to a trademark sound that Modern Drummer calls “infectious, jazz-meets-Bonham, nouveau second-line,” III also features organist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars, The Head Hunters), guitarist Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk, Doctor Lonnie Smith), along with a few special guests: Skerik and trombonist Mark Mullins (Galactic, Bonerama, Harry Connick, Jr., Better Than Ezra).The album was recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Charlie Hunter

Here is what Andrea Canter of Jazz Police says about Hunter:

Charlie Hunter brings some of the hottest grooves in jazz guitar, and with his famed custom-made 8-string instrument, he manages the roles of keyboard and bass so well that his trio (with sax and drums) sounds like a quintet. Destined to become a guitarist, Hunter’s mom repaired guitars as he was growing up in Berkeley, CA, and by age 12 he had purchased his own for $7. Influenced by organ greats Jimmy Smith and Larry Young, Hunter fused his interest in jazz with the music of his favorite artists--Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Little Walter. Of the appeal of his music across generations, Hunter notes,“I think our music is an alternative to the suit-and-tie club that says you have to be well-to-do and super-intellectual to understand jazz music. We don't have that attitude. We play at places where people aren't interested in pigeonholing instrumental music." These days Hunter plays an 8-string guitar/bass hybrid, custom built by Ralph Novak. His touring partners include tenor saxman John Ellis (whose credits include Nicholas Payton, Jason Marsalis, Greg Hutchinson and Brian Blade) and drummer Derrek Phillips (who has worked with Ronny Jordan, Greg Osby, Jason Moran, Rufus Reid, Joshua Redman, and Marcus Belgrave). Noted Billboard, “Charlie Hunter crafts some of the most colorful, unorthodox and rhythmically charged jazz in contemporary music.” -

The Charlie Hunter Trio and the Stanton Moore Trio
December 8th
Knitting Factory - Hollywood
7021 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-463-0204

>For more information, visit knittingfactory.com www.charliehunter.com and www.stantonmoore.com