Reviewed by Mike Katzif :: 10 July 2005




The prolific eight-string guitarist, Charlie Hunter has a history of a rotating door of cast members. Throughout the years his groups have changed in size about as often as the combinations of instruments and players he performs with. His hybridization of his music and compositional prowess is only overshadowed by his phenomenal improvisational skills and technique on his unique instrument. He has always been one for cohesion; that is sticking with a style or setting or mood throughout the course of the album or tour and driving it until its breaking point. But as soon as he becomes comfortable, or perhaps when the listener becomes accustomed to the lineup and the music, it seems he will change everything up and start from scratch.

This is the 'kill mommy' ideology to the most extreme. It's not like this practice of switching up musicians is not part of the jazz tradition; in fact the late night New York jam sessions of the 1940s built this. But in an age where the average music listener wants the expected and familiar (even though they will profess otherwise) how can a jazz musician afford to constantly change when he already has to work within a niche of the industry that gets no press, no noticeable album sales and relies solely on the diehard fans? That is the mystique of Charlie Hunter.

With the group Groundtruther, he might finally have found a project that is able to add some cohesion to the chaos. A spin on the ideal of a rotating cast, Groundtruther maintains the group mentality as a constant, while allowing a rotating third member to bring a fresh approach to the dynamic. It began with electronic drummer Bobby Previte as a series of live shows at New York's Tonic and Knitting Factory but has become something entirely different. Billed as 99% live, 100% improvised the sound is steeped in the jazz improvisational realm but almost void of any devices of that genre beyond group communication. Instead they draw more from the electronic, drum n bass, dub, rock and hip hop influences; there is no swing anywhere to be found. So don't look.

Like its predecessor Latitude, recorded with saxophonist Greg Osby, Longitude features guest DJ Logic as its logical extension. If Latitude was the theme, this is the first variation. The sonic textures of Hunter, Logic and Previte facilitate the rhythms, both catchy and elusive, to make it both experimental and near danceable at times. With Logic adding samples and ambient sounds from his turntables, and Hunter's guitar presenting the phrases, themes and repetetive riffs Previte is able to provide the backbone and unrelentingly drives this group. This interplay of the members drives the pulse into an interlocked unit to the point where individuality goes virtually unnoticed.

Because the music was developed live and recorded as such, the album tracks truly flow together as a tapestry of peaks and valleys, allowing the groove to settle before it drops out and starts anew. The point is not so much to have familiarity of individual tunes due to the avante improvisational nature, but, rather, a familiarity of mood as a framework for the creative exploration of electronic sounds. With all these elements at play, the result is a hauntingly atmospheric and a loose, abstract cycle.

If one enjoys Tortoise, Mogwai, Battles, Mum, Four Tet, Mice Parade, Tatsuhiko Asano or general ambient electronic take notice of this group.