 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Charlie Hunter")
Charlie Hunter will perform his own brand of funky jazz fusion Friday night at Cafe Culture.
The concert, featuring Hunter and his 7-string guitar, will follow a daytime master’s class at the cafe.
Hunter will be joined by drummer Eric Kalb and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, for the concert and will be performing music from his latest album “Baboon Strength.”
Throughout his career, Hunter has played with some big names, including Norah Jones and John Mayer.
Azariah “Z” Reynolds, owner of Z’s Live Music, is presenting the concert. Reynolds regards Hunter as one of his favorite guitarists of all time.
“He’s a true genius on his instrument,” Reynolds said. “I think that in the future, when he’s much older, he’ll be revered as one of the great jazz legends of all time … right there with Charlie Parker and musicians of that stature.”
Both the concert and the masters class will provide a nice chance for Hunter’s fans, or just anyone interested in music, to interact with a legendary musician, Reynolds said.
“I think that’s the ultimate experience for a Charlie Hunter fan,” Reynolds said.
The master’s class attendees will get to pick his brain, see how he writes music and see how he plays his instrument.
Greg Fletcher, owner of Cafe Culture, agrees with Reynolds and said that anyone who plays the guitar or is interested in playing guitar should attend the master’s class.
“It’s a really good opportunity for anyone to come take an intimate class with a master,” Fletcher said. “I’m excited to have (Hunter) here because he’s a world renowned musician and I’ve heard that he’s pretty amazing.”
Fletcher, who is friends with Reynolds and collaborated with him to get the master’s class set up, said Cafe Culture is a good site to have Hunter interact with local people. The cafe already hosts music classes and has been used as a concert venue in the past.
For Hunter, the masters class and concert are opportunities to return to a town where he has played many times before.
“Touring is the same old thing, a lot of driving,” Hunter said. “I like Chico and we’re just going to play some music and have fun.”
Though Reynolds and Fletcher are both confident that Friday will be more than entertaining, Hunter is more humble about his upcoming appearance in Chico.
“I just hope we play well and the audience likes us,” Hunter said.
Tickets for this show are $20 and can be purchased at Cafe Culture, BOHO and Chico Natural Foods. There is also a $10 instruction fee for the class.
This event is for anyone interested in music and interacting with a legend, Reynolds said.
“It’s going to be a fortunate experience for people,” Reynolds said. “It’s big city entertainment coming to Chico.”
Angela Perez can be reached at
aperez@theorion.com
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