Chris Hunter Chris Hunter

Charlie Hunter, former member of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, serves notice that he will be a major player in the modern jazz scene in the '90s and beyond. Les Claypool, on Claypool's own Prawn Song label, recorded this, Hunter's first album as a leader. On this initial solo effort, Hunter masterfully plays the seven-string guitar (two bass strings, five guitar strings), and is joined by David Ellis (tenor sax) and Jay Lane (drums), who is himself a former member of Claypool's band, Primus. The trio provides an interesting, yet accessible, groove-driven, funky, improvised jam for a new generation of jazz fans. The Hunter gospel is spoken from the outset with "Fred's Life," a quick, groove-laden track that is highlighted by the horn work of Ellis.

Two of singer Chris Connor's finest Atlantic albums are reissued in full on this single CD. The laid-back yet coolly emotional jazz singer is heard backed by top-notch rhythm sections (with either Ralph Sharon or Stan Free being the pianist/arranger) and occasional horns (trumpeter Joe Wilder, flutist Sam Most, tenors Al Cohn and Lucky Thompson, flutist Bobby Jaspar and Al Epstein on English horn and bass clarinet) adding some short solos. Connor (then around 30) was in her prime, and her renditions of such songs as "Poor Little Rich Girl," "Lonely Town," "I'm Shooting High," "Moonlight in Vermont," and even "Johnny One Note" are memorable and sometimes haunting.