Released without fanfare earlier this summer, the album “Space Bomb” functions much as soundtrack as statement. It is a trick Nordic label ECM pulled off for decades — having great players recorded to works as well at the surface as in the depths of the interplay. But where ECM had a chamber jazz sound, “Space Bomb” leans into the blues, soul and funk.
Recorded in Richmond at Spacebomb studio by chief engineer and studio manager Alex de Jong, the album’s 15 tight tracks, with titles in alphabetical order, are at once relaxed and concise. The shortest is a minute and a half, the longest less than five. The sonic landscapes evoke a wide range of sources from neo-soul to samba. The opening track, “Afrobeat Ad,” has a space dub atmosphere. “Mothra,” appropriate to its Japanese kaiju namesake, is science fiction noir. “Snoqualmie” — named after a spectacular mountain pass east of Seattle — has just a whiff of the Pacific Northwest-set “Twin Peaks” theme.
Endlessly inventive guitarist Charlie Hunter is most often the lead voice, his lines ranging from blues to honky-tonk to woozily bent notes evoking Hawaiian slack key exoticism. The Butcher Brown rhythm section — featuring drummer Corey Fonville, keyboardist DJ Harrison and bassist Andy Randazzo — create the architecture for the melodies without disappearing into mere support. Fonville’s percussion lines are crisp and varied. Harrison’s keys complement and occasionally lead the melodies. Randazzo’s bass lines are impeccable. There is no showboating here, no grand statements, just 40 minutes of great playing by musicians very comfortable with each other doing what they do best.
The album “Space Bomb” (SideHustle) is streaming on all platforms. Charlie Hunter performs at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island on Aug. 2 before kicking off a brief tour that takes him to the West Coast. For more info, visit Charlie Hunter’s website.
