Harmonica Solo, with Guitar, and with Voice, 1997

Recording Notes and Samples


Painting From Above by Dean Hunter-Cutrona

The Second Act of Free Being, Richard Hunter’s second full-length CD release, was released on May 8, 1998. This page provides notes on the CD’s contents and samples in Real Audio and .WAV formats. You’ll need the RealAudio player to use RealAudio files; you can get a free copy direct from RealAudio by clicking here (but bookmark this page first!). The samples in .WAV format are bigger, take a lot more time to load, and don’t sound any better; but if you can’t wait until you get the RealAudio player, they’ll do the trick.

All samples, of course, are copyright 1997 by Richard Hunter, and all rights are reserved.

The Second Act of Free Being continues Hunter’s tradition of performances in real time without overdubs, and includes two duets with Jerome Harris on acoustic guitar and a duet with Susan Hunter-Cutrona on vocals. Harris’s credits include 15 years as accompanist (on bass and guitar) to jazz tenor saxophone giant Sonny Rollins, as well as several full length recordings as leader (most recently Hidden in Plain View, a collection of works by Eric Dolphy, on New World/Counter Currents 80472-2.) We are tremendously excited about Harris’s participation in this project. Click here to read more about Jerome and his work.

The CD was recorded at Charles Eller Studios, Hinesburg, VT; Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY; Abel Studios, Norwalk, CT; and Edge Studios, Fairfield, CT, from April 1997 to November 1997. Mixing was done at Charles Eller Studios in November 1997.

The full lineup for the CD includes the following:

How Long Have I Loved You: a jazzy duet with guitar. Played in 2nd position on the Natural minor harmonica. Here are a couple of samples:

Billy the Kid: my solo arrangement of the traditional piece, played in 2nd position on a Country-tuned harmonica. Dedicated to Ry Cooder.
Here are the samples:

Widow’s Walk: original composition, very impressionistic. Natural minor harmonica.
You want samples? We got samples.

Border Oscillations: a solo piece with a Reggae rhythm. 2nd position, Dorian minor harmonica.

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry: the Bob Dylan song, done as a duet with vocalist Susan Hunter-Cutrona. Slow rocking groove, standard diatonics in three keys.

Dancers in the Bullrushes: the Chris Turner composition. Lots of counterpoint, harmonic minor harmonica in 1st position.
Samples:

Bela’s World: original composition, very contrapuntal, very Bartokian. Natural minor harmonica.

You Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond: the Taj Mahal tune in a solo harmonica arrangement. LOTS of counterpoint in real time. Standard diatonic harmonica.

Blue Hunter: original 16-bar blues composition. Duet with guitar. Standard diatonic, 2nd position. Here are the samples:

From Above: solo composition for standard diatonic in 5th (E minor on a C harmonica) and 2nd positions. BIG wide intervals on this one, lots of counterpoint.

Blues for Charlie: a highly contrapuntal solo piece, dedicated to Charlie Mingus. Dorian minor-tuned harmonica in 3rd position.

New Country Stomp: original composition, uptempo country feel. Melody Maker harmonica.

Cycle Song: a short, upbeat solo piece in “vamping” style. Standard diatonic harmonica in 2nd position.

Requiem: An original solo composition with lots of 2-part counterpoint and some beautiful harmonies. The completed composition was premiered at the 1997 SPAH Convention, where it was a big hit. Dorian minor harmonica in 3rd position.