Nine Lives

Steve's nine piece band

 

The album launch was on the 3rd of July 2000 at 'The Basment' in Sydney. The album features nine compositions by Steve.

Playing on various tracks are: Phil Slater, Matt McMahon, Steve McKenna, Paul Cutlan, Ken James, Dave Theak, Carolyn Johns, Lucien McGuinness, Toby Hall and Fabian Hevia.

 Nine Lives Cat. #: ABC /EMI 5275222

 

Track Listing:
1. Reason (Hunter) 10:12
2. Listen MP3 Habitat (Hunter) 7:20
3. Lay Awake (Hunter) 6:19
4. Truth Is (Hunter) 8:02
5. Listen MP3 Bianca Rosa (Hunter) 1:09
6. So To Speak (Hunter) 9:31
7. There You Are (M. McMahon and K. James) 1:33
8. Listen MP3 Blue Intro / Big Louie (Hunter) 9:03
9. Old Souls (Hunter) 9:57
10. People on Foot (Hunter) 5:15

 

The players on the 'Nine Lives' album are...
  •   Steve Hunter - electric bass / composer
  •   Phil Slater - trumpet
  •   Ken James - soprano sax / flute
  •   Dave Theak - soprano sax
  •   Paul Cutlan - tenor sax and bass clarinet
  •   Steve McKenna - guitar
  •   Matt McMahon - pianos and melodica
  •   Carolyn Johns - tuba
  •   Toby Hall - drums and percussion
  •   Fabian Hevia - percussion
  •   Lucien McGuiness - trombone
"The music of Nine Lives is fun, beautiful, moving and thrilling by turns.
All the pieces - literally, and metaphorically - clearly fell into the right place at the right time."
[John Shand - jazz writer - Sydney Morning Herald]
"Nine Lives is a truly extraordinary piece of work not only in its intelligence and virtuosity as a series of compositions, but in the seamless way in which Hunter has been able to cobble together otherwise disparate styles, not just from track to track but within tracks. Hunter has managed to make it all seem effortless yet taut and exciting."
[Drum Media - June 2000]
"Composer / bass guitarist / band leader Steve Hunter is to be applauded for tackling such an ambitious assignment and for assembling a stellar team of Sydney jazz and session men (members of other thoroughbred bands like Ten Part Invention, Wanderlust and The Catholics) and, perhaps most importantly, for creating the space for their improvisations between his written parts. Hunter's players respond with some blinding solos (take a bow reeds man Ken James, trumpeter Phil Slater and guitarist Steve McKenna), but the whole set's well paced with some lovely stripped back stuff interspersed among the album's more frenetic numbers."
[Tony Hillier]