Chuck Hammer
Encyclopedia
Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist
and Emmy nominated digital film composer
, known for seminal guitar-synth with Lou Reed
, David Bowie
, and Guitarchitecture
.
As an artist, Hammer is best known for his Guitarchitecture recordings, though he is also widely regarded as an influential soundtrack composer, having scored approximately 300 documentary films. He is currently developing a series of improvisational live recordings.
He attended State University of New York at Buffalo, studying classical guitar with Oswald Rantucci
, and jazz with Archie Shepp
. He also attended lectures presented by Karlheinz Stockhausen
.
He was born in New York City
.
During these concerts Hammer utilized new guitar technology, known as guitar-synth, to orchestrate songs from Berlin
, Street Hassle
, The Bells
and The Velvet Underground
. It was during this time that Hammer developed an approach to composing and recording known as Guitarchitecture.
Hammer recorded with Lou Reed on Growing Up in Public, January 1980.
In March 1980, Hammer recorded guitar-synth tracks for David Bowie on the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
, including multiple textures across "Ashes to Ashes
" and "Teenage Wildlife
", both of which marked the earliest use of guitar-synth in Bowie's catalogue. The actual instruments utilized on these tracks included a Roland GR-500
with an Eventide Harmonizer. Textural tracks such as those on "Ashes to Ashes" exhibited a multi-layered, approach, to recording and composing with the guitar.
, a process and term which he developed in 1977. The underlying thought behind Guitarchitecture is to extend the guitar vocabulary. Guitarchitecture involves broadening the guitar's vocabulary by altering its temporal sustain characteristics and context. This approach often utilizes extended sustain, reshaped timbres, discreet vibrato techniques, textural event layering, and simply breaking down a chord to its basic elements and recording each element separately (as a modified orchestra). The term Guitarchitecture applies to both Hammer's soundtracks in the digital film medium, as well as his recorded guitar work.
Hammer was accorded pioneer status by Rolling Stone
magazine, alongside an eclectic and select group, including Robert Fripp
and Allan Holdsworth
, having been attributed with leading a new era of development in the global guitar community, influencing instrument capabilities, form and functions in music.
He is currently developing a series of Guitarchitecture
soundtracks.
, adding a Digital Guitar Interface in 1984. Later that same year he worked with Laurie Anderson
, attempting to trigger synchronized samples, from her Mister Heartbreak
multitrack recordings live, utilizing the Digital Guitar Interface. In 1985 he recorded "Glacial Guitars", a series of Guitarchitecture pieces that deploy cello timbres and string controlled sampling. in 1986 Hammer recorded "Cathedral Guitars", a series of solo acoustic pieces. In November 1986 he collaborated with David Gordon (choreographer), composing "The Seasons", for the Next Wave Festival, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
(BAM). Hammer utilized a synthaxe
as the primary instrument to reshape audio elements while recording this musique concrète
piece.
In 1989 Hammer designed AVA studios in New York City, a multi media production facility, that focused on film and television music scoring. Between 1994 and 2004 he composed soundtracks for an extended series of non fiction documentaries; collaborating with National Geographic, Discovery Communications
, New York Times, and A&E Network
. These soundtracks were widely broadcast and highly influential. In effect, darkening the tone of soundtracks that followed, while merging textural scoring with digital sound design. Additional soundtracks focused on the sonic artifacts of "touch" by combining non-processed guitars with highly processed undertones.
The following is a partial list of series and documentary soundtracks he has composed:
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and Emmy nominated digital film composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, known for seminal guitar-synth with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, and Guitarchitecture
Guitarchitecture
Guitarchitecture: is a term developed by Chuck Hammer in 1977, describing an approach to soundtrack composition, employing discrete textured guitar layers....
.
As an artist, Hammer is best known for his Guitarchitecture recordings, though he is also widely regarded as an influential soundtrack composer, having scored approximately 300 documentary films. He is currently developing a series of improvisational live recordings.
He attended State University of New York at Buffalo, studying classical guitar with Oswald Rantucci
Oswald Rantucci
Oswald Rantucci was a highly respected Classical Guitar teacher at The State University of New York at Buffalo,for whom the Rantucci International Guitar Festival & Competition is named.-References:...
, and jazz with Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
. He also attended lectures presented by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
.
He was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early Work
Hammer toured extensively with Lou Reed from 1978 through 1980.During these concerts Hammer utilized new guitar technology, known as guitar-synth, to orchestrate songs from Berlin
Berlin (album)
Berlin is a 1973 album by Lou Reed, his third solo album and the follow-up to Transformer. In 2003, the album was ranked number 344 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, though the publication had called the album a "disaster" 30 years prior.-Background and...
, Street Hassle
Street Hassle
Street Hassle is the eighth solo album by Lou Reed, originally released by Arista Records. The album is notable as the first commercially released pop album to employ binaural recording technology. Street Hassle combines live concert tapings and studio recordings.The album is also notable for...
, The Bells
The Bells (album)
The Bells is the ninth album by Lou Reed, released through Arista Records in 1979. It is recorded in binaural sound. "City Lights" is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. "Disco Mystic" is indeed played in a disco style, and the lyrics consist of those two words repeated...
and The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. It was during this time that Hammer developed an approach to composing and recording known as Guitarchitecture.
Hammer recorded with Lou Reed on Growing Up in Public, January 1980.
In March 1980, Hammer recorded guitar-synth tracks for David Bowie on the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters is an album by David Bowie, released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was Bowie's final studio album for the label and his first following the so-called Berlin Trilogy of Low, "Heroes" and Lodger . Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proved less...
, including multiple textures across "Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)
"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet...
" and "Teenage Wildlife
Teenage Wildlife
"Teenage Wildlife" is a song written by David Bowie in 1980 for the album Scary Monsters . Running at almost seven minutes, the song was the longest track on Scary Monsters, and Bowie's longest composition since "Station to Station" four years prior in 1976.Aside from "Ashes to Ashes", "Teenage...
", both of which marked the earliest use of guitar-synth in Bowie's catalogue. The actual instruments utilized on these tracks included a Roland GR-500
Roland GR-500
The Roland GR-500, manufactured by Roland Corporation, was the Roland's first guitar synthesizer.The synthesizer module included Bass, Solo Synth, and String sounds based on previous Orchestral and analog mono-synths from Roland...
with an Eventide Harmonizer. Textural tracks such as those on "Ashes to Ashes" exhibited a multi-layered, approach, to recording and composing with the guitar.
Guitarchitecture
Hammer's recorded work is known as GuitarchitectureGuitarchitecture
Guitarchitecture: is a term developed by Chuck Hammer in 1977, describing an approach to soundtrack composition, employing discrete textured guitar layers....
, a process and term which he developed in 1977. The underlying thought behind Guitarchitecture is to extend the guitar vocabulary. Guitarchitecture involves broadening the guitar's vocabulary by altering its temporal sustain characteristics and context. This approach often utilizes extended sustain, reshaped timbres, discreet vibrato techniques, textural event layering, and simply breaking down a chord to its basic elements and recording each element separately (as a modified orchestra). The term Guitarchitecture applies to both Hammer's soundtracks in the digital film medium, as well as his recorded guitar work.
Hammer was accorded pioneer status by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, alongside an eclectic and select group, including Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
and Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
, having been attributed with leading a new era of development in the global guitar community, influencing instrument capabilities, form and functions in music.
He is currently developing a series of Guitarchitecture
Guitarchitecture
Guitarchitecture: is a term developed by Chuck Hammer in 1977, describing an approach to soundtrack composition, employing discrete textured guitar layers....
soundtracks.
Film soundtracks
In 1983 Hammer began composing film soundtracks with a SynclavierSynclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
, adding a Digital Guitar Interface in 1984. Later that same year he worked with Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
, attempting to trigger synchronized samples, from her Mister Heartbreak
Mister Heartbreak
Mister Heartbreak is the second album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released in 1984.Considered more mainstream than its predecessor, Big Science, the album's lead track, "Sharkey's Day" formed the basis of a popular music video. Author William S...
multitrack recordings live, utilizing the Digital Guitar Interface. In 1985 he recorded "Glacial Guitars", a series of Guitarchitecture pieces that deploy cello timbres and string controlled sampling. in 1986 Hammer recorded "Cathedral Guitars", a series of solo acoustic pieces. In November 1986 he collaborated with David Gordon (choreographer), composing "The Seasons", for the Next Wave Festival, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
(BAM). Hammer utilized a synthaxe
SynthAxe
The SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
as the primary instrument to reshape audio elements while recording this musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
piece.
In 1989 Hammer designed AVA studios in New York City, a multi media production facility, that focused on film and television music scoring. Between 1994 and 2004 he composed soundtracks for an extended series of non fiction documentaries; collaborating with National Geographic, Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
, New York Times, and A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
. These soundtracks were widely broadcast and highly influential. In effect, darkening the tone of soundtracks that followed, while merging textural scoring with digital sound design. Additional soundtracks focused on the sonic artifacts of "touch" by combining non-processed guitars with highly processed undertones.
The following is a partial list of series and documentary soundtracks he has composed:
- Trauma: Life in the E.R.Trauma: Life in the E.R.Trauma: Life in the E.R. is a medical-based television reality show that formerly ran on TLC from 1997 to 2002 and reruns are currently airing on Discovery Fit & Health...
- The First 48The First 48The First 48 is an American documentary television series that airs on A&E. Filmed in various cities in the United States, the series offers an insider's look at the real-life world of homicide investigators...
- Paramedics
- Science Times
- World Birth Day
- Police Force
- Maternity Ward
- Breaking News
- Women and the Badge
- Just Off The Coast
- Crazy Eights
- The Wreck
Guitarchitecture recordings
- Glacial Guitars
- Cathedral Guitars (solo Acoustica 1)
- Avignon Crosses (solo Acoustica 2)
- Moonless Night
- Shelter Curve
- Arctic Circles
Additional sessions and compilation discography
Appears on:- Growing Up in Public, Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, (1980) - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)Scary Monsters is an album by David Bowie, released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was Bowie's final studio album for the label and his first following the so-called Berlin Trilogy of Low, "Heroes" and Lodger . Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proved less...
, David Bowie, (1980), UK #1, US #12) - ChangestwobowieChangestwobowieChangestwobowie, released in 1981, was a David Bowie compilation album issued by RCA Records. Its title and packaging followed the format of RCA's first Bowie compilation, Changesonebowie in 1976. As well as post-1976 singles, the album collected songs from earlier in Bowie's career that had not...
, David Bowie, (1981) - The Singles Collection (David Bowie album)The Singles Collection (David Bowie album)The Singles Collection is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1993 in the UK and as The Singles 1969 to 1993 in the United States...
, David Bowie, (1993) - Best of BowieBest of BowieBest of Bowie is a career-spanning greatest hits album by multi-platinum recording artist David Bowie. The songs range from his second album to 2002. It was released 35 years after his first album, David Bowie....
, David Bowie, (2002) - Rock and Roll Diary: 1967-1980Rock and Roll Diary: 1967-1980Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980 was released by Arista Records in 1980 as a double album split between tracks by The Velvet Underground and tracks by Lou Reed, attempting to demonstrate the arc of his songwriting over the first fifteen years of his career. The versions of "Heroin" and "Femme Fatale"...
Lou Reed, (1980) - City Lights Lou Reed, (1985)
- Someday, Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, (1986) - Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed AnthologyBetween Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed AnthologyBetween Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology is Lou Reed's box set. This 1992 release covers the first 20 years of his solo career, including the unreleased "Downtown Dirt," "Nowhere At All" , a 1978 live "Heroin" featuring jazz great Don Cherry, "Little Sister" , and "America ."The box...
, [box set], Lou Reed, (1992) - Perfect Day, Lou Reed, (1999)
- Escape Artist, Garland JeffreysGarland JeffreysGarland Jeffreys is a part African-American, and Puerto Rican American, singer and songwriter, transversing the musical genres of rock and roll, reggae, blues and soul.-Career:...
, (1980), Epic - Showstopper, Jamaaladeen TacumaJamaaladeen Tacuma-External links:*...
, (1982), gramavision - The Collection, David Bowie (Teenage Wildlife), (2005)
- Sound %2B Vision (box set), David Bowie, (2003)
- The Platinum Collection (David Bowie album), David Bowie, (2005)