Curtis Fowlkes

Recorded in winter of 2002 by 1k Studios when idiosyncratic guitarist Charlie Hunter was still working with his Quintet. Its semi-animated graphics format conveys more than a little of the whimsy and infectious spirit in the eight-string guitarist's music, even as the bios of the individual band members and production credits thoroughly cover the academic side of this project. The segment featuring Charlie solo is a great opportunity to see how he plays his custom-designed guitar. You have to marvel at what a self-deprecating musician this Bay-area native is, but never more so than on "Recess," where he refuses to show off or flaunt his technique in any way.

A pair of kidnappings expose the complex power dynamics within the corrupt and unpredictable workings of 1930s Kansas City.