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About Charlie Ballantine

Radio & Podcasts

Indianapolis-based guitarist Charlie Ballantine returns to our stage and to our program--this time in front of a live audience. Charlie released two albums in 2021; Cold Coffee is a collection of his own works and Life is Brief--a Tribute to Bob Dylan, which landed on Jazziz Magazine's Top Ten Best Releases list. His most recent release is 2024's East by Midwest and he performs selections from it on this episode. Featuring Charlie Ballentine on guitar, Quinn ...

Interview

Charlie Ballantine Establishes Himself on the East Coast

by Robert Middleton
April 18, 2026

Jazz guitarist Charlie Ballantine has been on the move for the past decade. In that time, he's released ten albums, with his first official live recording set to arrive later this month--and another new studio album already finished and waiting in the wings. Originally based in Indianapolis, Ballantine moved to Baltimore in 2022 to reestablish himself on the East Coast. His aim was simple: get out there, meet musicians, play more, and build something real. By any measure, ...

Album Review

Charlie Ballantine: East by Midwest

Read "East by Midwest" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
April 7, 2025

A bracing guitar/bass/drums trio outing from guitarist Charlie Ballantine, East By Midwest, sounds as if it was recorded in a large, high-ceilinged warehouse with a cement floor, that floor buffed into the next dimension to a high polish, this giving the music a beautiful resonance. Retro? Think Link Wray or Dick Dale and The Deltones. Modernistic? Think John Abercrombie on some of his early ECM Records efforts. Or Neil Young and Crazy Horse Ballantine and his cohorts--drummer Dan ...

Album Review

Amanda Gardier: Auteur: Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson

Read "Auteur: Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson" reviewed by Robert Middleton

by Robert Middleton
October 27, 2024

Amanda Gardier's Auteur is not just an album--it is a cinematic experience captured in sound, an exploration of one of America's most singular film directors, Wes Anderson, through the language of modern jazz. The album showcases Gardier's ability to translate visual storytelling into a sonic narrative that is vibrant, eclectic and highly expressive. With Auteur, Gardier has created what is, arguably, one of the most fascinating and inspired jazz albums of 2024 (it was released in January) and ...

Interview

Charlie Ballantine and Amanda Gardier: Midwest Jazz Auteurs Move East

by Robert Middleton
July 25, 2024

Guitarist Charlie Ballantine and saxophonist Amanda Gardier are young, up-and-coming jazz musicians who are a rarity: they are married and perform together. Hailing from the heart of the Midwest in Indianapolis, they both began playing at a young age, influenced by both jazz and popular music. Together, they have recorded several exceptional albums. Since 2014, Ballantine and Gardier have released a total of 12 unique and exciting jazz albums. They include projects as varied as Life is Brief ...

72 Jazz Thrillers

The Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2020-2023

by Robert Middleton
December 26, 2023

In the 72 Jazz Thrillers series we've gone from 1969 to 2023, an expansive 54-year journey. From the jazz vanguard of Bitches Brew to the dynamic movie soundtrack of Roy's World, from the sublime guitar of Bill Frisell to the singing guitar of Charlie Ballantine, the thing that all these jazz albums have in common is their amazing listenability, music you can enjoy for years and never get bored. At least I haven't been. Thanks for reading, and I encourage ...

Catching Up With

Charlie Ballantine: Jazz Guitar Without Borders

by Mark Sullivan
April 6, 2023

Indianapolis-born jazz guitarist/composer Charlie Ballantine has a special relationship with American music of all kinds: jazz, folk, the blues (his father was a blues guitarist, providing some of Ballantine's earliest musical memories) and contemporary rock. He is acclaimed as one of the finest and most versatile young guitarists on the scene today. Yours truly described his style by stating “Jazz, rock, and folk music peacefully coexist in Charlie Ballantine's world." In addition to an impressive body of original ...