Charlie Hunter brings his ’90s style jazz trio to the Maintenance Shop tonight for jazzy performance. Hunter and his counterparts, saxophonist Dave Ellis and drummer Scott Amendola, create a unique blend of hip hop and jazz, a virtual stranger to the Ames club scene.

“When their agency offered them to us, we were quick to grab them,” said Rusty Poehner, M-Shop coordinator. She describes Hunter’s music as a relative to the trendy new acid-jazz label.

Hunter, a native of Berkeley, California, picked up the guitar as a hobby to stray him from his early life of trouble. As a student of guitar instructor turned superstar, Joe Satriani, Hunter began an early career as a blues/motown guitarist at local clubs. Visits to the Subway Guitar shop led Hunter to Michael Franti, founder of the industrial rap band, the Beatnigs. Together the two formed the extremely successful Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.

After solid touring with Ireland greats, U2, and a slot in the Lollapalooza ’94 side show, Hunter was ready to settle back down with a music more his style — jazz. Ellis, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, and Lane were quick to form the Hunter Trio. With unexpected success from their debut self-titled release on the Les Claypool label Prawn Song, Hunter and cohorts signed to the new Blue Note Records.

The Charlie Hunter Trio is coming to Ames in support of their new release Bing! Bing! Bing!. Hunter plays rhythms, chords, bass and creates a distinct organ sound on the disc amazingly with the same custom designed guitar. Hunter, who believes that all musicians should appreciate every instrument, handles the three sounds in concert as well, a press release said.

Bing! Bing! Bing! has been receiving massive praise for the diversity in songs such as the James Brown funk flowing “Greasy Granny” and the melodic ballad “Bullethead.” The Trio’s most talked about tune is the punk-jazz cover of “Come As You Are,” a tribute to the late Kurt Cobain. Hunter’s diverse guitar talents are evident in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” introduction of the tune.

Despite early jazz influences such as the legendary Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, Hunter also has favorites such as Soundgarden and Nirvana (primarily for the lyrical talents of Cobain, he said). Hunter himself has done work for a Beatle’s tribute package and has played with ex-Primus drummer Jay Lane and the ex-Heroe’s lyricist and successful solo artist Spearhead.

“Hunter uses a total blend of everything,” Poehner said. “The show should be really exciting.”

Showtime starts at 9 p.m. without an opener, so everyone can get home early, and tickets are $5/ $6 the day of the show.

Note: If you buy your tickets at the TicketMaster outlet in the Union, there’s no service charge. And as always, everyone is welcome.