ANNOUNCEMENTS, NEWS & UPDATES

On this date, 65 years ago, Charlie Christian began his short recording career that immediately had an unbelievable influence on the jazz scene.

A “Calendar of Events” page containing 21 monthly calendars documenting his activities during that period has been added to this site:

August 1939 through July 1940 and October 1940 through June 1940.

Go to  Calendar of Events  page
 

Comments & Analysis and CC tablature have been added to the four-chorus “Rose Room” solo transcription.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Rose Room  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

It is with a very heavy heart that I must report the passing of a wonderful friend and a grand lady, Billie Jean Christian Johnson, on the afternoon of Monday, July 19, at her home in Oklahoma City.  She was Charlie Christian’s only child and daughter of Margretta Lorraine Christian Downey;  born on December 23, 1932.   Our thoughts and prayers are with her mother and familly.  May she rest in peace forever.  Thank you, Billie, with all my love, we’ll never forget you.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, July 26, at Greater Cleaves Memorial, 1609 NE 48th Street, Oklahoma City.
 

• Clive Downs has contributed another excellent book review of a book on Charlie Christian which was published last year:
  —  A revised edition of Peter Broadbent’s  Charlie Christian:  Solo Flight –
        The Story of the Seminal Electric Guitarist

Go to  Book-Video Reviews

[The first edition of Broadbent’s book was reviewed by your host in 1997.  Some of the errors pointed out in that review have been corrected, some remain, and some have disappeared.  The configuration of the second edition has been revamped completely making the book less reader-friendly than the first.]
 

Comments & Analysis and CC tablature have been added to both takes of the studio recordings of the “Solo Flight ” transcriptions.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Solo Flight – master take  transcription page

Go to  Solo Flight – alternate take  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

Charlie Christian International Jazz Festival

                       June 1 - 5, 2004

                Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

       contact:  Charlie Christian Productions
 

Comments & Analysis and CC tablature have been added to the “Blues in B” transcription.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Blues in B  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

A significant addition to Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography:

—  Dennis Schütze (2003) – Der Jazzgitarrist Charlie Christian:
      Studien zu musikalischen Gestaltung anhand von Transkription der Columbia Studioaufnahmen
      von 1939 bis 1941.

Roughly translated, the title reads something like:  The jazz guitarist Charlie Christian:  Studies in musical arrangements based on transcriptions of Columbia studio recordings from 1939 to 1941.  This thesis includes transcriptions of solos from 52 different recordings plus leadsheets with intros, themes, riffs, and the like.  This is a major work with analyses and commentary on a lot of different CC stuff.  Clive’s entry deals only with the transcriptions but there’ll be more to come at a later date.

Go to  Solos Bibliography
 

• Essential reading for all Charlie Christian fans!
  
  Noted musicologist Clive Downs has contributed two definitive reviews of recently published CC transcription books:
  —  Wolf Marshall (2002) – The Best of Charlie Christian
  —  Hal Leonard (2003) – Charlie Christian:  The Definitive Collection

Go to  Book-Video Reviews

• Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography has been updated:
  —  Hal Leonard (2003) – Charlie Christian:  The Definitive Collection

Go to  Solos Bibliography
 

Comments & Analysis and CC tablature have been added to the “Tea for Two” transcription.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Tea for Two  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page

The second installment of Craig McKinney’s Charlie Christian biography is now on Garry Hansen’s site:
Charlie Christian:  Legend of the Jazz Guitar.
          [see the January 9 entry below]
 

Craig McKinney’s early biography of Charlie Christian is finally being publicly released. 
A year before Charles’ brother Clarence “It” Christian passed away in 1979, Craig interviewed him extensively on two different occasions.  This is the engaging and informative draft he wrote at the time based largely on those interviews.

The first installment of the 25-year-old draft has been posted on Garry Hansen’s site:  Charlie Christian:
Legend of the Jazz Guitar:

         Charlie Christian:  Musician   by Craig R. McKinney
 

Added an  “Unissued Charlie Christian Recordings”  page.

While I was at it, also listed the  Unissued on Masters of Jazz  after the volume 9 review.
 

This transcription documents a never-released version of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” from an aircheck.
Charlie Christian plays chords, an 8-bar solo, and riffs on a one-chorus broadcast sign-off.

Go to  Stompin’ at the Savoy  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

Comments & analysis and CC tablature have been added to the “Dinah” transcription.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Dinah  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

Next year’s  “Charlie Christian Jazz Festival”  is scheduled for June 1 - 5, 2004
                                           Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 

Two more versions of “Rose Room” get the C&A / CC tab treatment.
          [see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Rose Room  (28 October 1939)  transcription

Go to  Rose Room  (6 June 1941)  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

For the past several months now, a bootleg CD version of “The Harlem Jazz Scene—1941”
(originally on the 1957 LP Esoteric ES-548) has been popping up here and there.
It’s on Blue Moon Discs 008 entitled Charlie Christian — New York • 5-15-41
and has been included in the Discography section on this site.

Today “Star Dust” gets the comments & analysis and CC tablature treatment.

[see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation]

Go to  Star Dust  transcription page

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

51st Annual DownBeat Critics Poll

Charlie Christian:  The Genius of the Electric Guitar was voted a close runner-up to John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme for Reissue of the Year.
The CC 4-CD set received 144 votes, just behind the winner’s 154 votes—all other reissues received less than 35 votes.
The poll results will appear in the August 2003 issue of DownBeat magazine.
 

The Seventh Annual Jazz Journalists Association’s Jazz Awards

Sony’s Charlie Christian 4-CD deluxe set was nominated for the Historical Box Set of the Year award.

Category 6 — Historical Box Set of the Year:
•  Charlie Christian:  The Genius of the Electric Guitar    (Columbia Legacy)
•  Complete Miles Davis at Montreux   (Columbia Legacy/Warner Bros Switzerland)
•  Grant Green:  Retrospetive   (Blue Note)
•  The Classic Columbia and Okeh Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang Recordings    (Mosaic)
•  The Herbie Hancock Box   (Columbia Legacy)

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. at a cocktail/supper party awards event at
B. B. King’s Blues Club and Grill, 245 W. 42nd St., NYC.  For ticket info and event details see Jazz Journalists Awards.

[ June 25:  Charlie Christian:  The Genius of the Electric Guitar  won the Historical Box Set of the Year award ]
 

Commentary has been added to both versions of “I Found a New Baby” and the tablature has been modified to reflect
CC’s actual fingering.
There’s also a link to Garry Hansen’s site which contains a standard-fingering tab for comparison.

Go to  I Found a New Baby  (master take)  transcription

Go to  I Found a New Baby  (alternate take)  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page

A CD entitled Stardust–Tea for Two… was issued recently by Warner Music France.
It contains a curious selection of 21 tunes—all have been previously released.
A listing of the CC tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Warner Music France
 

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical (section 1) Bibliography
  —  Broadbent (2002) – “His Life” – CD booklet notes
  —  Paul (2002) – “My Friend, Charlie Christian” – CD booklet notes
• New items in Clive Downs’ Musical Analysis (section 3) Bibliography
  —  Downs (2002) – “Metric Displacement in the Improvisation of Charlie Christian”
  —  Marshall (2002) – “The Best of Charlie Christian”
  —  Marshall (2002) – “Charlie Christian Guitar Lesson” – website

Go to  Biographical Bibliography

• New item in Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography
  —  Downs (2002) – 18 partial or complete transcriptions

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• A CD entitled The Very Best of Electric Guitar Genius Charlie Christian   was recently issued on the
  Going for a Song (UK) label.
  It contains the same 23 tunes that were released in 1990 on the Giants of Jazz CD 53049, Charlie Christian:
  Genius of Electric Guitar, albeit in a different sequence.
  A listing of the CC tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Going for a Song
 

I have added commentary to the first two versions of “Rose Room” and modified the
tablature to reflect CC’s actual fingering.
There’s a link there to Garry Hansen’s site which contains a standard-fingering tab for comparison.

Go to  Rose Room  (2 October 1939)  transcription

Go to  Rose Room  (9 October 1939)  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page

Also added a link to Allan Sutherland’s Jazz Sessionographies on the Links page.

Go to  Links
 

This transcription documents one of Charlie Christian’s more popular tunes:  “Breakfast Feud”
(with tablature showing CC’s actual fingering).
Charles gets two choruses (less 4 bars, but the tune has a 4-bar tag) on an alternate take which has his
best solo on this particular blues.
There’s a link there to Garry Hansen’s site which contains a standard-fingering tab for comparison.

Go to  Breakfast Feud  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

This time “Grand Slam” gets the comments and modified tablature to reflect CC’s actual fingering.
I have linked to Garry Hansen’s site so that you can view the standard-fingering tab for comparison.
[see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation as to what’s goin’ on]

Go to  Grand Slam  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

I have added some commentary to “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider” and modified the tablature to more closely
reflect CC’s actual fingering.
The standard-fingering tab has been retained (probably temporarily) in case anyone wants to make a comparison.
[see the March 7, 2002 entry below for a brief explanation as to what’s goin’ on]

Go to  Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider  transcription

Or go to  Transcriptions  main page
 

For what it’s worth:  On January 7, 2003, the National Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences announced the
final nominations list for the 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards for recordings released during the eligibility year
October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2002.

Sony’s Charlie Christian 4-CD deluxe set was one of the nominees:
      Field 25 — Historical
      Category 86 — Best Historical Album
      •   Artie Shaw:  Self Portrait
             Orrin Keepnews, compilation producer; Dennis Ferrante, mastering engineer   [Bluebird]
      •   The Complete OKeh And Brunswick Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Trumbauer and Jack Teagarden Sessions (1924-36)
             Scott Wenzel, compilation producer; Andreas Meyer & Doug Pomeroy, mastering engineers   [Mosaic Records]
      •   Dylan Thomas:  The Caedmon Collection
             Rick Harris & David Nolan, compilation producers; Leslie Mona-Mathus, mastering engineer   [Caedmon Records]
      •  Charlie Christian:  The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
          Michael Brooks & Michael Cuscuna, compilation producers;
          Seth Foster, Ken Robertson & Mark Wilder, mastering engineers
          [Columbia/Legacy Recordings]
      •   Screamin’ And Hollerin’ The Blues:  The Worlds Of Charley Patton
             Dean Blackwood, compilation producer; David Glasser, Christopher King & Matt Sandoski, mastering engineers  [Revenant Records]

The 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on February 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be telecast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) in High Definition TV and 5.1 Surround Sound, marking the first broadcast of any major awards show using this caliber of technology.

[ February 23:  Screamin’ And Hollerin’ The Blues: The Worlds Of Charley Patton  won the Best Historical Album award ]
 

The Annual Review of Jazz Studies 11: 2000-2001, a double issue covering two years, was published about
six weeks ago.
Articles in the eleventh volume of this excellent series present important technical analyses of four major figures:
      •  Booker Little
      •  Charlie Christian
      •  Herbie Hancock
      •  Miles Davis
In addition to the ususal photo gallery, there are seven book reviews that, collectively, span the history of the music,
including reviews of books on John Coltrane and Mary Lou Williams.

Of special interest to this site, of course, is Clive Downs’ thirty-page chapter entitled
         “Metric Displacement in the Improvisation of Charlie Christian.”
A superb study on the phrasing and rhythmic elements of CCs solos, it is a historical first.
Highly recommended.

The table of contents can be viewed at  Annual Review of Jazz Studies 11
 

• New sections have been added to the Links page:
  —  Audio/Video Sites
  —  CD Reviews Sites
  —  Foreign Language Sites

• Also added two more links in existing sections on the Links page:
  —  “Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame” under the Biographical Sites
  —  “What’s Hot with Jazz Guitar” under the Jazz Guitar Sites

Go to  Links

• A CD entitled Toots Mondello:  Complete Orchestra & Best Sideman Recordings
  was released a couple of weeks ago.
  —  “Featuring the Complete Recordings of Toots Modello & His Orchestra”
  —  “Plus Nine of His Best Recordings with Benny Goodman & Others 1936-1940”
  —  “Includes the Bands of Claude Thornhill, Ziggy Elman and Dick McDonough”
  

It contains only three tracks with Charlie Christian (on rhythm guitar only – no solos),
however, it’s the best Mondello CD ever issued.   (25 tracks;  TT=71:11)

The CD is available at  Vintage Music Productions  (catalog # VMP 0111)

• Down Beat’s “Best CDs of 2002” are featured in the January 2003 issue:
  —  Sony’s 4-CD set is included in the nine “5-Star Masterpieces” (five new issues & four reissues)
  —  JSP Records’ 4-CD set is listed under “4½-Star Reviews”
  

The Reissues section of Down Beat’s December issue features reviews of Sony’s as well as JSP’s recent 4-CD sets.
Both are on a two/thirds-page review by Ted Panken — 5 stars and 4½ stars, respectively.
 

• New items in Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography:
  —  Guitar World (2002) – “Flying Home:  Charlie Christian” – “Flying Home” (2 Oct 1939 – take A)
  —  Hal Leonard (2001) – Jazz Guitar Bible – “Seven Come Eleven” (22 Nov 1939)
  —  Mairants (2002) – The Great Jazz Guitarists, Part 1 (revised versions of 3 previously published transcriptions)
  —  Marshall (2002) – The Best of Charlie Christian (15 transcriptions w/ analyses & CD)

Go to  Solos Bibliography
 

Past Perfect released this boxed single-CD on their “Silver Line” series (Germany) sometime during the past year.
This CD has 21 tracks of often-issued Columbia studio recordings.
It’s featured on this page only because of the nice packaging.

CHARLIE CHRISTIAN WITH BENNY GOODMAN • LIONEL HAMPTON • COUNT BASIE — SEVEN COME ELEVEN

A listing of the tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Past Perfect 205798-203
 

All the data on the Solography & Discography sections have been updated for Sony’s 4-CD set,
CHARLIE CHRISTIAN:  THE GENIUS OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR,
on Columbia/Legacy C4K 65564.
(Sony’s promo set, AC4K 65564 has also been listed because it was widely circulated and has a
slightly different track content.)

As previously mentioned, the master and alternate takes of I Found a New Baby on disc three are incorrectly listed.
In addition, unless all previous releases and discographies are wrong, the matrix suffixes for Royal Garden Blues
(disc 2, tracks 22 & 23) and I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (disc 3, tracks 13 & 14) are reversed in the booklet.

One change was made to the matrix suffixes on this site — the five Breakfast Feud complete takes of 19 December 1940 now match the suffixes listed on the Sony set, and I have assigned suffixes (x, y, z) to the breakdown takes to more easily differntiate between the three.  Previously, the suffixes used here were based on those published in Jan Evensmo’s 1970s discography — unfortunately, none of the other discographies agreed with anyone else’s.  Sony’s new take numbers were not those originally assigned by Columbia, but they are logical and are not in conflict with Russ Connor’s discography.

As always, comments (and proof-reading help) are welcome.
 

CHARLIE CHRISTIAN:  THE GENIUS OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR was released today
on Columbia/Legacy C4K 65564.
[see June 24, 2002, below for a brief review of Sony’s promo set]
I have no additional comments to add at this time other than to say that Sony did replace the duplicate Grand Slam on the promo set with a previously unissued alternate take.  Also, for some strange reason, they incorrectly switched the master and alternate takes of I Found a New Baby on disc three of the deluxe set (they had it right on their June advance CD set).  The packaging is aesthetically great but not very practical.  I was forewarned so I had no problem, but be careful when you first pick it up ’cause the bottom could drop out with all the contents—clue-in your friends when you show it off.

A listing of the tracks on this deluxe set can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Columbia C4K 65564

The October issue of Guitar Player and the November issue of GuitarOne have articles on CC, interviews with guitarists, reviews of the deluxe set, and transcriptions of CC’s solos (excerpts on the former, complete Seven Come Eleven on the latter).

Charlie Christian will be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame on October 8, 2002, at the Muskogee Civic Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
[CC was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in June of 1989 at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.]
 

• Fernando Ortiz de Urbina has graciously provided an English translation of his review of the two Definitive Records
  4-CD sets.  The review was originally published in Spanish in the July/August 2001 issue of Cuadernos de Jazz.

His review is in the CD Reviews section following my own comments on the sets.

Go to  CD Reviews

• Last month I neglected to mention a CD, Charlie Christian:  The Original Guitar Hero  (CK 86834), that Sony has scheduled for release on the same day (24 September 2002) as their deluxe 4-CD box set.  This is a budget-priced CD containing only 8 tracks—I don’t quite understand Sony’s logic in this, but it’s got a nice cover.
            1. Seven Come Eleven
            2. Wholly Cats
            3. Good Enough To Keep (Air Mail Special) (Alternate Take)  < previously unissued >
            4. Flying Home (First Alternate Take)
            5. Boy Meets Goy (Grand Slam)
            6. Benny’s Bugle
            7. Gone With What Wind (Alternate Take)
            8. Breakfast Feud

A listing of the tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Columbia CK 86834

• Coincidently, JSP Records is also planning to release a 4-CD set on 24 September 2002,
  also with 8 Charlie Christian tracks, entitled Benny Goodman.
  A listing of the CC tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to JSP911

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical (section 1) Bibliography
  —  Hoefer (2001) – Hot Box:  Thelonious Monk in the ’40s
  —  Jackson (2002) – Ralph Ellison  Emergence of Genius
  —  Murray (1994) – Never Grow Old:  Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian and the Meteorite Syndrome
  —  Proper Records (2002) – T-Bone Walker:  The Original Source
  —  Sales (2001) – I Wanted to Make It Better:  Monk at the Blackhawk
• New items in Clive Downs’ Musical Analysis (section 3) Bibliography
  —  Stewart (1976) – A Tribute to Charlie Christian
  —  Vogel (1993) – Masters of Jazz Guitar

Go to  Biographical Bibliography
 

A recent Sony press release has apparently changed the release date of their 4-CD box set to a week later:
24 September 2002.
To whet your anticipation, I’m putting up a transcription of one of the previously unissued tracks included in the set
which is listed as UNTITLED TUNE.
Charlie Christian gets only one chorus (12 bars) but, on this breakdown take, it is an excellent solo.
The box set also includes a complete take of this tune but CC’s solo is not as good as on the breakdown.

Go to  “Untitled Tune”  transcription

There are cursory reviews of the upcoming Sony box set in the September issues of Guitar World and Jazz Times.

This transcription documents a never-released blues that is simply called THE BLUES.
Charlie Christian gets two choruses on which may be his best blues solo with the sextet.

Go to  “The Blues”  transcription
 

Sony is in the process of replacing the duplicate GRAND SLAM master take in their forthcoming 4-CD box set
with an actual alternate take.
[see June 24, 2002 below]
 

JSP Records (England) is also issuing a 4-CD box set.  This one has 68 tracks with a U.S. release date of August 13, 2002.
CHARLIE CHRISTIAN:  FIRST MASTER OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR

• The set is subtitled Selected Broadcasts & Jam Sessions, Remastered and contains airchecks, both Carnegie Hall concerts (October 6 & December 24, 1939), and jams (Harlem Breakfast Club & Minton’s/Monroe’s):
  —  All tracks have been previously released
  —  The set is virtually identical to the Definitive 4-CD Live set released last year (see April 7, 2001 below) but
        with one additional track:
              South of the Border  (18 Nov 39)
  —  Previously released tunes from live dates that are not included here (nor in the Definitive set) are:
              Rose Room  (28 Oct 39)
              Poor Butterfly  (28 Oct 39)
              Gone with ‘What’ Wind  (19 Feb 41)
              Stompin’ at the Savoy  (8 May 41)
              Stompin’ at the Savoy  (June 41)
  —  To my ears, the sound quality is not as good as the Definitive set

A listing of the tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to JSP909
 

September 17, 2002 has been announced as the scheduled release date for
Columbia/Legacy C4K 65564, Sony’s 24-bit, 98-track, 4-CD box set:

CHARLIE CHRISTIAN:  THE GENIUS OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR

• The set contains all of the Columbia studio sessions that Charles recorded with the Goodman band, septet, and sextet
  and with the Metronome All Star Nine, plus the October 28, 1940 rehearsal and the March 13, 1941 jam session:
  —  Included are never-before-released tracks of:
              Breakfast Feud  (19 Dec 40)  –  2 false starts with no CC solos  (7 total tracks)
              Good Enough to Keep  (11 Jun 40)   –  2 unreleased takes with solos  (3 total)
              Grand Slam  (10 Apr 40)  –  1 additional track, but it’s the same master take  (2 total)
              I Surrender, Dear  (10 Apr 40)   –  3 additional tracks;  one alternate with solo,
                    two breakdowns with no solos  (4 total)
              Li’l Boy Love  (25 Jun 40)   –  1 alternate take with solo  (2 total)
              Poor Butterfly  (3 Apr 40)  –  1 false start, no solo  (2 total)
              The Sheik of Araby  (3 Apr 40)   –  1 alternate take with solo  (2 total)
              Six Appeal  (11 Jun 40)   –  5 additional tracks;  two alternate takes and two breakdowns with solos,
                    a false start with no solo  (6 total)
              These Foolish Things  (11 Jun 40)   –  2 additional tracks;  one alternate with CC intro and solo,
                    a false start with intro only  (3 total)
  —  Plus:
              two previously unissued takes of an untitled tune from 3 April 1940   (one of the tracks is a breakdown but it
              includes CC’s solo)
        [All of the new material is from the World Broadcasting System recordings in Hollywood,
        except for the Breakfast Feud false starts]
  —  Not included:
              the Columbia session CC recorded with Teddy Wilson and singer Eddy Howard
              an unissued breakdown of  Gone with What Draft and one of  I Can’t Give You Anything but Love

A listing of the tracks on the advance promotional set can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Columbia AC4K 65564
 

• Three-page transcription of  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”  (aka “Lips Flips” & “On with Charlie Christian”)
  —  Jam session recorded at Monroe’s “Uptown House”    with 2½-chorus Charlie Christian solo

Go to  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

Classics Records (France) is well known for reissuing jazz recordings whose copyright has expired—50 years in Europe—and a policy of releasing all of the master takes of selected jazz musicians in chronological order.  Last year the label began a similar R&B series.  The Classics catalog which began in 1990 contains almost 1300 CDs—all still in print.

The label is also commonly known as The Chronogical (sic) Classics.  “The Chronogical” was actually intended to be the first part of the CD title but is not used as such on their jazz issues.  The label chose long ago not to correct the spelling on their booklet covers.

With the release of Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1941, Vol. 2 a couple of weeks ago, Classics Records has now issued all of the master takes that Charlie Christian recorded with the Goodman sextet, septet, and orchestra.  Most surprising is the inclusion of a couple of tracks recorded in the Columbia studio during a quintet jam led by CC which did not include Goodman.  Several other tracks on these six CDs may not technically be masters since they were not originally issued on 78-rpm but were released over a decade later on LP:

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1939, Vol. 2     Classics 1064

“STAR DUST”      2 Oct 39      (WCO 26134 A)
      Master take released on 78-rpm only as a disc-jockey promotional copy;
      released in 1951 on LP and EP.

“AC-DC CURRENT”      20 Dec 39      (WCO 26355 A)
      Master take first released in 1951 on LP and EP.

“I’M CONFESSIN’”      20 Dec 39      (WCO 26356 A)
      Rejected master, not released until 1979 on LP.

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1939-1940     Classics 1098

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1940     Classics 1131

“I Can’t Love You Any More”      10 Apr 40      (WCO 26739 A)
      Rejected master.  The tune was recorded again on 30 Apr 40 for release.
      (CC on rhythm guitar only—on both dates.)

“GOOD ENOUGH TO KEEP”      11 Jun 40      (WCO 26942)
      Rejected take.  The tune was recorded again on 13 Mar 41 for release
      (later issued as “Air Mail Special”).

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1940-1941     Classics 1154

“BREAKFAST FEUD”      19 Dec 40      (CO 29259-1)
      Rejected master.  The tune was recorded again on 15 Jan 41 for release.

“GONE WITH WHAT DRAFT”      19 Dec 40      (CO 29261-1)
      Rejected master released only as a disc-jockey promotional copy.
      The tune was recorded again on 15 Jan 41 for release.
      (Renamed “Gilly” in 1951 for release on LP.)

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1941     Classics 1202

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra: 1941, Vol. 2     Classics 1236

“BLUES IN B”      13 Mar 41

“WAITIN’ FOR BENNY”      13 Mar 41

      These two tracks were part of the jam session mentioned above—first released in 1955 on LP.
      (The complete jam was released in 1981 on LP.)

[ Not included in this series are two tunes that were issued on 78-rpm in the U.S.  These were alternate takes and correctly omitted from this Classics series:
      “FLYING HOME”      2 Oct 39      (WCO 26132 B)
            Released on V-Disc VD 731 as “Homeward Bound.”
      “WHOLLY CATS”      7 Nov 40      (CO 29027-2)
            Inadvertently released on some copies of Columbia 35810—the same catalog number as was the master take -1. ]

A listing of the CC tracks can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Classics
 

• Eight-page transcription of the 12 May 1941  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”
  —  Jam session recorded at Minton’s Playhouse:
              Theme
              Three-chorus Charlie Christian solo
              Three-chorus Charlie Christian solo
              Out chorus

Go to  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical (section 1) Bibliography
  —  Porter (2001) – Jazz Country:  Ralph Ellison in America
  —  Sohmer (1997) – Liner notes to Jazz Band EBCD 2139-2  Camel Caravan Shows
  —  Watts (1994) – Heroism and the Black Intellectual
• New item in Clive Downs’ Musical Analysis (section 3) Bibliography
  —  Clark (1998) – How to Play and Compose Like the World’s Greatest Guitarists

Go to  Biographical Bibliography

• New items and revision in Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography
  —  Sokolow (1999) – “Honeysuckle Rose” (22 Nov 1939 & 19 Nov 1940)
  —  Spring (1980) – additional details on the partial transcriptions

Go to  Solos Bibliography
 

I have added some commentary to “Ad-Lib Blues” and modified the tablature to more closely reflect CC’s actual fingering.

While transcribing the new “Gone W‘W’W” last month, it reminded me of this other mid-tempo blues in C which brought me to contemplate the tabs that are up on this site.  In the past, I have been reluctant to reveal the secrets to Charles’ left hand but recently I’ve been leaning more and more towards showing that on the later-posted transcriptions.  I plan to go back to the earlier-posted xcripts and modify the tabs as time permits—and probably add some comments as well.

Go to  Ad-Lib Blues

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

• Transcription of the long-lost  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”
  —  Jam session recorded 8 May 1941 at Minton’s Playhouse
  —  Released for the first-time-ever less than 4 months ago on the Masters of Jazz label
  —  Nine choruses of Charlie Christian transcribed:
              1 chorus of guitar riffs on the trumpet solo
              2-chorus guitar solo
              10 bars of guitar chords on the alto sax solo
              5 choruses of guitar stuff on the collective improv

I’ve added some comments & analysis to this transcription—at the end of the “cover sheet.”  I’m really not very fond of technical analyses so it’s mostly just comments.  I believe that the transcriptions themselves provide pretty much all of the analysis that’s needed:  musicians can figure out what CC is playing from the standard notation;  the chord names directly above the tablature indicate where Charles is changing chords on his solo;  and guitarists can get a good idea from the tab what he is doing on the fretboard.  A bunch of long, drawn-out scholarly verbage is not all that necessary.

Go to  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page

• CD review of the Encore CD  A Tour de Force:  The Small Groups—Live!  described below (February 16, 2002)

The review is in the CD Reviews section:

Go to  CD Reviews
 

• A couple of months ago, Encore Records released a double-CD with two never-before-released CC tracks
  from the “America in Swingtime” broadcast of February 19, 1941.  Unfortunately, only one of the two tunes has a CC solo.

  —  “Gone with ‘What’ Wind” has a 2-chorus blues solo equal to his other solos on that tune + the usual riffs
  —  “The Sheik of Araby” has CC on rhythm guitar only
  —  There are two other CC tracks here that have been previously issued (although the liner notes say they have not):
              “AC-DC Current” (2 Dec 39) & “Gone With What Draft” (24 Feb 41)
  —  plus 34 other tracks by various BG small groups recorded live
  

            Benny Goodman — A Tour de Force:  The Small Groups—Live!  1937-1972  Encore 7001

Go to  Albums Index  to see track listing (scroll down to Encore)

Go to  CD Reviews  for a review of the four tracks
 

• More Photos:  added photo # 32 and the two certificates & five photos near the bottom of the page

Go to  Photo Gallery

• Transcription of the  “Tea for Two”  intro & two solos
  —  8-bar chord intro
  —  two 32-bar choruses on the first solo
  —  one 32-bar chorus on the second solo
  —  from the Harlem Breakfast Club jam session in Minneapolis
  —  the only available recording of Charles on this tune
  —  originally published in Solo Flight:  The Charlie Christian Newsletter # 3, now with revised tablature

Go to  “Tea for Two”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page

• A new section has been added to this site:  Book-Video Reviews
  Originally published in the  Solo Flight  newsletters,
  the reviews have been revised and updated and are now consolidated on one page.

Go to  Book-Video Reviews

• A most curious Charlie Christian CD was released earlier this month:
              Radioland • 1939-1941  on Fuel 2000 Records  302 061 167 2
  Judging from the title, I expected a bunch of radio broadcasts—there’s not a single aircheck on it.
  —  16 tracks with a total time of 68:50
              6 studio takes
              5 tracks from jam sessions
              4 tunes from a concert
              1 studio rehearsal
  —  includes two tunes on which CC does not solo
  —  three tracks featuring vocals
  —  no new items that haven’t been released on CD before
  Weird selections for a compilation, but it has good sound,
  the speed seems to have been adjusted to the correct pitch,
  and it includes a rare issue of the complete “Oh, Lady Be Good.”
  (Some on-line-store ads list four titles that are not on the CD and don’t list two that are.)

Go to  Albums Index  to see track listing (scroll down to Fuel 2000)
 

• CD review on the recently released Masters of Jazz Charlie Christian • Volume 9
  —  includes 3 tracks that have never been released before
  —  many other very rare recordings
  —  20-page booklet in French and English with full discography, five photos
  —  total time of 1 hour, 16 minutes, 55 seconds on 17 tracks

The review is in the CD Reviews section:

Go to  CD Reviews

Volume 9 is available at:

Clifford Records
10 rue du Faisan
67000 Strasbourg, France
Tel : 33 (0)3 88 36 47 07
Fax : 33 (0)3 88 36 88 47
<jazzclifford@aol.com>
 

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical (section 1) Bibliography
  —  Driggs (1978) – Liner notes to Jazz Archives LP JA-42  Lester Young and Charlie Christian 1939-1940
  —  Ellison (1995) – Living with Music
  —  Ellison (2001) – My Strength Comes from Louis Armstrong
  —  Patoski (1993) – Caught in the Crossfire
  —  Perry (1978) – Noel Boggs
  —  Ponzio (1995) – Blue Monk:  Portait de Thelonious Monk
  —  Scanlon (1996) – The Joy of Jazz:  Swing Era, 1939-1947
• New item in Clive Downs’ Musical Analysis (section 3) Bibliography
  —  Finkleman (unpublished) – The Style of Charlie Christian in the Context of His Contemporaries

Go to  Biographical Bibliography

• New items and revision in Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography
  —  Guitar Player (April 2000) – “Rose Room” (2 Oct 1939)
  —  Hal Leonard (2000) – “Seven Come Eleven” (22 Nov 1939)
  —  Marshall (2000) – “Honeysuckle Rose” (22 Nov 1939)
  —  Spring (1990) – revised details on partial transcriptions

Go to  Solos Bibliography
 

• The Masters of Jazz  Charlie Christian • Volume 9 • 1939-1941  was finally released last week (in France)
  —  Contains 17 tracks that were omitted from the initial eight volumes
  —  Includes three tracks – two airchecks and a jam – that have never been previously released in any format
  
  

Complete track listing can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Masters of Jazz MJCD 189
 

• Transcription of  “These Foolish Things”  intro & solo
  —  4-bar chord intro
  —  8-bar bridge solo at a slow tempo
  —  first 6 bars of the solo are embellishments on the melody
  —  studio recording with the sextet – in Eb
  —  the only available recording of Charles on this tune

Go to  “These Foolish Things”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

• Transcription of  “On the Alamo”  solo
  —  exquisite 8-bar solo in Eb at a relaxed, swingin’ slow tempo
  —  a studio recording with the septet
  —  the only available recording of Charles on this tune

Go to  “On the Alamo”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

Added some more features to the Tune Title Index
—  Time & tempo of each tune, set to true pitch
—  Key of each tune and a brief entry on location & personnel

Go to  Tune Title Index
 

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical (section 1) Bibliography
  —  Bryant (1998) – Central Avenue Sounds:  Jazz in L.A.
  —  Dahl (1999) – Morning Glory:  Biography of Mary Lou Williams
  —  Firestone (1993) – Swing, Swing, Swing:  Benny Goodman
  —  Greenhough (1947) – T-Bone Walker’s Story in His Own Words
  —  Patrick (1983) – Al Tinney, Monroe’s Uptown House, Emergence of Modern Jazz in Harlem
  —  Shepherd (2001) – “Jazz Information” periodical 1939-1940
• New items in Clive Downs’ Musical Analysis (section 3) Bibliography
  —  Baker (1982) – Development and Roles of Guitar in Jazz to 1950
  —  Birkett (1994) – Inner Mechanisms of Jazz Improvisation
  —  Denny (1995) – Influence of Charlie Christian on Four Modern Jazz Guitarists
  —  Schwab (1998) – Charlie Christian and the Development of the Electric Guitar

Go to  Biographical Bibliography

• New items in Clive Downs’ Notated Solos Bibliography
  —  Birkett (1994) – details two transcriptions
  —  Denny (1995) – details one transcription
  —  Schwab (1998) – details seven transcriptions

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Updated the Links

Go to Links
 

• The Masters of Jazz  Charlie Christian • Volume 9 • 1939-1941  is now scheduled for release in October 2001.
  —  Contains 17 tracks that were omitted from the initial eight volumes.
  —  Includes three tracks – two airchecks and a jam – that have never been previously released in any format.
  
  

Complete track listing can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Masters of Jazz MJCD 189

• Three days ago, Stardust Records released a CD entitled
  Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet:  The Radio Broadcasts 1939-1941
  —  All tracks have been previously issued on both LP and CD.
        (It’s virtually a duplication of Achives of Jazz CD 380123, from which it was taken, minus one track.)
  —  The title implies much more than the 15 tracks (47 minutes) it contains.
        (That’s only 20% of the recorded broadcasts.)
  —  Initially, it appears to have been very nicely packaged but that’s not the case.  First, you’ll need a magnifying glass
              to read the liner notes.
        Doesn’t matter much – there’s not much track info here.  Only five of the broadcasts are dated and
              two of those dates are wrong.
  —  A sticker on the wrapper says that it’s re-mastered 24-bit on a gold disc, but I don’t hear any sonic
              improvement whatsoever.

Complete track listing can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Stardust CLP 1150-2
 

In anticipation of the impending release of the Masters of Jazz Charlie Christian, Volume 9, 
posted info (but not the transcription yet)
on the 8 May 1941 version of  “Stompin’ at the Savoy” recorded at Minton’s Playhouse.
—  this jam session has never before been released in any format
—  the transcription pages will be added to this site when the CD is released

Go to  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”  data sheet
 

• Transcription of  “Haven’t Named It Yet”  from the second Lionel Hampton recording session
  —  starts with sixteen-bar solo – all in Db swingin’ at a fast tempo
  —  then a trumpet solo on the bridge
  —  the last eight bars change chords at each measure – a great CC entrance, with diminished-7 runs in a couple of places

Go to  “Haven’t Named It Yet”  transcripiton

• More Photos  (photos # 61-65)

Go to  Photo Gallery

• New items in Clive Downs’ Biographical Bibliography
  —  Boyd (1998) – The Jazz of the Southwest:  An Oral History of Western Swing
  —  Centlivre (2000) – “Charlie Was Something”:  An Interview with Jerry Jerome
  —  Obrecht (2000) – Saunders King
  —  Shaughnessy (1993) – Les Paul:  An American Original

Go to  Biographical Bibliography

• One new item in Clive Downs’ Solos Bibliography
  —  Wise (2001) – Great Jazz and Blues Solos for Guitar – reprint of “Solo Flight” (take 1)

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Catfish Records released a Charlie Christian CD this month:  When Lights Are Low
  —  no new items – somewhat similar to The Genius of the Electric Guitar CD on Columbia
  —  20 tracks with good sound
  —  all tracks recorded in Columbia studios plus one Victor

Go to  Albums Index  to see track listing
 

• The Ida Cox sessions were released recently on the Document Records label
  —  11 tracks from the two 31 October 1939 sessions
  —  replaces the out-of-print Affinity CD
  —  with the best sound yet

A review of this reissue is in the CD Reviews section.

Go to  CD Reviews

Complete track listing can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Document DOCD-5651

Clive Downs has added some more entries to the Bibliographies:

• Two new items in the Solos Bibliography
  —  Chapman  (2000) – 16 bars from take 1 of “Solo Flight.”
  —  Guitar World  (2001) – four-bar excerpts from two takes of “Breakfast Feud.”

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Several more items in the Biographical Bibliography
  —  Bechtel  (1998) – “Brad’s Page of Steel” (at internet site).
  —  Callendar & Cohen  (1985) – “Unfinished Dream:  The Musical World of Red Callendar.”
  —  Carr  (1998) – “Miles Davis:  The Definitive Biography.”
  —  Centlivre  (2001) – “Revisiting Charlie Christian” (at internet site).
  —  Gillespie & Fraser  (1982) – “To Be of Not to Bop:  The Autobiography of Dizzy Gillespie.”
  —  Hampton & Haskins  (1989) – “Hamp:  An Autobiography.”
  —  Oliphant  (1996) – “Texan Jazz.”
  —  O’Neal  (1972) – Living Blues.
  —  Shaw  (1977) – “52nd St.:  The Street of Jazz.”
  —  Shipton  (1999) – “Groovin’ High:  The Life of Dizzy Gillespie.”
  —  Sudhalter  (1999) – “Lost Chords:  White Musicians and Their Contribution to Jazz.”
  —  Townsend  (1976) – “San Antonio Rose:  The Life and Music of Bob Wills.”

Go to  Biographical Bibliography   (section 1)

• Modified left-hand fingering on transcription of  “Good Morning Blues”
  —  used a much cleaner and clearer recording this time

Go to  “Good Morning Blues”
 

• Transcription of the never-released version of  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”
  —  16 bars + 6 bars of the bridge before CC’s solo is accidently cut off
  —  from the “Monte Proser Dance Carnival” at Madison Square Garden in June 1941
  —  this aircheck has never been released in any format

Go to  “Stompin’ at the Savoy”

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

• Two 4-CD sets were released in mid-March on the Definitive Records label at 24-bit resolution
  —  four CDs on Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings
  —  four CDs on Charlie Christian—Complete Live Recordings
  —  a total of 7 hours, 51½ minutes on 140 tracks
  —  at a bargain price!

A review of this tandem is in the CD Reviews section.

Go to  CD Reviews

Complete track listings for both sets can be viewed in the Albums Index of the Discography section.

Go to  Albums Index  and scroll down to Definitive DRCD11176 and DRCD11177

Clive Downs has added more entries to the Bibliographies:

• Two new items in the Solos Bibliography
  —  GuitarOne  (2001)  –  5-page magazine article with a good CC solo transcription of “Solo Flight.”
  —  Sadie & Tyrrel  (2001)  –  only has 3 previously published fragments of “Breakfast Feud.”

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Several items in the Biographical Bibliography
  —  Collette, Buddy  (2000)  –  “Jazz Generations:  A Life in American Music and Society”
  —  Crow, Bill  (1990)  –  “Jazz Anecdotes”
  —  Ellison, Ralph  (1986)  –  “Going to the Territory”
  —  Epstein, Daniel  (1999)  –  “Nat King Cole”
  —  Feather, Leonard  (1986)  –  “The Jazz Years:  Earwitness to an Era”
  —  Lester, James  (1994)  –  “Too Marvelous for Words:  The Life and Genius of Art Tatum”
  —  Waksman, Steve  (1999)  –  “Playing with Sound:  Charlie Christian, the Electric Guitar, and the Swing Era”

Go to  Biographical Bibliography   (section 1)

Also linked to the new Charlie Christian Discussion Group set up by Garry Hansen.

Go to  The Charlie Christian Discussion Group
 

• Transcriptions of both versions of  “Poor Butterfly”
  —  8-bar solos in the key of Ab
  —  one is from a studio session in Hollywood on April 3, 1940
  —  the other is a radio broadcast from the Cocoanut Grove in L.A. on April 27, 1940
  —  Charles takes a solo on the ‘A’ section in each version
  —  the aircheck has never been released in any format

Go to  Poor Butterfly – studio take   or   Poor Butterfly – unissued aircheck

Or go to  Transcriptions main page
 

A new section has been added to this site:  The Spliced Recordings
Originally published in the 1997  Solo Flight:  The Charlie Christian Newsletter # 3,
the charts have been revised and updated and are now more accessible.

Go to  The Spliced Recordings
 

Definitive Records will be releasing two Charlie Christian 4-CD sets soon:

Complete Studio Recordings  (DRCD 11176)  and  Complete Live Recordings  (DRCD 11177).

Of the first set, Definitive says:  “Great first time tribute to the genius of electric guitar with all his session dates.”
Of the second:  “All the concert and radio appearances of the genius of electric guitar.”

Good News:  Definitive’s releases are 24-bit remasters.
Bad News:  The first one is subtitled “Columbia, RCA Victor, Vocalion & Blue Note Master Takes” so it appears it’ll include only the master takes.
 

A recent update to the Discography included a 24-bit Japanese CD reissue from Sony Music Entertainment of
Charlie Christian:  The Genius of the Electric Guitar that, because of the exceptional sonics, I should have
commented on at the time.
I have now added it to the CD Reviews.

Go to  CD Reviews
 

• Transcription of  a blues with a septet that includes Lester Young – “Ad-Lib Blues”
  —  12-bar blues in the key of C
  —  from a rehearsal at the Columbia Records studio
  —  Charles’ two-chorus solo starts off this blues
  —  transcription includes a false start in the key of Bb

Go to  Ad-Lib Blues

• Two items on T-Bone Walker’s friendship with Charles, in the Biographical Bibliography
  —  Dance (1997) – “Stormy Monday:  The T-Bone Walker Story”
  —  Santelli (1994) – “The Big Book of Blues:  A Biographical Encyclopedia # 148;

Go to  Biographical Bibliography (section 1)

• A dozen updates to the Discography  (mostly recent CD releases – no previously unissued tracks)

Go to Discography

• Added a link to the “Swing & Jump Blues Guitar” tutorial site

Go to Links
 

• Transcription of  another excellent blues with the Kansas City Six – “Good Morning Blues”
  —  slow 12-bar blues in the key of F
  —  from the “Spirituals to Swing” Concert at Carnegie Hall
  —  Charles’ two-chorus solo again follows Lester Young’s solo

Go to  Good Morning Blues
 

Clive Downs has added three more entries to the Bibliographies:

• Two new items in the Solos Bibliography
  —  Kuboki (1995) – 85-page book with 18 very good CC solo transcriptions...some of the best published to date:
              Recommended.
  —  Richardson (1996) – only a two-bar excerpt.

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• One item in the Biographical Bibliography
  —  Oliphant (1993) – 36-page article on “Eddie Durham and the Texas Contribution to Jazz History”

Go to  Biographical Bibliography   (section 1)
 

• Transcriptions of both takes of another blues in the key of Eb – “Profoundly Blue” – a slow 12-bar blues
  —  from the famous “Profoundly Blue” session by the Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet, for Blue Note Records
  —  Guitar four-bar chord intro along with Israel Crosby’s bass
  —  Charles’ three-chorus solos on acoustic guitar
  —  Since this is essentially a guitar/bass duet, the bass lines are also included on these transcriptions

Go to  Profoundly Blue – master take   or   Profoundly Blue – alternate take

Or go to  Transcriptions main page

• Routine updates to the Discography  (a dozen recent CD releases – no previously unissued tracks)

Go to Discography
 

• Added transcription of another blues – “Paging the Devil” – a slow 12-bar blues in the key of Eb
  —  “From Spirituals to Swing” Concert at Carnegie Hall on Christmas Eve 1939
  —  Charles’ two-chorus solo with the Kansas City Six
        (follows Lester Young’s 3-chorus solo;  precedes Buck Clayton’s 2-chorus solo)

Go to  Paging the Devil
 

• Added transcription of  “Grand Slam” – a 12-bar boogie
  —  eight-bar theme
  —  two-chorus blues solo

Go to  Grand Slam
 

• Seven-page transcription of the  “Honeysuckle Rose”  ( “Up on Teddy’s Hill” )  jam from Minton’s Playhouse
  —  a four-chorus solo that starts out very relaxed but quickly builds up a full head of steam –
        wonderful to listen to, transcribe, or play
  —  plus two choruses of riffs behind a trumpet solo
  —  and the swingin’est solo break that you’ll ever hear, on the out-chorus bridge –
        explosive entrance, followed by unexpected phrasing

Go to  Honeysuckle Rose (Up on Teddy’s Hill)  –  May 1941

• More Photos  (photos # 56-60)

Go to Photo Gallery

• New item in Clive Downs’ Solos Bibliography
  —  Finkelman (1997) – a 30-page analysis of CC’s solos, with transcription excerpts from 32 different takes

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Routine updates to the Discography  (recent releases – no previously unissued tracks)

Go to Discography

There will be a three-hour evening Charlie Christian Birthday Broadcast Special today on WKCR-FM (New York) 89.9
including comprehensive musical and biographical commentary.
A five-hour special will be broadcast the following afternoon:     http://www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/listen.html
 

There’s a very nice four-page biographical piece by Dan Morgenstern— “Charlie Christian:  Swing to Bop and Beyond” —
in the August 2000 issue of Jazz Times.  Includes a couple of photographs.
Jerry Jerome is quoted as having been recorded at a jam with CC in Milwaukee.  That actually occurred at the
Harlem Breakfast Club in Minneapolis, the hometown of Jerry Newhouse who recorded the session
after a Goodman band gig in St. Paul.

In the same issue, there’s also a George Benson and Russell Malone interview where CC is mentioned a few times.
Some of the quotes:

GB:  “...the fewer [fingers] you use, the more fluid you are.  Django Reinhardt was the greatest technician, and he only had two fingers he could use on his left hand.  Wes Montgomery was a three-finger player...”
< CC also was a two-finger soloist;  usually three-fingered on chords >

RM:  “...You’ve got to look at the guitar for what it is.  You don’t blow into it, you caress it...”
GB:  “Charlie Christian got us into that, but he was a rare bird, like Django, and everybody can’t do that.
The cats who can play with that speed and swing that hard are going to be rare dudes...”
 

• Added a couple of items to the Links

Go to Links

• Routine updates to the Discography  (recent releases, but with no previously unissued tracks)

Go to Discography
 

• Added two sextet versions of  “Honeysuckle Rose”
  from the “Spirituals to Swing” Carnegie Hall concert and an aircheck

Go to  Honeysuckle Rose – 24 Dec 1939   or   Honeysuckle Rose – 19 Nov 1940

• Added the following items to Clive Downs’ Solos Bibliography
  —  Mairants (1996)
  —  Regent Music (1944)

Go to  Solos Bibliography

• Added the following item to Clive Downs’ Biographical Bibliography  (section 3 - Musical Analysis)
  —  Johnzon & Oberg (1997)

Go to  Biographical Bibliography
 

• Couldn't resist putting up transcriptions of CC’s remaining two versions of  “Rose Room”

Go to Rose Room – 28 Oct 1939  or  Rose Room – 6 Jun 1941

• Updated the Links

Go to Links
 

• Added Photos 44, 52-55

Go to Photo Gallery

• Replaced Photo 38 with a much better reproduction

• Also added some narrative to the main Transcription page

Go to Transcriptions
 

Revised the transcription of “Topsy” using a much cleaner recording than I had used previously

Go to Topsy
 

Clive Downs updated the Bibliographies:

• Added the following items to the Solos Bibliography
  —  ten Boske (1989)
  —  Colombo (1994)
  —  Down Beat (1978)

Go to Solos Bibliography

• Added the following items to the Musical Analysis Bibliography
  —  Betts (1996)
  —  ten Boske (1989)
  —  Colombo (1994)

Go to Musical Analysis Bibliography
 

A special gift for Christmas:

• Added a transcription of Charlie Christian’s  4-chorus, pre-rehearsal jam on  “Rose Room”

Go to Rose Room – 13 Mar 1941
 

For the First Anniversary of this site:

• Added transcriptions of CC’s two most popular versions of  “Rose Room”

Go to Rose Room – 2 Oct 1939  or  Rose Room – 9 Oct 1939

• Added a couple of items to the Solos Bibliography

Go to Solos Bibliography
 

• Added a two-page transcription — the five-chorus solo of  “Blues in B”

Go to Blues in B

• Updated the bibliographies

Go to Bibliographies
 

    Minor changes.

• Split the Album Index into 7 sections (previously 3 sections) — the files had become slow/difficult to work with due to their large size

• Split the Tune Title Index into 5 sections (previously 3 sections) — these also had become very unwieldy

• Minor, but labor intensive, maintenance on the Discography — none of the data was changed
  

Charlie Christian’s complete three-chorus solo on “Oh, Lady Be Good” is finally available!!!

On August 24, 1999, Vanguard Records released, for the first time, the complete From Spirtituals to Swing concerts of 1938 and 1939.
Besides 23 previously unissued tracks, the set contains the first-time-ever issue of the complete “Oh, Lady Be Good.”
All previous issues had edited out CC’s third chorus — actually, from the 32nd bar of the second chorus to the 31st bar of the third.
Unfortunately, the 8-bar piano intro by Basie is now missing.

• Updated the discography with a dozen new items — including the 3-CD box set release, From Spirituals to Swing, Vanguard 169/71-2

Go to Discography
 

• Added five more photographs — photo numbers 46 thru 50

Go to Photo Gallery

• Added two transcriptions — both takes of  “I Found a New Baby”

Go to Take 1  or  Go to Take 2

• Updated discography — including a recent CD release from Definitive Records in Andorra 

Go to Definitive CD
 

• Added Announcements, News & Updates section

• Made minor changes to the “Dinah” solo tab
  

Charlie Christian’s 83^rd Birthday Anniversary:

• Added CD Reviews section

• Two more transcriptions:  “Star Dust” and “Ida”

• More photos

• Updated discography
  

• Added two more transcriptions:  “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Dinah”

• Added five more photos
  

• Added Links page
  

• Added two more transcriptions:  “Solo Flight”   (both studio takes)

• Updated discography
  

• Added more photos
  

• Added more photos
  

• Added Transcriptions section — transcription of  “Topsy”  (“Swing to Bop”)
  

• Streamlined Photo Gallery to load faster
  

Launched  Solo Flight:  The Charlie Christian Web Site

• Solography
• Discography
• Photo Gallery
• Bibliographies
• Newsletters
  

Initiated home page.
Target date for main site activation:  December 7, 1998.