Charlie Christian was one of the pioneering innovators of the jazz guitar. Christian started playing as a young boy in Texas then Oklahoma, and as a teen began playing in small clubs as a sideman. He eventually ended up in Kansas City on the club scene where he was discovered by producer John Hammond. Hammond was immediately captivated by Christian's dazzling single-note solos and arranged for Charlie to fly out to Los Angeles to audition with bandleader Benny Goodman.
Charlie auditioned for Goodman by playing "Rose Room," in which Charlie amazed Benny and the band by unleashing chorus after chorus of fresh solos- all creative, original and crisp. The young 22 year old from a small town in Oklahoma had arrived on the national jazz scene. The jazz world would never be the same.
Over the next several years, Christian played, toured and recorded profusely with Goodman. These recordings remain among the best jazz guitar playing ever recorded. Sadly, the arc of this rising prodigy was cut tragically short when he came down with tuberculosis and died shortly thereafter in 1942 at the young age of 26.
The Genius of the Electric Guitar, is an excellent compilation of some of Charlie's best work with Benny Goodman and his band. His solos are clear, crisp, creative and innovative. He played the guitar like it had never been played before- as a viable jazz solo instrument that captivated everyone who listened.
The tracks from this compilation are all excellent, but the ones that are particularly noteworthy in highlighting Charlie Christian's incredibly innovative and pioneering jazz guitar style are: Rose Room, Seven Come Eleven, and Solo Flight.
Jazz guitar legends who came along in the next generation, like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel said they were so captivated by Christian's solos, they listened to them over and over again memorizing every note and riff. Charlie Christian was a truly incredible and pioneering jazz guitar innovator, whose life was cut tragically short by tuberculosis in 1942. He left an incredible and impressive collection of recordings behind, though that are well worth delving into voraciously- for aspiring jazz guitarists and fans alike.
Enjoy and keep on jazzing!
John
