| CHARLIE
CHRISTIAN
Volumes 1 thru 8
MASTERS OF JAZZ
MJCD 24, 29, 40, 44, 67, 68, 74, 75
This
series of CDs, produced in France on Media 7’s Masters of Jazz label, is one of the
best and most complete ever issued on any artist in jazz. Eight volumes were
released containing all available recordings on which Charlie Christian is prominently
featured. This includes studio masters, alternate takes, radio broadcasts, and jam
sessions.
Assembled between 1992 and 1994, each volume
is about an hour long and comes with an excellent 28 to 40-page booklet (in French and
English) containing good-quality photos, great track-by-track commentary and a discography
identifying the soloists. The most-rare recordings have not all been included nor is
the information quite 100% accurate but the
series does have some items that had never been issued before. Most likely this is
the best anthology we’ll ever see on Charlie Christian.
An added bonus on the last four CDs is the
restoration of all the recordings to their correct pitch. This had not been done
before on any other LP or CD releases, including the first half of this series. I
took a large sampling, especially of those tunes that I knew to be always blatantly
off-key in the past, and found them all to be virtually on the exact pitch. Many
thanks to those responsible for getting this batch on the right key.
CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 1
1939
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 24
[ France, 1992; 20 tracks – 67:55 ] |
|
Volume 1 covers the period
of August 19, 1939 through October 31, 1939.
Track 1 – On his very first recording, Charlie Christian takes a
32-bar solo on his own composition “Flying Home” on a Camel Caravan
radio broadcast from The Hollywood Bowl on August 19, 1939.
Track 2 – First-time-ever issue of this September 2nd
aircheck of “Star Dust” from the Michigan State Fair in Detroit.
[Reissued in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie
Christian • Volume 9 with much-improved sound.]
Charles’ 32-bar chord solo on “Star Dust” was dedicated
to his mother, Willie Mae, who had written to him requesting that he play a song
for her. He replied that he could not publicly dedicate a song to her but that whenever he
played this solo it was especially for her.
Track 3 – Now in New York City on September 11 at his very first
studio recording session, Charles’ plays obbligato chords on “One Sweet
Letter from You” behind Lionel Hampton’s vocal chorus. Unfortunely, he
doesn’t solo on the other three tunes from this excellent Victor recording session
with Hamp’s ad hoc orchestra that included Benny Carter, Chu Berry, Coleman Hawkins,
Ben Webster, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Tracks 4 thru 6 – The legendary Minneapolis session at the Harlem
Breakfast Club on September 24.
“I Got Rhythm” was recorded twice, both times with
identical routines: 4-bar piano intro and one-chorus solos by Jerome, Christian,
Hines, Jerome, Christian, Jerome. The first time the tune was recorded, as that
there was plenty of recording time left, the musicians were motioned to continue but they
misinterpreted the signal and ended the take at the end of the chorus. They then
replayed “I Got Rhythm” to fill up the remaining time. Four high-energy
swingin’ solos by CC are on these two takes.
The second take is spliced ahead of the first. Neither take is
complete: take 2 is missing the last 28 bars of the last tenor sax chorus;
take 1 is missing the piano intro and the first 28 bars of the first tenor sax chorus.
All previous LPs and CDs had been issued in the same configuration
until the two takes were finally issued in 1993, separated and in their entirety, under
the SUISA label on a compact disc (JZCD 379) entitled Charlie Christian:
Air-Checks and Private Recordings.
[Reissued in their entirety in October 2001 on Masters
of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
“Star Dust” is complete with the only two-chorus solo
Charles would record on this tune—a beautiful, spirited rendition.
“Tea for Two” is missing the first 4 bars of
Charles’ extraordinary 8-bar chord intro and the first 8 bars of the second tenor sax
solo, as are all other issues to date, but both of CC’s amazing solos (64 bars and 32
bars) are intact. This was the only time CC was recorded on this tune.
[The complete “Tea for
Two” was issued in 1997 on a Jerry Jerome double-CD Something Old, Something New
(Arbors ARCD 19168).]
[Reissued in its entirety in October 2001 on Masters of
Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
Tracks 7 thru 10 – Charles’ first studio date with the
Goodman sextet produced two takes of “Fying Home” (the alternate take was
released as “Homeward Bound” on V-Disc), “Rose Room” and “Star
Dust” on October 2nd for Columbia Records. CC solos for one
chorus on each.
Tracks 11 & 12 – The Carnegie Hall concert of October 6, 1939:
Charles gets 32-bar solos on “Flying Home” and “Star
Dust.”
Track 13 – An October 7th aircheck of the first version
of “Memories of You” with an 8-bar guitar solo on the minor-mode bridge.
Track 14 – “Rose Room” broadcast from the Empire
Room at the Waldorf-Astoria on October 9. Charles is outstanding on his solo, just
as he was on the previous version and all other renditions of “Rose Room” —
all beautifully melodic and totally different from each other…incredible creativity.
Track 15 – On October 12, CC was again invited to record with
Hampton’s orchestra for Victor Records—this time along with bassist Artie
Bernstein from the Goodman sextet. Charles takes a solo on “Haven’t
Named It Yet” with trumpeter Henry ‘Red’ Allen on the bridge.
Two other titles were recorded at this session but with no CC solos.
However, one of the two takes of “The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin’ the
Town”could have been included here: CC plays a 4-bar chord intro and some very
nice obbligati on Hamp’s vocals.
Track 16 – On “AC-DC Current,” Charles gets the
4-bar intro and a couple of 4-bar breaks. Louis Armstrong is the featured guest on
another tune on this October 14 Camel Caravan aircheck with the Goodman sextet
& orchestra.
Track 17 – From the Waldorf-Astoria on October 16: another
version of “Flying Home” with the usual 32-bar guitar assignment.
Track 18 – The first recording of “Soft Winds”
— Charles’ beautiful 16-bar blues composition (with 12-bar solos) — on a Camel
Caravan October 21st broadcast. He never soloed on his tune but he is
prominent on the theme, on boogie riffs behind the vibes solo, and on the tag.
Seventeen years later “Soft Winds” became a big hit for Dinah Washington.
Track 19 – Back to the Waldorf-Astoria on October 23 for a bridge
solo on “Memories of You.”
Track 20 – Seven different blues were recorded on the two October
31, 1939 Ida Cox sessions. A total of 22 different takes (including false
starts and breakdowns) are known to exist, 12 of which are available on compact
disc. I agree with the producers that the entire session may not be quite
appropriate in this series. “Deep Sea Blues” is as good a
representative of this session as any of the other cuts, which have similar contributions
from Charles.
[Eleven takes are on Ida Cox
— Complete Recorded Works, Volume 5: 1939-1940 (Document DOCD-5651).
The remaining cut, take 2 (of 4) of “One Hour Mama,” is on Mean Mothers
(Rosetta RR 1300).]
Some other readily
available cuts that were recorded during the time period covered by this volume (August
19, 1939 through October 31, 1939) but not included in this series are:
“Opus ½” (a novelty tune from a September 23 aircheck at the Orpheum Theater in
St. Paul and not yet available on CD);
Two takes of “The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin’ the Town” (from the October 12th
Hampton studio session);
Both titles have CC chord intros and prominent chord accents and/or obbligati, but no
solos.
“Flying Home” from a September 9th broadcast was
omitted from this first volume. It’s first-ever release was in 1995 on More
Camel Caravans, Vol. III (Phontastic NCD 8845/8846).
[Reissued in March 2001 on Charlie
Christian—Complete Live Recordings (Definitive DRCD11177).]
[Reissued in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie
Christian • Volume 9.]
An October 28 aircheck of “Rose Room” was also left
out—issued in 1997 for the first time on Camel Caravan Shows (Jazz Band EBCD
2138-2).
[Reissued in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie
Christian • Volume 9.]
A few comments and minor corrections on
the liner notes:
Page 16 – Around 1928 or 1929, Charlie Christian learned guitar
basics from OKC guitarist Ralph “Big Foot Chuck” Hamilton who used a
chord technique common to that era. Charles developed his horn-like, single-string
style on his own after that, before pickups and amplifiers were generally available.
As the liner notes state, CC’s conversations with guitarist Eddie Durham
probably only concerned guitar amplification. Charles was also taught advanced music
theory by Ralph Hamilton and especially by trumpeter James Simpson.
Page 17 – John Hammond’s recollection of Charles’
audition date is a few days off. Charles’ going-away party took place on Aug.
13, 1939 at Ruby’s Grill in OKC; his audition was three days later, on the 16th
in L.A.
Page 18 – Hammond was mistaken in assuming that Charles
didn’t know “Rose Room.” Along with “Sweet Georgia Brown”
and “Tea for Two,” it was one of the tunes on which he soloed in his first
public appearance when he sat in with Don Redman and his Orchestra in 1930 or 1931
at “Honey’s,” an after-hours club run by Honey Murphy in OKC.
Page 20 – The Minneapolis session was neither recorded by a
disc-jockey nor for broadcast use. That one-night session was recorded by Jerry
Newhouse who had recently graduated from college and was just starting out in the
paper industry. Jerry’s friend, Dick Pendleton, knew Jerry Jerome who was
playing with Charlie Christian and the Benny Goodman band at the Orpheum Theater across
the river in St. Paul. Pendleton recruited Newhouse because of his recorder and his
recording experience (Newhouse recorded most of the airchecks by Basie, Goodman and a few
others around that time that have been issued on LP and CD).
Pendleton and Newhouse picked up Charles and Jerome after their gig and
took them to jam at the “Harlem Breakfast Club,” a private home that had
been converted into an after-hours club. They were joined there by two local
musicians: Frankie Hines on piano and 17-year-old Oscar Pettiford on
bass. There was no drummer on this session; the “drums” that
some listeners seem to hear may have been Charles tapping out the time with his foot and
doing it so enthusiastically that the recorder couldn’t stay on track. The
recorder had to be moved to another room and the whole session was recorded with a pillow
under Charles’ left foot. Newhouse and Pendleton took turns pointing the single
microphone at the soloist. September 24, 1939 is the most probable date for
these recordings—they were definitely recorded during the Orpheum gig that ran from
the 22th through the 28th of September.
Page 26 “Charlie Christian’s guitars” – Charlie
Christian used three different guitars regularly during his tenure with the Goodman band.
Sometime during the summer of 1939 he replaced his Epiphone with a sunburst Gibson
ES-150 which he bought together with an EH-150 amplifier for $150—he was still
making payments on it when he joined the Goodman band. In April 1940 he replaced the
ES-150, which has remained the model most associated with him, with the larger ES-250
custom-made by Gibson with a natural (blond) finish and a Super 400 tailpiece.
In late February 1941, Charles took delivery of a blond, extremely-rare
version of a Gibson ES-250 with an L7-style neck. All three were non-cutaway,
f-hole, hollow-body guitars with carved tops and a single bar pickup that soon became
known as the “Charlie Christian” model pickup. The ES-150 had dot inlays
on the fingerboard, the first ES-250 had bowtie markings, and the rare ES-250 had a flower
pot peghead and eight beautiful fretboard position markers each with their own unique
design.
Page 32 (Discography) – The location and date of October 9, 1939
for “Rose Room” are correct, however I don’t believe it was part of the Young
Man with a Band program but was a regular broadcast from the Empire Room at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 2
1939
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 29
[ France, 1992; 21 tracks – 69:12 ] |
|
Volume 2 covers the period of November 4, 1939
through December 24, 1939.
Track 1 – A November 4, 1939 broadcast of the Camel Caravan
produced the first version of “Shivers.”
Tracks 2 thru 7 – Columbia recording session on November 22nd
— the second studio date with Goodman.
Two takes each of “Memories of You” and “Soft
Winds.”
And the first recording of CC’s own “Seven Come
Eleven.”
Charles takes an extraordinary full-chorus solo on his first recorded
version of “Honeysuckle Rose” — the only time he would be featured
with the full orchestra other than almost a year-and-a-half later on his own “Solo
Flight” guitar concierto.
Track 8 – Camel Caravan broadcast of “Seven Come Eleven”
on November 25. This version has often been issued as “Roast Turkey Stomp”
which was the original title of the tune.
Track 9 – “AC-DC Current” from the Waldorf-Astoria on November
27.
Track 10 – “Dinah” from a December 16 Camel
Caravan broadcast. Not only is Charles’ solo “a pure
delight!”—as stated in the liner notes—but his amplified chord
accompaniment on the vibes solo is so extraordinary that it becomes the main attraction of
the chorus with the vibes playing the supporting role. On the following chorus CC
sustains the essence of the melody during parts of his exhilarating solo. We’re
fortunate indeed that at least this aircheck version of “Dinah” was captured,
thanks to Jerry Newhouse.
Tracks 11 thru 14 – The third Columbia recording session with
Goodman, on December 20.
A breakdown [CC’s solo is complete] and the master take of “Shivers”
and the master of “AC-DC Current.”
The liner notes are right-on concerning CC’s innovative solo on “I’m
Confessin’.” I’m not particularly fond of Benny Goodman’s
shrill, up-tempo solos but I must admit he could play the melody beautifully on some of
the slow ballads.
Tracks 18 thru 21 – Charles’ second concert at Carnegie
Hall—the 1939 “From Spirituals to Swing” concert on Christmas Eve.
Charlie Christian solos on three numbers with the Goodman sextet:
“Flying Home,” “Memories of You” and “Honeysuckle
Rose.” CC takes full-chorus solos on “Flying Home” and
“Honeysuckle Rose.”
This is the last of the five times CC recorded “Memories of
You” and it’s probably his best one—he gets the 8-bar minor-mode bridge on
all versions and on all he double-times them with sixteenth notes. On this rendition
he plays some great augmented runs over the dominant-7 harmony on the next-to-the-last bar
of his solo.
Then, for three more numbers, Charles becomes part of the Kansas City
Six along with Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Freddie Green, Walter Page, and
Jo Jones:
“Paging the Devil” and “Good Morning
Blues” are the earliest existing recordings of Charlie Christian soloing on the
blues and they are two of his best—not surprising, since here he is in the company of
the best of his fellow bluesmen.
On “Way Down Yonder” Charles apparently was
unexpectedly called on to solo and it takes half-a-dozen measures for him to turn up his
amp and start his solo.
On the final item on the program, CC takes a three-chorus solo plus an
8-bar bridge on a wild jam of “Oh, Lady Be Good” that includes six
pianists. Unfortunately, Charles’ third chorus has been edited out as in
all issues including this one (actually, the edit jumps CC’s solo from the 31st
bar of the second chorus of his solo to the 32nd bar of his third chorus).
[The recording with Charlie Christian’s complete solo was
issued in August 1999 for the first time on From Spirituals to Swing (Vanguard
169/71-2), a 3-CD box set (regrettably, without the 8-bar piano intro).]
[Finally, in March 2001, the entire take
was released on Charlie Christian—Complete Live Recordings
(Definitive DRCD11177).]
[Reissued in its entirety in October
2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
A November 28 aircheck of “South of the Border” was
omitted from this series. It was issued in 1997 for the first time on Camel Caravan
Shows (Jazz Band EBCD 2139-2).
[Reissued in October 2001 on Masters of
Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
All other available recordings from the period covered by this volume
(November 4 through December 24) are on the CD, with the exception of the “AC-DC
Current” from December 2nd that starts off volume 3.
Comments on the liner notes:
Page 16 – the erroneous statement that the December 2nd
aircheck of “AC-DC Current” does not exist was later corrected in volume 3.
Pages 23 thru 25 (Discography) – During October, November, and
December 1939, the Saturday Camel Caravan broadcasts emanated from
NBC’s Radio City Studios. The gig at the Waldorf-Astoria was on Mondays
(broadcast on the Mutual Radio Network) and on Wednesdays and Thursdays (on CBS radio).
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 3
1939 – 1940
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 40
[ France, 1993; 20 tracks – 60:57 ] |
|
Volume 3 covers the period of December 30, 1939
through June 4, 1940 (plus a December 2nd aircheck omitted from the previous
volume).
Track 1 – The existence of the aforementioned December 2nd
“AC-DC Current” is acknowledged and belatedly inserted here.
Track 2 – CC’s solo on the novelty blues “Pick-A-Rib”
is only 23 measures long. The eleven-bar theme is repeated three times on this
rendition, each time followed by an 11+12-bar solo—from the Camel Caravan
broadcast of December 30.
Track 3 – The poorly-recorded 2-bar piano intro and first 12½
bars of the “Till Tom Special” theme are missing on all issues of this
December 31st Fitch Bandwagon aircheck from the Waldorf-Astoria,
including this one.
Track 4 thru 6 – On February 7, 1940, Charles recorded the first
of his two sessions with “The Metronome All Stars” winners selected from Metronome
magazine’s jazz poll. This date was recorded by Columbia Records; CC
would again record with the group the following year for Victor Records.
Three takes (master, alternate, breakdown) of “All Star
Strut” were recorded on which CC takes a 12-bar solo. The
“fluffed” note referred to in the liner notes must be the slight time interval
between the two notes in the octave Charles plays on the third beat of the first bar of
his solo. There might be a fluff on take A of “All Star Strut” but it
sounds fine to me.
Another title, on which CC does not solo, was also recorded at the
session.
Track 7 thru 9 – Two titles were recorded by the Goodman sextet on
the same day following the Metronome session:
Count Basie’s 4-bar intro on the studio recording of “Till
Tom Special” could be heard only on 78-rpm record prior to this issue.
Charles gets to solo on a chorus with a piano break on the bridge.
Each of the two takes of “Gone with ‘What’ Wind”
has a 24-bar CC blues solo.
Track 10 – The Goodman band has now left New York for California.
A broadcast from the Cocoanut Grove at the Hotel Ambassador in Los Angeles is the
source of “Gone with ‘What’ Wind” on March 19.
Tracks 11 & 12 – Columbia contracted the World Broadcasting
System to record the band’s studio while on the West Coast.
On April 3, the sextet recorded “The Sheik of Araby”
(32-bar CC solo) and “Poor Butterfly” (8-bar CC solo).
[WBS recordings (April – June 1940): Although correctly
listed on this series, the dates cited on most other issues are the dates on which
Columbia Records assigned the matrix—which was usually about a week after the actual
recording made by the World Broadcasting System. Only the master takes from the WBS
sextet recording sessions have survived.]
Track 13 – On April 6, another version of “Gone with
‘What’ Wind” from the Cocoanut Grove.
Tracks 14 & 15 – On April 10, the second WBS recording session
produced two sextet titles:
“I Surrender, Dear” with a 16-bar CC solo and…
The boogie blues “Grand Slam” must be the most
underrated of all of Charlie Christian’s recordings! All of the critical
assessments I’ve read consider it no more than ordinary. I believe it’s
the best of any of Charles’ blues solos with Goodman’s ensemble: very
logically constructed; melodic and bluesy. The entire second chorus is what
really sets it apart; that chorus is particularly fascinating from a
guitarist’s point of view. I never tire of playing this one on my own
guitar—it’s my favorite of his fast blues solos.
Track 16 – Charles takes a 32-bar solo on “The Sheik of
Araby” from the Cocoanut Grove on April 12th.
Track 17 – “Soft Winds” from the Cocoanut Grove
on April 13.
Track 18 – First issue of this April 26 “The Sheik of
Araby” aircheck—again from the Cocoanut Grove. The badly recorded
second half of the piano solo and following partial clarinet solo have been omitted.
Tracks 19 & 20 – Now from the Peacock Court at the Hotel Mark
Hopkins high-atop-Nob Hill in San Francisco:
“Seven Come Eleven” (32-bar CC solo) on May 28.
“Six Appeal” (16-bar solo) on June 4.
Missing from this third volume—covering the period of
December 30, 1939 through June 4, 1940—is an unissued aircheck of “Poor
Butterfly” from the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles which was recorded on April 27,
1940. It’s the same length (2½ choruses) as the studio version of April 3rd
and has the same solo sequence, except that Lionel Hampton plays the entire second chorus
instead of splitting it with Johnny Guarnieri. Charles’ solo on the aircheck is
more rhythmically intense and harmonically interesting than the one from the studio.
[Partially issued for the first time
(minus the poorly-recorded first 1½ choruses) in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD
189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
Also omitted—in this case, justifiably— “Just Like
Taking Candy from a Baby” on which Charles is clearly audible on only eight bars of
riffs on an April 30 studio session with vocalist/tap-dancer Fred Astaire and the Goodman
sextet & orchestra.
[Released in October 2001 on Masters of
Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
The “centerfold” photo of the Benny Goodman Sextet is
from December 1939 (not January 1940)—their gig at the Waldorf-Astoria ended on
December 31, 1939.
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 4
1940
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 44
[ France, 1993; 19 tracks – 58:56 ] |
|
Volume 4 covers the period of June 11, 1940 through
part of a session on November 7, 1940.
Track 1 thru 3 – June 11, 1940, WBS recording session: “Six
Appeal” (16-bar solo), “These Foolish Things” (great 4-bar chord
intro; 8-bar bridge solo) and “Good Enough to Keep” (32-bar solo).
Tracks 4 & 5 – First-time issue for this incomplete [CC’s
32-bar solo is not affected] broadcast of “Honeysuckle Rose” from the
Catalina Casino on June 22nd. And, from the same gig on Santa Catalina
Island, another version of “Six Appeal.”
Track 6 – From the Catalina Casino on June 30, another version of
the less-than-essential “AC-DC Current.”
Tracks 7 & 8 – After a three-month vacation, Charles is back
in New York City and is hired by Columbia to back up singer Eddie Howard on a
quintet/octet led by Teddy Wilson on October 4, 1940:
On “Star Dust” (quintet), CC takes an 8-bar solo...and
he leads off the octet with a beautiful 4-bar chord intro on “Wrap Your Troubles
in Dreams.” Two other titles were recorded with CC on rhythm guitar.
Tracks 9 thru 13 – A made-in-heaven line-up for this Oct. 28, 1940
rehearsal session at the Columbia studios: Charlie Christian and Lester Young,
the two greatest soloists in jazz, with the peerless Basie rhythm section. What a
pity this group did not record regularly—we can only dream of what could have
been—however we’re fortunate to have these five cuts along with the three titles
from the Spirituals to Swing concert recorded 10 months earlier. With the
addition of Count Basie it was potentially even better than the Kansas City Six at
Carnegie Hall.
On “Ad-Lib Blues,” Goodman was wise to lay out in the
company of these blues masters. CC takes a 2-chorus solo.
“I Never Knew” has CC soloing on one chorus with Basie
taking the bridge.
On both versions of “Dickie’s Dream” Charles was
obviously prepared to take a full chorus when he was cut off after 16 bars by the
clarinet, probably due to time constraints. Judging from the length of these takes,
it appears that they were being considered for issue.
CC gets three choruses for his solo on the blues “Wholly
Cats.”
Track 14 – Broadcast of the Democratic Presidential Campaign Rally
on November 4th at Madison Square Garden: “Gone with
‘What’ Wind.”
Tracks 15 thru 19 – The Goodman combo, now a septet, is back
recording for Columbia on November 7th after the long summer layoff. Five
takes of “Wholly Cats,” a blues with a 24-bar CC solo on each take.
The long recording session continues on the fifth volume of this CD series.
Volume 4 contains all recordings from the period of June 11
through the first part of the session on November 7, 1940 with the exception of
“Li’l Boy Love” which has a CC bridge solo recorded on 25 June 1940.
[Released in October 2001 on Masters of
Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
The photo of Charles with Dick Wilson shows him jamming at the
famous Ruby’s Grill in OKC during the 3-month Goodman band layoff in the
summer of 1940. Sam Hughes, alto sax, is to CC’s right (cropped from this photo
print); Leslie Sheffield is at the piano.
There’s a typo on the caption of the “historic session”
photo of Charlie Christian with Lester Young, Freddie Green, Count Basie, Buck Clayton,
Benny Goodman, Walter Page, and Jo Jones: the date should read 28 October 1940.
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 5
November – December 1940
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 67
[ France, 1994; 16 tracks – 62:55 ] |
|
Volume 5 resumes with the Goodman Sextet studio
session of November 7, 1940 and continues through to the first part of another on December
19, 1940.
Remainder of the session from November 7, 1940:
* “Royal
Garden Blues” all takes (-3 thru -1)
* “As
Long As I Live” both takes
First time on CD for master take -1.
CC takes his 8-bar solo on the bridge—each is a unique gem.
* “Benny’s
Bugle” all 6 takes, but…
Take 5 is missing the trumpet intro and the theme riffs (12 bars)—kind of a relief
after hearing it consecutively so many times.
[Released in its entirety in October
2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
The three sextet tunes recorded from The Make Believe Ballroom
radio show of November 19:
* “Benny’s
Bugle”
* “Wholly
Cats”
* “Honeysuckle
Rose”
CC’s solo on this recording of “Honeysuckle Rose” has a particularly
inventive bridge.
The CD concludes with the first tune recorded by the sextet on the
December 19th studio session:
* “Breakfast
Feud” all 5 takes, but...
The 3rd take is incomplete—it starts with CC’s complete solo but
then the conclusion of the 4th take is spliced after his solo. The only part of
this take that has ever been released is the 20 bars of Charles’ solo; not even the
4-bar refrain that precedes his solo has seen the light of day.
However, the next track contains the 4th take in its entirety, issued for the
first-time-ever complete and unspliced... finally!
The only item missing from the time period covered by this
volume is an unissued We the People CBS aircheck of the sextet playing “Flying
Home” said to have been recorded on December 10, 1940.
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 6
1940 – 1941
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 68
[ France, 1994; 22 tracks – 69:25 ] |
|
Volume 6 proceeds with the
December 19, 1940 session and goes on through to February 5, 1941.
Remainder of the studio session from December 19:
*
“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” all 3
takes (-1, -3, -2)
Each take has an excellent CC 16-bar solo.
*
“Gone With What Draft” 3 takes (-3
thru -1)
Missing is a breakdown that includes the cadenza on which CC solos, but it’s no
substantial loss; his solo on this tune is “written”—sounds great,
but it’s the same on all takes.
[The breakdown was released in its
entirety in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
The tune is based on “Honeysuckle Rose” chord changes with a
12-bar cadenza added in the middle. The cadenza is actually a direct adaptation of
Eddie Durham’s 12-bar intro with Jimmy Lunceford & His Orchestra on
“Avalon” with was recorded for Decca on September 30, 1935.
“GWWD” was retitled “Gilly” around 1950.
Then the January 15, 1941 studio session with the sextet and another go
at:
*
“Breakfast Feud” all 4 takes, but...
The 3rd take is truncated at both ends—it contains only the 4-bar
refrain, the 8+12-bar CC solo, then fades out on the subsequent refrain.
The 4th take is also incomplete; it fades out on the refrain after CC’s
solo.
[The complete 3rd and 4th takes have been issued only on Jazz
Unlimited JUCD 2013, The Rehearsal Sessions (in 1993).]
[Both takes were reissued in their
entirety in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
“Breakfast Feud” has to be the most spliced up tune in recorded
history! From two to five of CC’s solos have been gleaned from this and the
December 19 session and spliced together in about a dozen different combinations and, more
often than not, issued that way on LP and CD. At least here they’re only
shortened and not spliced which could have caused even more confusion. The 2nd
take from this session was the one that came out on the original Columbia 78-rpm record
(none of the takes from the December 19 were originally released on 78).
The January 15th session continues:
*
“On the Alamo” the only known take
Another 8-bar gem by CC on his solo—very relaxed and melodic.
*
“I Found a New Baby” both takes
First time on CD for take -2.
Exceptional CC solos on each, some of his best work with the sextet, especially take -1.
*
“Gone With What Draft” 3 takes (-3
thru -1) [An additional breakdown is said to exist]
The second year that Charles’ records with the Metronome All Star Band (winners of
the annual Metronome magazine Jazz Poll)—on January 16 for Victor:
*
“One O’Clock Jump” (aka “All Star Jump”)
A 12-bar CC blues solo
Then comes the renowned “Profoundly Blue”
all-blues session with the Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet recorded for Blue Note on February
5, 1941...on which CC plays unamplified guitar:
*
“Jammin’ In Four”
Five consecutive solo choruses of fast blues by CC featuring the fewest rests he
ever took on record!
*
“Edmond Hall Blues”
No solos, but CC is prominent playing rhythm.
*
“Profoundly Blue” both takes
CC’s four-bar intros followed by his three-chorus solos on each take of this very
slow blues are the highlights of the session. They are virtually duets with the much
underrated bassist Israel Crosby, who is outstanding on the entire outing.
The solos on both takes are a real joy to play on the guitar along with CC’s solo
on “Paging the Devil” (from the 1939 Christmas Eve From Spirituals to Swing
Carnegie Hall concert) which is another exceptional Eb blues.
*
“Celestial Express”
Again no solos; this time however, Charles can be heard playing 24 bars of
impeccable boogie riffs on each of two solos by clarinetist Hall.
The interplay of Christian and Crosby, both in rhythm and duet, is what
makes this session so memorable. Hall is also at his best. Although Meade Lux
Lewis has some good solos, his celeste is often distracting—it should have been toned
down some.
There may exist a recording from the time period covered by
volume 6 that is not included here: a December 25, 1940 sextet aircheck of
“Wholly Cats.”
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 7
February – March 1941
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 74
[ France, 1994; 13 tracks – 54:09 ] |
|
Volume 7 starts out with an
aircheck from February 10, 1941 and goes on to part of the studio session of March 13,
1941.
Four airchecks: three from What’s New?–The Old Gold
Show and one (February 16) from the Fitch Bandwagon:
*
“Wholly Cats” February 10
The intro & first 4 bars are missing, but I believe that’s the way it was
originally recorded off the air.
[A version of “Flying Home” from this date is listed under
April 14 on volume 8.]
*
“Gone With What Draft” February 16
This is the first time this particular version has ever been issued in any format.
Unfortunately, a very poor copy was used. The first 2 bars of CC’s intro
are missing and the entire track is very scratchy. At first I thought that it might
be a version unknown to me, but I checked it against my copy which has relatively good
sound and it is the correct one.
*
“Breakfast Feud” February 17
Only an 8-bar solo, rather than the regular 8+12-bars.
*
“Gone With What Draft” February 24
Yet another version of the tune that Benny Goodman years later renamed
“Gilly.”
Two tracks from What’s New?–The Old Gold Show
broadcast on March 3, 1941:
*
“Six Appeal” (“My Daddy Rocks Me”)
Missing the 4-bar CC chord intro, as are all other issues.
*
“Solo Flight” (“Chonk, Charlie, Chonk”)
The first CD issue of the first recording of Charlie Christian’s wonderful
composition for orchestra, arranged by Jimmy Mundy. This one’s an abbreviated
version.
The studio recordings on March 4 of:
*
“Solo Flight” both takes —and both of them
are extraordinary
Take -1 was the one that Columbia issued on 78-rpm. It hit # 1 on the Billboard
Harlem Hit Parade on March 11, 1944. Presumably due to its commercial appeal, a
few jazz critics have not regarded it very highly; but when “Solo Flight” was
first released it blew away every guitarist within earshot, including the very top jazz
guitarists—even to this day.
To briefly quote just a couple of jazz guitar greats:
Jimmy Raney — “When I first heard Solo Flight, I almost
fainted.”
Wes Montgomery — “Solo Flight was the first Charlie Christian record I
heard. Boy, that was too much! I still hear it! He was it
for me...”
Another What’s New?–The Old Gold Show aircheck, on
March 10:
*
“Flying Home”
Next is the first CD issue of the extraordinarily fantastic Waitin’
for Benny pre-rehearsal jam session that was most fortuitously recorded while
Charlie Christian, drummer Dave Tough, pianist Johnny Guarnieri, tenor saxophonist Georgie
Auld, and trumpeter Cootie Williams were waiting for Benny Goodman and bassist Artie
Bernstein to show up for a studio session on March 13, 1941. I treasure these
recordings as much as I do the ones from Minton’s a couple of months later.
It wasn’t really a jam session as such. Columbia’s
recording techs just happened to catch Charlie Christian experimenting and jamming
somewhat on his own with only Dave Tough (the best regular drummer that Goodman ever had)
backing him much of the way.
Guarnieri makes many outstanding contributions on all of the tunes,
while the two horns sporadically drop in and out during the 21 minutes that were preserved
from this occasion. At times Auld seems a bit lost, now and then clashing with
Charles’ astonishing rhythmic concept .
This is one of the few instances in recorded history where we can get a
glimpse of true creative genius at play. Christian is traveling here in his own
musical world, totally immersed in his music and seemingly enraptured by his creation.
It doesn’t get any better than this!
It starts out with Charlie...
*
“Riffin’ Around”
with 176 bars of free improvisation in the key of A before he segues into his
version of “Love is Just Around the Corner”:
*
“A Smo-o-o-oth One”
It’s been written that this is the actual creation of this tune.
Possibly...but it’s more probable that it was already scheduled for this date.
The rest of the musicians seemed to recognize it immediately and jumped right in as soon
as CC started playing it.
He plays one chorus of the theme with chords on the bridge, a few
riffs, then drops out, just popping back in for a few absolutely swinging bars a couple of
times after that.
His interest peaks again when Guarnieri intros a more
interesting...
*
“I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me”
The recording is interrupted ¾ of the way through the first chorus then curiously
resumes 20 bars into another chorus of the same tune at an appreciably slower tempo.
Charles is improvising on the melody, using eighth notes, for the first 25 bars before the
cut-off. When the recording resumes, he is toying with the harmony and
rhythm—playing mostly sixteenth notes and lots of triplets.
Auld has both some very good moments and, understandably, some
difficult instances on this one. Cootie plays along with CC for more than three
choruses, then drops out from the jam altogether after this tune. CC’s
inventiveness really starts to shine here and it increases as the proceedings continue
with a surprising 9-bar intro of...
*
“Rose Room”
CC’s two solos (1 + 3 choruses) here are unlike those on any of his other versions
of “Rose Room”—with a heavy blues imprint, very melodic, and particularly
with a distinctly different rhythmic lilt which was touched off in his intro.
When things start winding down, Auld’s tenor suggests...
*
“I Hadn’t Anyone Till You”
and they’re off on an extraordinarily beautiful, short rendition of that tune.
In the middle of the third chorus, Guarnieri calls out:
“Let’s play the blues”
“Charlie, Charlie, let’s play the blues in B”
* “Blues in B”
is one of the most wonderfully fascinating blues I’ve ever heard!
Indescribable.
After five incredible choruses of blues by Charlie Christian with
brilliant piano by Guarnieri, the other members of the sextet must have arrived—the
engineers cut off the exquisite revelry to begin recording the commercial version of...
*
“A Smo-o-o-oth One” all 3 takes
with which this penultimate volume ends.
As far as I know, the entire pre-rehearsal jam has only been
issued once before—in 1981 on Blu-Disc LP T-l006 entitled The Un-Heard Benny
Goodman, Vol. 3. Part of the session has been issued often though.
“Blues in B” was regularly issued on LP and also on CD. Usually, a
companion track called “Waitin’ for Benny” was issued with it. This
contained “A Smo-o-o-oth One” preceded by the not-as-noisy part of the free
improvisation that I’ve called “Riffin’ Around” (as it was named on
the Blu-Disc LP). The CD under review doesn’t list the free improvisation
separately.
These are the only known renditions of “I Can’t
Believe...” and “I Hadn’t Anyone...” recorded by Charlie Christian.
| CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
VOLUME 8
March – June 1941
MASTERS OF JAZZ MJCD 75
[ France, 1994; 18 tracks – 70:26 ] |
|
The March 13, 1941 studio
session continues on this eighth and final volume which ends with the final recordings in
June of 1941.
Remainder of the March 13 studio session:
*
“Good Enough to Keep” both takes
Later renamed “Air Mail Special.”
Followed by a series of airchecks from What’s New?–The Old
Gold Show:
*
“Good Enough to Keep” March 17
*
“Wholly Cats” April 7
*
“Breakfast Feud” April 14
Missing the piano intro, as are all other issues.
*
“Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider” April 14
Another magnificent solo by CC—a 32-bar masterpiece.
This was the the only time he was ever recorded playing on “Ida....”
*
“Flying Home” listed as April 14, but actually
from February 10.
*
“Song of the Islands” April 28
CC plays a four-bar intro followed by 16 bars of embellished melody—unusual and
lovely.
*
“Flying Home” May 5
First-time CD issue for this date.
In May of 1941, being far more advanced musically than almost
everyone else in jazz, Charlie Christian was the natural leader in any musical setting in
which he participated. Even the egocentric Benny Goodman treated Charles with kid
gloves, first ensuring that the guitarist was persuaded to take the path he wanted the
rest of the sextet to take.
Probably due to Charlie’s quiet, unassuming nature, this quality
has not been emphasized in discussions of his influence. His leadership, however,
has not only been attested to by the musicians that played with him at the time, but is
also aurally quite evident between takes on the studio recordings as well as on the jam
sessions that were recorded, such as the one in the previous volume and the next sessions.
Thanks to Jerry Newman and his recorder, we are indeed fortunate to
have the opportunity to hear the very birth of modern jazz with Charlie Christian leading
the pioneers of the bebop movement at the Harlem after-hours clubs Minton’s
Playhouse and Clark Monroe’s The Uptown House.
In the excellent notes to this CD, the proposition is introduced that
the pianist on the next two tracks is Kenny Kersey and not Thelonious Monk as has
previously been commonly thought. Since I’ve always suspected as much, I have
to agree with that rational premise although I’d always hoped it was the earliest
Monk on record—they’re excellent piano solos—but it’s not Monk.
There’s a substantial amount of crowd noise on the first two tunes
from these sessions (particularly bothersome on “Topsy”) that does not
exist on Jerry Newman’s original acetates but first appeared on the 1947 Vox 78-rpm
album. It’s in this volume and a few subsequent CD releases that have used the
78s for their source—or lifted them from Masters of Jazz.
*
“Topsy” (aka “Swing to
Bop” or “Charlie’s Choice”
or “In the Hall of the Mountain King”)
The recording starts at the sixth bar of the “first” chorus with Charlie
Christian already in full flight, followed by five more choruses of the most inventive
solo ever!
A trumpet and a piano solo are followed by another three wonderful choruses by CC.
*
“Stompin’ at the Savoy”
Two 3-chorus solos by Charles—were it not for the previous track, this would have
qualified as the best single recording of all time.
An added bonus is the clearly audible rhythm guitar, especially on the piano solo.
*
“Honeysuckle Rose” (aka “Up
on Teddy’s Hill”)
Four absolutely marvelous choruses by CC.
Plus a later, stunningly swinging 8-bar bridge solo—when he comes in, it makes
everyone else sound like they’re not swinging at all. Charlie Christian’s
rhythmic drive is truly incredible.
*
“I Got Rhythm” (aka “Down
on Teddy’s Hill” or “Rhythm-a-ning”)
This rendition has rarely been issued compared to the other tracks from these sessions.
The recording starts in mid-chorus for 2½ choruses of CC, with a surprising quote from
“Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” at the very beginning of his last solo chorus.
The previous four tracks are all from Minton’s; the
next two, from Monroe’s, are not quite as good—primarily due to the rhythm
section not being up to the modern standards of the one at Minton’s. But
Charlie Christian pushes them along with some excellent solos, particularly on
“Stompin’....”
*
“I Got Rhythm” (aka “Guy’s
Got to Go”) [Mislabeled “Lips Flips” on this
CD; that surtitle belongs to the following tune.]
Two choruses by Charles.
As on all other issues, the first six beats of his second chorus are repeated (a flaw in
the original recording).
*
“Stompin’ at the Savoy” (aka
“Lips Flips” or “On with Charlie Christian”)
Two-and-a-half CC solo choruses.
A little-known seventh track featuring Charlie Christian was
also recorded by Jerry Newman, at Minton’s on May 8. It has never been
released—very closely hoarded by a very few collectors. It’s a 17-chorus
rendition of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” that includes two solo choruses
by CC plus five final choruses of collective improvisation with Charles as the focal
point.
[This “Stompin’ at the
Savoy” was issued for the first time ever in October 2001 on Masters of Jazz MJCD
189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
The final tracks on the Masters of Jazz series are three airchecks from
the Monte Proser Dance Carnival in Madison Square Garden:
*
“Benny’s Bugle” May 28
Two lively blues choruses by CC; his best on this tune.
*
“Rose Room” June 6
A particularly interesting 24-bar solo by CC (the ensemble takes the
last 8 bars of the chorus)—reminiscent of the March 13 pre-rehearsal jam, rather than
of other occasions with the sextet.
It’s missing the first bar of CC’s 4-bar intro but is otherwise complete.
*
“Solo Flight” June
(“Chonk, Charlie, Chonk”)
With the full orchestra, of course. Comparable to the studio
versions, suffering only from the lesser sound quality.
Not included here is another tune from the MSG broadcasts which
may have been the last recording of a Charlie Christian solo. An incomplete
aircheck of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” was recorded some time in June
1941 containing a piano intro, a chorus of the melody on which CC plays some beautiful
“SA-VOY” chords, followed by an extraordinary guitar solo that was distressingly
cut off after 22 bars.
[This is another version of
“Stompin’ at the Savoy” issued for the first time ever in October 2001 on
Masters of Jazz MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9.]
I like to think of this as Charles’ last solo only because of the
way in which such an innovative creation was prematurely cut off—much as his life was
so shamefully snuffed out while his artistic genius was still in ascension.
Actually, either of the other two June recordings could have been his last. In any
case, judging from the last few months of recordings, there was every indication that
Charlie Christian’s creativity was indeed gaining momentum with no sign of CC nearing
his peak.
There are a few more items not in this last volume that may have
some CC participation with the sextet during the period covered by the last volume:
Four tunes from the America in Swingtime broadcast in the spring of 1941—an
untitled blues, “The Sheik of Araby,” “Gone with ‘What’
Wind,” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy.”
And a May 1st 1941 aircheck of “A Smo-o-o-oth One” broadcast from the
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival at the Armory Hall in Alexandria, Virginia.
This 8-volume CD series has my highest
possible recommendation—it is my all-time, number-one “Desert Island”
choice. With these CDs you can have almost all of the available major works by
Charlie Christian in chronological sequence. I sincerely want to express my
gratitude to Claude Carrière and Jean-Claude Alexandre for producing the most essential
series of recordings yet released.
I would also like to bring to your
attention the availability of a box set containing the first four volumes of this
series. The individual CDs are identical to the single-issues but they’re all
wrapped up in a very attractive package—this is indeed the way to get them. The
Masters of Jazz catalog number for the box set is MJCD 9004. A second box set for
the remaining four volumes, unfortunately, is no longer planned for release.
Track listings of the Media 7 series can be viewed in the Discography section listed under the label Masters of Jazz.
The Masters of Jazz CD reviews have been
revised and updated on July 29, 1999; April 7 & December 15, 2001
from the originals published in the 1995 & 1996 Solo Flight: The Charlie Christian
Newsletter # 1 & 2.
LeoValdes © 1999
[Volume 9 of the Masters of Jazz
series (released October 2001) is reviewed following “The
Missing MJCD Recordings” section]
THE MISSING MJCD RECORDINGS
The following are those Charlie Christian recordings that were not
included in the original Masters of Jazz 8-volume
CD series.
They are listed in recording-date sequence, with a short description of Christian’s
participation, followed by the CDs and LPs on which the recording appears.
Unissued recordings are not shown, nor have I listed those on which CC participates only
on unamplified guitar as part of the rhythm section.
The preferred issues are marked with •
Sept. 9, 1939 Flying Home Camel
Caravan aircheck
entirely omitted from MJCD
the usual riffs; 32-bar solo
• Definitive DRCD11177
Charlie Christian—Complete Live Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
º Phontastic NCD 8845/8846
More Camel Caravans, Vol. III (Sweden, 1995)
[Masters of Jazz issued this aircheck in October 2001 on
MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Sept. 23, 1939 Opus ½ Camel
Caravan aircheck
entirely omitted from MJCD
8-bar chord intro; chords behind 12-bar bass solo
• [LP] Queen-Disc Q-016
BG, His Stars and His Guests (Italy, 1978)
Sept. 24, 1939 I Got Rhythm (take
1) Minneapolis jam session at the Harlem Breakfast Club
spliced with take 2 on MJCD: CC’s two 32-bar solos are complete,
but the 4-bar piano intro & the first 28 bars of the first sax chorus are missing
• Suisa JZCD 379Charlie
Christian—Air-Checks and Private Recordings
(Italy, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Sept. 24, 1939 I Got Rhythm (take
2) Minneapolis jam session at the Harlem Breakfast Club
spliced with take 1 on MJCD: CC’s two 32-bar solos are complete,
but the last 28 bars of the last tenor sax chorus are missing
• Suisa JZCD 379
Charlie Christian—Air-Checks and Private Recordings
(Italy, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Sept. 24, 1939 Tea for Two
Minneapolis jam session at the Harlem Breakfast Club
incomplete on MJCD: missing the first half of CC’s unique 8-bar chord intro
and the first 8 bars of the second tenor sax solo
[CC’s two solos of 64 bars & 32 bars are complete]
• Arbors ARCD 19168
Jerry Jerome—Something Old, Something New (USA, 1997)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Oct. 12, 1939 The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin’ the Town
Victor mx BS-042943-1
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar chord intro; obbligati (32 bars; 12 bars)
• Avid AMSC 612 The
Lionel Hampton All Star Sessions, Vol. 2: Hot Mallets
(UK, 1997)
º Black & Blue 59.238 2
Lionel Hampton Story, Vol. 2: 1938-1939 (France, 1991)
º Classics 562 Lionel
Hampton and His Orchestra • 1939-1940 (France, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
º Music Memoria 30417 Lionel
Hampton—Small Groups, Vol. 3: 1939 (France, 1991)
º Music Memoria 88081 2
Lionel Hampton—Small Groups, Vol. 3: 1939 (Holland,
1991)
º RCA Jazz Tribune 22614 2
The Complete Lionel Hamption, Vol. 3/4: 1939
(France, 1994)
º [LP] Bluebird AXM6-5536
The Complete Lionel Hampton • 1937-1941 (USA, 1976)
Oct. 12, 1939 The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin’ the Town
Victor mx BS-042943-2
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar chord intro; obbligati (32 bars; 16 bars); chords (12 bars)
• Avid AMSC 612 The
Lionel Hampton All Star Sessions, Vol. 2: Hot Mallets
(UK, 1997)
º CDS RPCD 605 Lionel
Hampton • 1929-1940 (UK, 1992)
º Prestige Vintage Jazz CDSGP0173
Lionel Hampton and His Orch—The Classic Years
(UK, 1995)
º RCA Jazz Tribune 22614 2
The Complete Lionel Hamption, Vol. 3/4: 1939
(France, 1994)
º [LP] Bluebird AXM6-5536
The Complete Lionel Hampton • 1937-1941 (USA, 1976)
º [LP] RCA Black & White 741.049
Lionel Hampton, Vol. 5: More Hampton’s Stuff
(France, 1972)
Oct. 28, 1939 Rose Room Camel
Caravan aircheck
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar intro; 32-bar solo
• Jazz Band EBCD 2138-2
Camel Caravan Shows (UK, 1997)
[Masters of Jazz issued this aircheck in October 2001 on
MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Oct. 31, 1939 Deep Sea Blues
Vocalion mx 25509-1
entirely omitted from MJCD
4 bars on intro; obbligati (16 bars) [as on take -2 on MJCD volume 1]
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track
1) Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man
(UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
1) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 Death Letter Blues
Vocalion mx 25510-1
entirely omitted from MJCD
obbligati (12 bars); obbligati (8 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track 2)
Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
3) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 Death Letter Blues
Vocalion mx 25510-2
entirely omitted from MJCD
obbligati (12 bars); obbligati (6 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track 13)
Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
4) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Meritt # 5 Red
Allen & James P. Johnson (USA, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 One Hour Mama
Vocalion mx 25511-1
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar intro; 4-bar tag
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track 15)
Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
7) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Meritt # 5 Red
Allen & James P. Johnson (USA, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 One Hour Mama
Vocalion mx 25511-2
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar intro
º Pulse PLS CD 115 Empty
Bed Blues: Best of the Good Time Mommas (UK, 1996)
• Rosetta RRCD 1300 Mean
Mothers (USA, 1990)
º [LP] Rosetta RR 1300
Mean Mothers (USA, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 One Hour Mama
Vocalion mx 25511-X
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar intro; 4-bar tag
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track 3)
Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
5) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
Oct. 31, 1939 One Hour Mama
Vocalion mx 25511-y
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar intro (take breaks down after intro)
º Affinity AFS 1015 (track 14)
Ida Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
• Document DOCD-5651 (track
6) Ida Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5:
1939-1940 (Austria, 2000)
Oct. 31, 1939 Four Day Creep [’Fore Day
Creep] Vocalion mx 26239-A
entirely omitted from MJCD
obbligati (12 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 Ida
Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 Ida
Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5: 1939-1940
(Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 Pink Slip Blues
Vocalion mx 26240-A
entirely omitted from MJCD
4-bar chord intro; obbligati (12 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 Ida
Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 Ida
Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5: 1939-1940
(Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 Hard Time Blues
Vocalion mx 26241-A
entirely omitted from MJCD
obbligati (12 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 Ida
Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º ASV AJA 5092 Ladies Sing
the Blues (UK, 1992)
º Charly CD DIG 18 Good
Morning Blues: A Classic Blues Anthology (UK, 1995)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 Ida
Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5: 1939-1940
(Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Oct. 31, 1939 Take Him Off My Mind
Vocalion mx 26242-A
entirely omitted from MJCD
obbligati (12 bars)
º Affinity AFS 1015 Ida
Cox—I Can’t Quit My Man (UK, 1991)
º ASV AJA 5092 Ladies Sing
the Blues (UK, 1992)
º Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
• Document DOCD-5651 Ida
Cox—Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5: 1939-1940
(Austria, 2000)
º [LP] Queen-Disc Q-048
Ida Cox & Bertha “Chippie” Hill (Italy, 1980)
Nov. 18, 1939 South of the Border
Camel Caravan aircheck
entirely omitted from MJCD
8-bar chord intro; boogie riffs! (32 bars behind clarinet melody); 8 bars of
melody;
boogie riffs (16 bars behind clarinet melody); amplified chords on final 8 bars
• Jazz Band EBCD 2139-2
Camel Caravan Shows (UK, 1997)
[Masters of Jazz issued this aircheck in October 2001 on
MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Dec. 24, 1939 Oh, Lady Be Good From
Spirituals to Swing concert
incomplete on MJCD: missing the third chorus of CC’s first solo
[CC takes three choruses on his first solo and an 8-bar bridge on his second solo]
• Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
º Vanguard 169/71-2 From
Spirituals to Swing (USA, 1999)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
April 30, 1940 Just Like Taking Candy From a Baby
Columbia mx WCO 26809 A
entirely omitted from MJCD
8 bars of “Honeysuckle Rose” riffs with the ensemble
• Classics 1131 Benny
Goodman and His Orchestra • 1940 (France, 2001)
• Definitive DRCD11176
Charlie Christian—Complete Studio Recordings (Andorra,
2001)
º EPM Musique 98345 2 Fred
Astaire—Ses films et ses chansons (France, 1995)
º Hep 1059 Benny Goodman
Plays Fletcher Henderson, Vol. 2 (UK, 1998)
º Jazz Greats MC 006 Benny
Goodman—Clarinet à la King (UK, 1996)
º Memoir CDMOIR 516 Benny
Goodman & His Orch—Benny & the Singers (UK, 1996)
º Phontastic PHONT 7668
1940—Frenesi (Sweden, 1990)
º Sony Music A 28427 Benny
Goodman Rarities • 1940-1942 (USA, 1997)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in October 2001 on MJCD
189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
June 25, 1940 Li’l Boy Love
Columbia mx WCO 26982 A
entirely omitted from MJCD
6-bar CC solo on bridge
• Classics 1131 Benny
Goodman and His Orchestra • 1940 (France, 2001)
º [LP] Jazum 50 Benny
Goodman and His Orchestra (USA, c. 1980)
º [LP] Joyce 6014
Helen Forrest with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, 1940
(USA, c. 1980)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in October 2001 on MJCD
189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Nov. 7, 1940 Wholly Cats
Columbia mx CO 29027-z
breakdown take omitted from MJCD
riffs with ensemble
[breaks down at start of tenor sax solo, before CC’s solo]
• Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2013 (track 4)
“The Rehearsal Sessions” • 1940-1941 •
Featuring Charlie Christian (Denmark, 1993)
Nov. 7, 1940 Benny’s Bugle
Columbia mx CO 29030-Z
incomplete on MJCD: missing the 4-bar trumpet intro & the 12-bar theme riffs
[CC’s 24-bar solo is complete]
• Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2013 (track 8
contains the entire session for this tune)
“The Rehearsal Sessions” • 1940-1941 •
Featuring Charlie Christian (Denmark, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Dec. 19, 1940 Gone with What Draft
Columbia mx CO 29261-x
breakdown take omitted from MJCD
CC 4-bar intro; theme; clarinet solo; CC solo on 12-bar cadenza;
breakdown
• Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2013 (track
10)
“The Rehearsal Sessions” • 1940-1941 •
Featuring Charlie Christian (Denmark, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in October 2001 on MJCD
189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Jan. 15, 1941 Breakfast Feud
Columbia mx CO 29512-4
incomplete on MJCD: fades out on refrain after CC’s 20-bar solo
• Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2013 (track
14)
“The Rehearsal Sessions” • 1940-1941 •
Featuring Charlie Christian (Denmark, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
Jan. 15, 1941 Breakfast Feud
Columbia mx CO 29512-3
incomplete on MJCD: contains the 4-bar refrain, CC’s 20-bar solo, then fades
out
• Jazz Unlimited JUCD 2013 (track
15)
“The Rehearsal Sessions” • 1940-1941 •
Featuring Charlie Christian (Denmark, 1993)
[Masters of Jazz issued this take in its entirety in
October 2001 on MJCD 189,
Charlie Christian • Volume 9] *
* [ In addition to those tracks
identified above, in October 2001,
Masters of Jazz issued three previously unreleased recordings:
“Poor Butterfly” (27 April 1940)
“Stompin’ at the Savoy” (8 May 1941)
“Stompin’ at the Savoy” (June 1941)
plus a reissue of “Star Dust” (2 September 1939) with improved
sound;
on MJCD 189, Charlie Christian • Volume 9. (qv below)
]
Revised and updated on July 29 &
September 30, 1999; April 7 & December 15, 2001
from the original published in the 1997 Solo Flight: The Charlie Christian Newsletter
# 3.
LeoValdes © 1999 |
