Transcription Page:     Rose Room  — 2 October 1939

C&A:

Rose Room was the tune on which Charlie Christian auditioned—it’s been asserted that it lasted over 45 minutes—and then was hired on the spot by Goodman.  On the sextet’s first studio date, CC is deservedy featured on Rose Room, a tune with great changes and on which he recorded some of his best solos—and this is one of the best of those best.  After Charles plays his own four-bar intro, the clarinet states the theme before CC takes his solo chorus.

Charles starts his solo with a four-note figure repeated three times.  (Note that I have indicated different fingering for the middle figure.  I’m not positive about the fingering, but it sounds like that may have been the case here.  CC was wont to do this so I’m giving it to you for consideration.)  The next phrase (mm 2-3) gives a great example how he stretched out the fretboard.  The phrase at bars 6-7 later reappeared in the 28 October 1939 and 6 June 1941 versions of Rose Room in expanded form (mm 6-8)—very instructive comparing the three.

Many guitarists have a bit of a problem phrasing the F7/Bb7 triples at mm12-13 correctly—including myself.  Placing slight emphasis the first note of the Bb7 (first note of bar 13) makes it much easier to get it right.

CC starts a long five-bar run at the end of bar 14 with an extended version of a lick he liked to use over a dominant-7.  Bar 26 features his stock double-stop on the major chord, but then he executes a most unusual half-beat pause on the next measure to switch the rhythm around.  At the end of bar 28 and start of bar 29 there’s a much shorter example of the lick he played at mm 15-16.

The final chorus is shared by vibes, piano, and clarinet.

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