CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
''THE GENIUS OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR''
1972
49:03
1 Rose Room (Art Hickman) 02:45
2 Seven Come Eleven (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman) 02:44
3 Till Tom Special (Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton) 02:59
4 Gone With 'What' Wind (Count Basie, Benny Goodman) 03:12
5 Grand Slam (Boy Meets Girl) (Benny Goodman) 02:48
6 Six Appeal (Benny Goodman) 03:17
7 Wholly Cats (Benny Goodman) 02:58
8 Royal Garden Blues (Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams) 03:00
9 As Long As I Live (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) 03:21
10 Benny's Bugle (Benny Goodman) 03:04
11 Breakfast Feud (Benny Goodman) 03:04
12 I Found A New Baby (J. Palmer, Spencer Williams) 02:54
13 Solo Flight (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodmanb,Jimmy Mundy) 02:44
14 Blues In B (Charlie Christian, Johnny Guarnieri) 01:42
15 Waiting For Benny (Benny Goodman) 05:04
16 Air Mail Special (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy) 03:19
Georgie Auld/Sax (Tenor)
Count Basie/Piano
Artie Bernstein/Bass, String Bass
Gus Bivona/Sax (Alto)
Dudley Brooks/Piano
Charlie Christian/Guitar (Electric)
Cutty Cutshall/Trombone
Nick Fatool/Drums
Alec Fila/Trumpet
Benny Goodman/Clarinet
Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
Benny Goodman Sextet
Irving Goodman/Trumpet
Johnny Guarnieri/Piano
Lionel Hampton/Vibraphone
Fletcher Henderson/Piano
Harry Jaeger/Drums
Jo Jones/Drums
Pete Mandello/Sax (Tenor)
Skip Martin/Sax (Alto)
Jimmy Maxwell/Trumpet
Lou McGarity/Trombone
Pete Mondello/Sax (Tenor)
Bob Snyder/Sax (Baritone)
Dave Tough/Drums
Cootie Williams/Trumpet
REVIEW
by Daniel Gioffre (AMG)
Charlie Christian's tragic death at the age of 23 is a firmly entrenched fact of jazz mythology. On The Genius of the Electric Guitar, which consists of various tracks recorded with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra, Christian's revolutionary guitar playing is clearly displayed. In keeping with the era, each of these 16 songs is relatively short, with each soloist allowed only a chorus or two to make their statements. Paucity of time troubles Christian and his compatriots not a whit, however, and they let loose with concise, swinging lines. Of the other soloists on display here, Lionel Hampton and Goodman himself play admirably, but Christian is in a different league altogether, his sophistication remarkable. Exhibit A: his solo in "Rose Room." Logically constructed and rhythmically varied, it is nevertheless eminently singable. Supplementary evidence, for those not convinced, can be found on "Seven Come Eleven," "Solo Flight," and "Air Mail Special." Towards the second half of the disc there is a tendency towards more meandering, hookless charts, such as the studio throwaways "Blues in B" and "Waiting for Benny." The inclusion of these tracks, but the omission of the sides Christian recorded with his own quintet, is a puzzling choice on the part of reissue producers Bob Altshuler and Michael Brooks, and mars what is otherwise a first-rate selection of material. Nevertheless, The Genius of the Electric Guitar is a fine introduction, not just to Charlie Christian's brilliant and all-too-brief career, but to jazz guitar in general.
''THE GENIUS OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR''
1972
49:03
1 Rose Room (Art Hickman) 02:45
2 Seven Come Eleven (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman) 02:44
3 Till Tom Special (Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton) 02:59
4 Gone With 'What' Wind (Count Basie, Benny Goodman) 03:12
5 Grand Slam (Boy Meets Girl) (Benny Goodman) 02:48
6 Six Appeal (Benny Goodman) 03:17
7 Wholly Cats (Benny Goodman) 02:58
8 Royal Garden Blues (Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams) 03:00
9 As Long As I Live (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) 03:21
10 Benny's Bugle (Benny Goodman) 03:04
11 Breakfast Feud (Benny Goodman) 03:04
12 I Found A New Baby (J. Palmer, Spencer Williams) 02:54
13 Solo Flight (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodmanb,Jimmy Mundy) 02:44
14 Blues In B (Charlie Christian, Johnny Guarnieri) 01:42
15 Waiting For Benny (Benny Goodman) 05:04
16 Air Mail Special (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy) 03:19
Georgie Auld/Sax (Tenor)
Count Basie/Piano
Artie Bernstein/Bass, String Bass
Gus Bivona/Sax (Alto)
Dudley Brooks/Piano
Charlie Christian/Guitar (Electric)
Cutty Cutshall/Trombone
Nick Fatool/Drums
Alec Fila/Trumpet
Benny Goodman/Clarinet
Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
Benny Goodman Sextet
Irving Goodman/Trumpet
Johnny Guarnieri/Piano
Lionel Hampton/Vibraphone
Fletcher Henderson/Piano
Harry Jaeger/Drums
Jo Jones/Drums
Pete Mandello/Sax (Tenor)
Skip Martin/Sax (Alto)
Jimmy Maxwell/Trumpet
Lou McGarity/Trombone
Pete Mondello/Sax (Tenor)
Bob Snyder/Sax (Baritone)
Dave Tough/Drums
Cootie Williams/Trumpet
REVIEW
by Daniel Gioffre (AMG)
Charlie Christian's tragic death at the age of 23 is a firmly entrenched fact of jazz mythology. On The Genius of the Electric Guitar, which consists of various tracks recorded with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra, Christian's revolutionary guitar playing is clearly displayed. In keeping with the era, each of these 16 songs is relatively short, with each soloist allowed only a chorus or two to make their statements. Paucity of time troubles Christian and his compatriots not a whit, however, and they let loose with concise, swinging lines. Of the other soloists on display here, Lionel Hampton and Goodman himself play admirably, but Christian is in a different league altogether, his sophistication remarkable. Exhibit A: his solo in "Rose Room." Logically constructed and rhythmically varied, it is nevertheless eminently singable. Supplementary evidence, for those not convinced, can be found on "Seven Come Eleven," "Solo Flight," and "Air Mail Special." Towards the second half of the disc there is a tendency towards more meandering, hookless charts, such as the studio throwaways "Blues in B" and "Waiting for Benny." The inclusion of these tracks, but the omission of the sides Christian recorded with his own quintet, is a puzzling choice on the part of reissue producers Bob Altshuler and Michael Brooks, and mars what is otherwise a first-rate selection of material. Nevertheless, The Genius of the Electric Guitar is a fine introduction, not just to Charlie Christian's brilliant and all-too-brief career, but to jazz guitar in general.
