Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian was born on July 29, 1916, in Bonham, Texas.Christian was a key figure in the history of the electric guitar, and his technique helped establish the guitar as a legitimate solo instrument. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939 to June 1941 and was a major influence in the development of bebop and cool jazz. As Jazz critic Scott Yanow put it, "It can be said without exaggeration that virtually every jazz guitarist that emerged during 1940-65 sounded like a relative of Charlie Christian."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Christian's album, Solo Flight (Columbia CG 30779), but this has not been issued on CD or MP3. Instead, Jim Determan recommends the three alternatives listed below. As he notes, the box set "is the definitive reissue [but for] those wanting a single Charlie Christian CD, the first Columbia single CD makes a good choice." The third CD, according to Determan, "has good sextet material, but Christian's role is less prominent."
- Charlie Christian: Genius of the Electric Guitar, Box Set (Sony) (Available at Amazon.com.)
- Charlie Christian: Genius of the Electric Guitar (Columbia/Sony) (Available at Amazon.com.)
- Charlie Christian: The Benny Goodman Sextet Featuring Charlie Christian (Columbia/Sony) (Available at Amazon.com.)
Robert
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