SWING TO BOP (1941) by Charlie Christian

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Charlie Christian is generally recognised as the person who popularised the electric guitar (although not the first) and who changed everyones thinking about how jazz could be played on it. As well as playing guitar for Benny Goodman, Charlie participated in after hours jam sessions with other musicians in places such as Mintons and Monroes in New York City. On 12 May 1941 Charlie played Swing to Bop at Mintons, with Joe Guy on trumpet, Kenny Kersey on piano, Nick Fenton on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. This live track excerpt is characterised by longer solos than Charlie would typically play with Goodman, and is a good indication of his incredible improvisational abilities. His influence on guitarists then and since has been massive.Famed jazz guitarist Barney Kessel spent three days with Charlie watching him play. "He played probably 95% downstrokes and held a very stiff big triangular pick very tightly between his thumb and first finger. He rested his second, third and fourth fingers very firmly on the pickguard...". Source: Guitar Player March 1982.For heaps of info on Charlie, see the site Solo Flight, which includes numerous transcriptions, including this one. http://home.roadrunner.com/~va... there is no film available of Charlie Christian playing live, so I have included a slide show for this track. Comments welcome.

Video Comments

sexomandos (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

por dios.... que guitarrista ...

LarryUreyVision (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Is it true that he was Jewish?

DCmey (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

@wilsonmcphert One thing to keep in mind with the transcriptions on Valdes's site, the notes are 100% accurate but I only agree with about 94% of his fingering positions. His interpretation is based playing with 2 fingers which I have not heard anywhere else, also in he has a lot of what is called false fingerings which I haven't seen much of in other transcriptions of Charlie's solos. I do appreciate the work that it took to do and him making it available on his site though.

DCmey (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

@MegaYoshitsune Django did incorporate some arpeggios in solos but his style was more gypsy jazz.

DCmey (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

@cholocharile Charlie doesn't play scales, his solos are based more on arpeggios, and chromatic runs.

GhostofCliffGullett (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I'm pretty sure Bird copied licks from CC.

Biggus63 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

What has always been most impressive to me on this track is his awesome flow of ideas. Except for the times when he takes a motif and works it over he's conceptually on the move the whole time. So, so ahead of his times.

mendocinoplayboy (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The drummer is fucking crushing it, whoever he is..

GhostofCliffGullett (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Isn't that Charlie Mingus on bass? And Max Roach on drums? That's what I heard, not that it matters b/c Christian takes it all over the place.

BeatBay (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

i hate it when they call only monk, bird and dizzy the fathers of bebop. charlie was a huge part of the develop of bebop too!