Good, but not his very best
4
By Atlanta Slim
Charlie Christian was one of the most creative and influential jazz guitarists ever. He was introduced to Benny Goodman by impresario John Hammond and Benny wouldn't listen to him because his clothes were too loud. As the story goes, Hammond sneaked Christian's amp out onto the stage between tunes, and when Goodman came back out, he was so mad that he called a tune he thought Charlie wouldn't know -- the 1920s chestnut, Rose Room (the first cut on this album). Charlie's solo blew the room away, and he toured with Goodman until his death from tuberculosis in 1941, at the age of 24. Some of his most important work, though, was done elsewhere, especially after hours at clubs like Minton's Playhouse, where he jammed with people like Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Kenny Clark, helping to invent the vocabulary of early bop. None of that appears on this album, which is all Goodman sides. These are more restrained, with shorter, less improvisational solos. The band is hot, though, featuring vibraphonist Lionel Hampton among others, and even Charlie's scripted solos are sometimes breathtaking. (They inspired Wes Montgomery, who learned guitar by memorizing them.) Sound quality is decent on this album -- it can be much worse on some others. On the whole, a good collection, but if you haven't heard the Minton's recordings you can't say you really understand what Charlie Christian gave to jazz in his brief career.
