Charlie Christian

[Eric]

I think I have one of the original Columbia CDs ... but nothing else. I have looked at AMG and Amazon, but it is confusing as hell. Plus I suspect there are some Christian nuts here ... so recommend away B)

[jazzbo]

Well. . . I think the answer would lie in how and where you want to go. If you want to become a Charlie Christian completist, I recommend as your next step the excellent four cd set on Columbia that issues all his recordings for that label including some newly discovered items. It is pretty reasonably priced, has really good sound (can sound pretty bright in some systems. . . ) and a very informative booklet.

[John L]

What Lon said.

There are no bad Charlie Christian recordings. So it is hard to go wrong. If the Columbia set is a bit pricey, there are very cheap alternative box sets on JSP or (I believe) Proper.

[J.A.W.]

I'd recommend the Columbia 4CD-set, the more so as I'm not sure where the other labels got their remasters from.

[brownie]

The various sessions that Jerry Newman recorded at Minton's and at Clark Monroe's Uptown House are essentials. The Masters of Jazz CDs are no longer available but the JSP box has pretty good sound on those recordings.

[Brad]

This is one of the albums brownie is referring to.

[jlhoots]

Do what Lon (jazzbo) said.

[Eric]

Aside from the set on Fantasy, where else to go for live stuff? It seems pretty confusing ...

[Brad]

This is the one we all recommend.

[Eric]

This is the one we all recommend.

Got it on the studio stuff ... it is on the live/broadcast side where I am confused ...

(I am presuming the Columbia box is all studio - is that not the case?)

[John L]

Eric: If you still feel confused, check out this fabulous website:

http://home.elp.rr.com/valdes/

[LAL]

Although not complete, the Definitive live set collects a lot of the live recordings in one package. A good choice at a decent price. Unless of course you're adverse to buying stuff from the label.

If you want even more Charlie Christian, do check out a Blue Note disc, "Profoundly Blue" which contains various sessions led by clarinetist Edmond Hall. Charlie plays only accoustic guitar on these sessions (I can't recall if he is on all the songs). A review of the disc can be found here. One of my favourite Blue Notes. B)

[kenny weir]

Eric: If you still feel confused, check out this fabulous website:

http://home.elp.rr.com/valdes/

Hnmmm ... tasty flame wars.

[John L]

Eric: If you still feel confused, check out this fabulous website:

http://home.elp.rr.com/valdes/

Hnmmm ... tasty flame wars.

What?

[J.A.W.]

Eric: If you still feel confused, check out this fabulous website:

http://home.elp.rr.com/valdes/

Hnmmm ... tasty flame wars.

What?

I think Kenny is referring to "The Charlie Christian Discussion Group" (link on this page - scroll down)

Edited June 17, 2004 by J.A.W.

[John L]

Thanks, J.A.W. Good Lord! I had never seen that before. Maybe they should remove that wart from an otherwise fantastic site?

[037]

The discussion group is an independent board unrelated to the CC website.

Unfortunately, Broadbent has been unsuccessfully trying to bring down the board for the past couple of years--presumably out of envy. He has, however, driven many posters away from what had been a very good BB.

"7"

Edited June 17, 2004 by 037

[John L]

Good to see you here, "7" !

[037]

Been lurking, John.

Never miss any of your posts.

"7"

[king ubu]

bumping this old one back up - question regarding the live material:

There's no comprehensive live collection of Christian, besides the 4CD set Definitive put out?

All live material I have so far is this one here:

[king ubu]

seems I was wrong (blame the messy threads so far on the board, I did do an Org-search and some reading before posting here) JSP also has a live box out:

How does it compare to the Definitive? I assume it has better sound? What about the contents?

[Quasimado]

bumping this old one back up - question regarding the live material:

There's no comprehensive live collection of Christian, besides the 4CD set Definitive put out?

All live material I have so far is this one here:

You can't get better than that...

Q

[king ubu]

up - anyone can share some insight on the JSP and/or Definitive live boxes, please?

[Cliff Englewood]

king ubu, I have this one,

but haven't really listened to it all that much. It has alot of Broadcasts of Christian with the Goodman Band and alot of tunes are repeated. The sound is only OK if I recal correctly.

I'll give it a spin over the next few days and get back to you, in the meantime here's the amg review;

"Review by Jim Smith

Read the title carefully: These are broadcast recordings that Charlie Christian made between 1939-1941. A majority of these shows were recorded with the Benny Goodman Sextet, but there is also material by the Goodman All Stars, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Count Basie & Friends, and the Kansas City Six. The real meat of this box, however, are the now-famous jam sessions recorded at Minton's Playhouse, Clarke Monroe's Uptown House, and the Harlem Breakfast Club. Over the years, these have been prized by Christian's fans as the purest examples of his genius and the possible birth of bebop, and there are enough of them here to warrant the purchase of the whole set. As for remastering, the quality of sound of the broadcasts is fair to poor, occasionally good; the jam sessions, however, are mostly clean, and sometimes surprisingly so. People interested in Christian's essential legacy need to first digest Columbia's Genius of the Electric Guitar box, but JSP deserves credit for assembling this rare material at an extremely affordable price."

Disc 1:

1. Flying Home

2. Stardust

3. Flying Home

4. I Got Rhythm

5. Stardust

6. Tea For Two

7. Flying Home

8. Stardust

9. Memories Of You

10. Rose Room

11. AC/DC Current

12. Flying Home

13. Soft Winds

14. Memories Of You

15. Shivers

16. South Of The Border

17. Seven Come Eleven (Roast Turkey Stomp)

18. AC/DC Current

19. AC/DC Current

Disc 2:

1. Dinah

2. I Got Rhythm

3. Flying Home

4. Memories Of You

5. Stomping At The Savory

6. Honeysuckle Rose

7. Paging The Devil

8. Way Down In New Orleans

9. Good Morning Blues

10. Oh! Lady Be Good

11. Pick A Rib

12. Till Tom Special

13. Gone With What Wind

14. Gone With What Wind

15. The Sheik Of Araby

16. Soft Winds

Disc 3:

1. The Sheik Of Araby

2. Seven Come Eleven

3. Six Appeal

4. Honeysuckle Rose

5. Six Appeal

6. AC/DC Current

7. Gone With What Wind

8. Benny's Bugle

9. Wholly Cats

10. Honeysuckle Rose

11. Wholly Cats

12. Flying Home

13. Gone With What Draft (Gilly)

14. Breakfast Feud

15. Gone With What Draft (Gilly)

16. Six Appeal

17. Solo Flight (Chonk, Charlie, Chonk)

18. Flying Home

19. Good Enough To Keep (Air Mail Special)

Disc 4:

1. Wholly Cats

2. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider

3. Breakfast Feud

4. Song Of The Islands

5. Flying Home

6. Topsy (Swing To Bop)

7. Stomping At The Savoy

8. Honeysuckle Rose (Up On Teddy's Hill)

9. I Got Rhythm (Rhythm -a- Ning, Paging Dr. Christian, Down On Teddy's Hill)

10. I Got Rhythm (Guy's Got To Go)

11. Stomping At The Savoy (Lips Flips, On With Charlie Christian)

12. Benny's Bugle

13. Rose Room

14. Solo Flight (Chonk, Charlie, Chonk)

Also, check this out;

Link to Amazon Review and Sound Clips

[jazzbo]

Flurin, can't help you with that. With Charlie, I've been lucky to pick up all 9 volumes of the Masters of Jazz (Media 7) releases and I'd recommend that to anyone. . . if they were in print.

I've also the Columbia box set, and the Minton's material on separate discs.

Edited May 24, 2007 by jazzbo