Are you into Charlie Christian?

**princeplanet** · 04-03-2012, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by RyanM

Here's a site with a bunch of Charlie Christian transcriptions,
TRANSCRIPTIONS

Here's probably his most famous solo, Topsy (or Swing to Bop as its sometimes called):
Topsy

Hey, those links are a good find, cheers! May refer to them at some time, but I find CC fairly easy to transcribe from recordings, his tone is usually big and clear. I wonder just how hard he was striking those strings, almost as hard as Django it seems. No one strikes the notes quite like that these days, not that I'm hearing anyway...

**monk** · 04-04-2012, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by RyanM

Here's a site with a bunch of Charlie Christian transcriptions,
TRANSCRIPTIONS

Here's probably his most famous solo, Topsy (or Swing to Bop as its sometimes called):
Topsy

The transcription website does offer a wealth of info on CC but I would advise anyone who attempts to use the tablature that the person who transcribed and tabbed the solos has some peculiar ideas about Christian's left hand fingering.

The website emphatically states that CC only used two left hand fingers to play, which explains the odd fingering and fret/string choices. Barney Kessell, who actually saw CC play and spent some up-close face time with him, said that Christian used three fingers most of the time, the pinky occasionally and played from chord shapes.

Also the most famous CC solo, during his lifetime, was Solo Flight recorded with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. This was the solo that every guitarist learned in the forties. I've heard Bucky Pizzarelli reproduce it note for note. The Minton's material, with the extended multi-chorus soloing, couldn't fit on a 78RPM disc and didn't become widely available until the invention of the long playing album in 1948.

**fep** · 04-04-2012, 02:38 PM

You can set up a Charlie Christian station on Pandora.

**tele jazz** · 04-09-2012, 09:46 PM

I like Charlie but the quality of the best stuff (the recording he made with Gillespie) is poor quality. Makes it difficult to listen to

**sicourtjon** · 03-02-2024, 11:21 AM

Hi

My first Charlie Christian album was Live Sessions at Minton’s Playhouse. I first read about CC in Ralph Denyer’s ‘The Guitar Handbook’ recommended by a guitar playing friend back in 1987/88. I was very curious about this player so went out in search of a record. I came home with the one aforementioned.
At first I couldn’t listen to it for very long …. I just didn’t get it but I did know that the guy playing the guitar was very talented.

Needless to say, after a few more years when I began to take a more serious interest in Jazz guitar in 2008, I found and purchase the Minton’s album on CD.
To this day it’s my favourite CC album/compilation and depicts Charlie playing at his best. ‘Swing to Bop’ is awesome especially those groups of four note flurries he plays at about 2:19 into the track. So expressive.
Probably one of the best Jazz guitar players of all time.

Thinking of you today Charlie.