Chonk, Charlie, Chonk! - king ubu presents Charlie Christian (For Europeans Only #12)

I have recently played some music by Charlie Christian again and figured why not share some of it here. My selection is neither a greatest hits nor an elaborate selection of rarities, rather just some great things (like the studio session with Lester Young and Count Basie), jams (including the famous studio jam of the Goodman band waiting for Benny to appear, as well as a lenghty jam from one of John Hammond's second "From Spirituals to Swing" concert), an encounter with Fred Astaire, and live recordings with Jerry Jerome (all of them!) and the Benny Goodman sextet.

The complete info is listed below - I did not break the music into CD chunks, as I have all of it on various CDs and will not burn this to CD myself, rather just copied it all onto my ubupod.

I hope you like the selection, and I hope you can ignore the occasional sonic problem in the live recordings. The infectuous groove Christian sets, in solo as well as in his forceful comping, is something you just have to dig, no matter about sound quality!



**********************************************************

some useful links:
http://home.elp.rr.com/valdes/
http://www.classicjazzguitar.com/artists/artists_page.jsp?artist=9
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/hansen/Charlie/ccsolos.htm

**********************************************************

“Chonk, Charlie, Chonk!”
king ubu presents selected sides featuring CHARLIE CHRISTIAN


CHARLIE CHRISTIAN, guitar

with:


JERRY JEROME QUARTET
Harlem Breakfast Club, Minneapolis, Minn, September 23, 1939
Jerry Jerome, tenor saxophone; Frankie Hines, piano;
Charlie Christian, guitar; unknown, bass; unknown, drums
Note: poss. Oscar Pettiford on bass (rather not)

1. I GOT RHYTHM (G. Gershiwn-I. Gershwin) 5:59
2. STARDUST (H. Carmichael-M. Parrish) 5:42
3. TEA FOR TWO (V. Youmans-I. Caesar) 4:37
4. I GOT RHYTHM (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin) 3:37
5. I GOT RHYTHM (G. Gerhswin-I. Gershwin) 3:38
6. TEA FOR TWO (V. Youmans-I. Caesar) 5:00


BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET
ASCAP’s 25th Anniversary Program
Carnegie Hall, New York, October 6, 1939
Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader; Lionel Hampton, vibes;
Fletcher Henderson, piano; Artie Bernstein, bass; Nick Fatool, drums

7. FLYING HOME (L. Hampton-B. Goodman-E. DeLange) 3:53
8. STARDUST (H. Carmichael-M. Parrish) 2:32

“Camel Caravan” Program, NBC Radio Network
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, October 7, 1939

9. MEMORIES OF YOU (E. Blake-A. Razaf) 3:14

“Columbia Records Present: Young Man With A Band”, Mutual Radio Network
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, October 9, 1939

10. ROSE ROOM (IN SUNNY ROSELAND) (A. Hickman-H. Williams) 3:02

“Camel Caravan” Program, NBC Radio Network
Radio City Studios, New York, October 14, 1939

11. AC-DC Current (C. Christian-L. Hampton-B. Goodman) 2:25

Sustaining Broadcast, Mutual Radio Network
Waldorf Astoria Hote, New York, October 16, 1939

12. FLYING HOME (L. Hampton-B. Goodman-E. DeLange) 3:10

“Camel Caravan” Program, NBC Radio Network
New York, October 28, 1939

13. ROSE ROOM (A. Hickman-H. Williams) 3:37

“Camel Caravan” Program, NBC Radio Network
New York, November 18, 1939

14. SOUTH OF THE BORDER (M. Carr-J. Kennedy) 3:32

BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
New York, November 22, 1939
Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader;
Ziggy Elman, Jimmy Maxwell, Johnny Martel, trumpets;
Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Ted Vesely, trombones;
Toots Mondello, Buff Estes, alto saxophones;
Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome, tenor saxophones;
Fletcher Henderson, piano, arranger; Arnold Covey, guitar;
Artie Bernstein, bass; Nick Fatool, drums

15. HONEYSUCKLE ROSE (A. Razaf-T. “Fats” Waller) 3:03


JAM SESSION
Second of John Hammond’s “From Spirituals To Swing”
Carnegie Hall, New York, December 24, 1939
Buck Clayton, Shad Collins, Harry Edison, Ed Lewis, trumpets;
Dicky Wells, Benny Morton, Dan Minor, trombones;
Earle Warren, alto saxophone;
Lester Young, Buddy Tate, tenor saxophones;
Jack Washington, baritone saxophone;
Count Basie, Pete Johnson, Joe Sullivan, piano;
Freddie Green, guitar; Walter Page, Artie Bernstein, bass;
Jo Jones, Nick Fatool, drums

16. OH, LADY BE GOOD (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin) 10:40
(solo order: Basie, Young, Sullivan, Christian, Edison, Johnson, Page, Christian)


JAM SESSION (Waitin’ for Benny)
New York, March 23, 1940
Cootie Williams, trumpet; George Auld, tenor sax;
Johnny Guarnieri, piano; Artie Bernstein, bass; Dave Tough, drums

17. JAM SESSION (21:02)
a) RIFFIN’ AROUND (unknown) 3:31
b) WAITIN’ FOR BENNY (A SMO-O-O-OTH ONE) (B. Goodman) 3:37
c) I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH ME (C. Gaskill-J. McHugh) 6:20
d) ROSE ROOM (A. Hickman-H. Williams) 4:01
e) I HADN’T ANYONE TILL YOU (R. Noble) 1:59
f) BLUES IN B (J. Guarnieri-C. Christian) 1:34


FRED ASTAIRE with BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA AND SEXTET
Columbia Recording Session
Los Angeles, Cal, April 30, 1940
Fred Astaire, vocals, tap dance; Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader;
Jimmy Maxwell, Ziggy Elman, Irving Goodman, trumpets;
Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Ted Vesely, trombone;
Toots Mondello, Les Robinson, alto saxophones;
Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome, tenor saxophones;
Johnny Guarnieri, piano; Artie Bernstein, bass; Nick Fatool, drums

18. JUST LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY (F. Astaire) 2:49
(solo order: Goodman, Astaire, Goodman, Hampton, Goodman, Astaire, Goodman, Mondello)

same session, but: BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
omit Astaire, add Helen Forrest, vocals; Les Hite, arranger

19. LI’L BOY LOVE (F. Loesser-F. Hollaender) 3:01


BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Los Angeles, June 25, 1940
Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader;
Jimmy Maxwell, Ziggy Elman, Irving Goodman, trumpets;
Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Ted Vesely, trombones;
Toots Mondello, Les Robinson, alto saxophones;
Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome, tenor saxophones;
Johnny Guarnieri, piano; Artie Bernstein, bass; Dave Tough, drums
Eddie Sauter, arranger

20. LI’L BOY LOVE (F. Loesser-F. Hollaender) 3:00


BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET
New York, October 28, 1940
Buck Clayton, trumpet; Benny Goodman, clarinet (except on #1);
Lester Young, tenor saxophone; Count Basie, piano;
Walter Page, bass; Jo Jones, drums

21. AD LIB BLUWS (Improvisation) 3:23
22. WHOLLY CATS (B. Goodman) 3:16
23. CHARLIE’S DREAM (C. Basie-L. Young) 3:15
24. I NEVER KNEW (T. Fiorito-G. Kahn) 3:00
25. LESTER’S DREAM (C. Basie-L. Young) 3:17


BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
New York, March 4, 1941
Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader;
Alec Fila, Jimmy Maxwell, Cootie Williams, Irving Goodman, trumpets;
Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall, trombones;
Skippy Martin, Gus Bivona, alto saxophones;
George Auld, Pete Mondello, tenor saxophones;
Johnny Guarnieri, piano; Artie Bernstein, bass; Dave Tough, drums
Jimmy Mundy, arranger

26. SOLO FLIGHT (C. Christian-J. Mundy-B. Goodman) 2:48


JAM SESSION
Minton’s Playhouse, New York, May 8, 1941
Oran “Hot Lips” Page, Joe Guy, trumpets;
Rudy Williams, alto saxophone;
Don Byas, Kermit Scott, tenor saxophones;
"Tex", piano; Nick Fenton, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums

27. STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY (E. Sampson-C. Webb-B. Goodman-A. Razaf) 10:21
(solo order: Guy, Scott, Page, Christian, Guy, Williams, Guy, Byas, Page, Guy)


BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET
“Monte Proser Dance Carnival”, Mutual Radio Network
Madison Square Garden, New York, June 1941
prob. Benny Goodman, clarinet, leader; Cootie Williams, trumpet;
Georgie Auld, tenor saxophone; Johnny Guarnieri, piano;
Walter Iooss, bass; Nick Fatool, drums
Note: this might be Christian's last known recording

28. STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY (E. Sampson-C. Webb-B. Goodman-A. Razaf) 1:45 [inc]

**********************************************************

Part 1 / Part 2