Charlie Christian and His
Guitar
The Making of a Jazz Forerunner
A Unique Upbringing
- Charlie's father and both of his
brothers were musicians; Christian
certainly received heavy influence
from surrounding music scene.
- Schuller describes Southwest; "A rich complex of earthy
dance musics ranging from Anglo-American country dances
and crude stompy polkas to the Mexican and French-Acadian
dance idioms, the cowboy songs, the rural banjo-picking
tradition-- all intertwined with a ubiquitous fiddle tradition" (8)
- In 1929, famous jazz saxophonist Lester Young made his first
appearance in Oklahoma City.
- Charlie later claimed that after leaving the concert, he "wanted
his guitar to sound like a tenor saxophone." (9)
- Ellison wrote of conflict between standard and Negro folk
jazz, Christian unaffected by this tension, free to explore (11)
Growth of the Single-String
- Charlie Christian clearly had a defined individualistic
conception of chords progressions, chromaticisms, and
arpeggiated rhythms
- However, the thing that made him so appealing was his ability
to blend.
- In an interview, former bandmember Jerry Jerome comments
on Benny Goodman's first hearing of Christian, "Benny went
crazy when he heard him, because he'd never heard a guitar
player that could sound like a tenor saxophone." (15)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8JlM_apWrc
- Christian's legacy affected both guitarists and other jazz
musicians (16) (17) (18)
Bibliography
(1) http://www.music-open-source.com/source/Charlie-Christian-guitar-methodeBook/fichier/%28ebook%29%20Charlie%20Christian%20%20Legend%20of%20the%20Jaz%20Guitar.pdf
(2) Ellison, Ralph & O'Meally, Robert; Living with Music; 2002 Modern Library Paperback Edition,
RandomHouse, p. 41
(3) Centlivre, Kevin; Revisiting Charlie Christian; ©1999, 2009; Quotes Taken From Author's Interview with
Clarence Christian; 1978; Recorded Online @
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483515554
(4) Ibid.
(5) Lee, Amy; "Charlie Christian Tried to Play Hot Tenor!" Metronome, 1940
(6) Porter, Horace; Jazz Beginnings: Ralph Ellison and Charlie Christian in Oklahoma City; © 1999; Antioch
Review; p.277
(7) Ibid.
(8) Schuller, Gunther; The Swing Era; New York; Oxford UP; 1989; p. 564
(9) Centlivre, Kevin; Revisiting Charlie Christian; ©1999, 2009; Quotes Taken From Author's Interview with
Clarence Christian; 1978; Recorded Online @
<http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483515554>
(10) Wayne Goins and Craig McKinney, A Biography of Charlie Christian: Jazz Guitar's King of Swing, pp.
369, 373-374
(11) Ellison, Ralph & O'Meally, Robert; Living with Music; 2002 Modern Library Paperback Edition,
RandomHouse, p. 41
(12) Wayne E. Goins and Craig R. McKinney; A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar’s King of Swing
(Studies in the History and Interpretation of Music); Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005
(13) http://www.jazzguitar.be/charlie_christian.htm
More Bibliography
(14) de Clercq, Trevor; 'Improvisatory Formulas of Charlie Christian'; The Science of Songwriting; Uploaded
2008; Accessed Jan. 2010; <http://www.midside.com/?p=11>
(15) Centlivre, Kevin; transcribed/edited by Gary Hansen; Jerry Jerome Interview -- 'Benny Went Crazy
When He Heard Him'; 1993; <http://www.music-open-source.com/source/Charlie-Christian-guitar-methodeBook/fichier/>
(16) Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame -- Official Website; Inductee Letter: Christian, Charlie; Copyright 2007. The
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.; Accessed Jan. 2010;
<http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/charlie-christian>
(17) Sony, "The Genius of the Electric Guitar" liner notes
(18) Davis, Miles; Miles: The Autobiography; Simon and Schuster Paperbacks; Copyright 1989; New York;
p. 275