Guitar Week: Charlie Christian

This week JazzWrap will take a look at guitarists and guitar driven groups that have or will be making a difference in jazz.

Charlie Christian (guitar, b. 1916 - 1942)

He is considered the most important figure amongst jazz guitarists. I really didn't get into Charlie Christian until I was much much older but I had always heard the name amongst my older jazzhead friends. When I did start listening to him I was put off by the production quality of the time (lots of pops and crackles form 78 vinyl LPs). But then finally--finally the light in my light pigheaded brain turned on and I have been a disciple ever since.

Charlie Christian's style was unbelievably smooth and effortless. He had rhythm and swing like no other of his generation. And his influence on almost every jazz guitarist and even some rock artists is apparent to this day. Artist such as Wes Montgomery, Russell Malone, George Benson and more owe everything to Christian. He was instrumental during his brief time with Benny Goodman's band. Although according to history, Goodman was not impressed with Christian during his original rehearsal for the band. It wasn't until later during a live performance that Goodman got the full experience of what Charlie Christian could do on this new electric guitar and he was hired into the band. Charlie Christian also performed a number of jam session with or in the presence of future legends Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Christian's ability to play what at the time where considered almost impossible chords with impressive elasticity was something that made him a hot propriety at an early age and a legend for future generations.

For anyone new to jazz the glut of Charlie Christian compilations are beyond overwhelming. He didn't record much on his own. The largest chunk of material is with the Benny Goodman band but their is plenty of short solo jam session/live performances to gain enjoy. For the diehard fan there is an excellent 4 disc box set entitled The Genius Of The Electric Guitar (Columbia/Legacy) that is everything you need. But I would bet most people would also be best served with the also excellent and similarly titled single disc The Genius Of The Electric Guitar (Columbia/Legacy in the U.S., Definitive Records in Europe). There are a couple of different covers for the single disc. The music is mostly the same give or take a couple of tracks. If you love jazz guitar you need to know where it all comes from. Charlie Christian's recordings are the holy grail of jazz guitar and you should seek him out.

Anita O'Day: The Incredible

Anita O'Day (vocals; b. 1919 - 2006)

Unfortunately always overshadowed by Sarah, Billie, Ella, Dinah and even Carmen, Anita O'Day was probably the most versatile of all this great legion of jazz vocalists. Anita moved comfortably between the swing era and bebop with a tough exterior that she carried her entire career. Take about feminism, Anita embodied it and then some. Her ability to scat could rival Louis Armstrong any day. Her gritty demeanour also reflected the rough and tumble lifestyle and demons she fought throughout a large majority of her career. O'Day could go from soft and sultry to fierce and punchy in the blink of an eye.

For jazz lovers there is no more an iconic image (and possibly performance) of Anita than her appearance at The Newport Jazz Festival of 1958, now immortalized in the film Jazz On A Summer's Day. The film itself is highly recommended especially if you are new to jazz. It's not necessarily the jazz version of Woodstock but it does include some incredible and unforgettable performances from jazz icons--especially Anita.

There are very few vocalists who have a catalouge that is as spotless as Anita O'Day's. There's not a dud in the batch. It's probably going to be extremely hard to find individual albums at the this point so you may be left with a host of compilations. While most of them are all quite good the two that are the easiest to find are Finest Hour and The Diva Series. Both cover her most prolific years with Verve (The Diva Series has an absolutely awful cover but its the music that counts) and the most well known material. I prefer the Finest Hour release just because of the sequencing, but that's me. It includes a killer version of Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Tea For Two" and "God Bless The Child". In addition, there is a great compilation call Let Me Off Uptown (Columbia) which covers her swing era material with the great drummer/band leader Gene Krupa which is a must.

The jazz completist should seek out The Complete Verve Recordings (Mosaic Records) which is the entire vault and good weekend's worth of listening pleasure. Anita continued to record right up to her passing in 2006. Not too many female vocalist today can hold a candle to O'Day but you can hear the spirit in artists like Stacey Kent, Claire Teal and Claire Martin. A real troubadour for the Great American Songbook, Anita O'Day was a stunning vocalist whose legend needs to be spread and heard by as many people as possible.