Rating:  -
That these records feature Charlie Christian may not be the most important reason for acquiring them. That they represent a high point in capturing a few hours in the most important musical development in the 20th century (jazz) probably is. Getting the feel of live performance in the studio is nororiously difficult. It is managed here. The actual sound quality is superb, and consistently so throughout these four discs. The music represents a high point in the recording of jazz. The participants represent some of the greatest past master bands - Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie - and point to the future in Lester Young and Charlie Christian. Morevover some of the musicians are legends on their instruments - particular note must be made of Cootie Williams, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Dave Tough, Jack Teagarden, and of course Mr Goodman himself. It was a felicitous set of circumstances which led to this music. There was youth of course, foresight and generosity on Mr Goodman's part, love, innovation and experimentation, and a common dedication. Very important was the inspiration that great musicians provide to each other, how they lift each other. Nor should it be forgotten how Mr Goodman broke down racial barriers when it took real courage to do so. Respect for him from all musicians must be a factor in this music before you.It is worthwhile to listen to this music once just focussing on Mr Hampton. Again focussing on Mr Christian. Again focussing on Mr Goodman. But take AS LONG AS YOU LIVE as an instance, on CD 2 Track 11. It begins with the chalumeau repetition of one note by the leader and an opening solo by Mr Basie on piano followed by Cootie Williams providing a sweetly muted solo on trumpet. There is a brief interlude by Mr Christian on guitar then a solo by Georgie Auld on tenor. The solo by Mr Goodman which follows is enough to bring tears to you eyes in its sweetness and light. The piece closes with chalumeau figure repeated. A lovely performance. This is followed by BENNY'S BUGLE which grooves beyond belief - democratically it is Mr Auld's moment to provide the main solo. This is a feature of all this music - no one musician hogs the limelight. It is never just a feature for one or the other. This is part of the genius of Mr Goodman. On his instrument, in this music, he has no parallel. Sometimes he gets so fiery he heads into the territory of Edmond Hall, other times his clarinet just smiles. Although I have favourites of Mr Goodman's such as the trio playing for THE FLETCHER HENDERSON FUND c1953, these four CD's featuring Mr Christian are now my favourite Goodman records. They are so rich in content, that I can only listen to perhaps half an hour at a time. Nor is there a moment on them I would delete, including false starts, and alternate takes. This is a case where rhythm(or swing) is given some of its most delightful moments in all music taking its rightful place alongside harmony and melody. Of all my music, these four CD's take there place among my favourites such as KIND OF BLUE, AT THE BLUE NOTE (Keith Jarrett), THE WILDFLOWER SESSIONS, MONK on RIVERSIDE, THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION (Coltrane).
Rating: -
I was blown away by the incredible sound quality of these guitar recordings. And, as a guitar player I appreciated the coolness (matching the music) of the Gibson amplifier packaging. For those of you who where so stupid enough as to NOT GET the vibe of this concept - why not take you Charlie Christian CDs and put them in generic CD cases to match you GENERIC lives. The packaging is hip. You are not... -TC
Rating:  -
The packaging of this set has been covered pretty well by other reviewers, but while it could have been a bit more practical, you should still get this set if you are diehard Charlie Christian fan. Though it only tells part of the story, covering only studio recordings involving Benny Goodman's band, it does it very well.
The sound quality is excellent, far better than past Columbia CD issues. The organization of the music is exceptional, separating alternates from masters, and the annotation is thorough and thoughtfully written. Most importantly, the music is first rate. One can trace Christian's rapid development from a groundbreaking guitar player to a masterful soloist rivaling the best of any instrument. Though he isn't given much room to solo on these recordings, for the most part, he crafts some exquisite, concise marvels, including some amazing ones on the "Breakfast Feud" tracks, probably the best thing here. It's sad to think of the possibilities lost when Christian died early from tuberculosis (despite the enormous ground covered by Christian, there was still plenty of uncharted territory left, in jazz improvisation and guitar playing).
I should also point out that these tracks aren't just a showcase for Christian. These group performances are of a high standard, and soloists like Lionel Hampton and especially Benny Goodman match Christian blow for blow.
A lot of hyperbole gets written about Christian, and while his contribution to jazz is immense and very impressive considering his small output, I don't want to raise any unrealistic expectations about this music. While his solos were usually expert, there are some that aren't as spectacular or enjoyable as his best work. On a few, the playing can seem formulaic (like I Surrender Dear), maybe even uninspired. Sometimes, it's simply because he isn't given much to work with (as in the "A Smo-o-o-oth One" tracks or L'il Boy Love), and not surprisingly, his next biggest leap would come on the early bop "sessions" at Minton's, where he was freed of any previous constraints (this music is covered on other CD's). And though there are exceptions like the "Breakfast Feud" alternates, most of the alternate takes have solos that are very similar to those on the masters, some almost identical. Which is why I can't recommend this set to someone who's looking for a good introduction or who's simply not that crazy about Christian (perish the thought). This is a pretty expensive purchase, and I doubt a newcomer will enjoy listening to disc four, which contains a lot of false starts, breakdowns, and rehearsals. I listened to this material once, maybe twice for a few tracks, but that was it. It's very rare to find any gems among a bunch of false starts, and you won't find any here.
If you're familiar with Christian, and you're looking to buy an extensive collection of his CD's, than this is definitely worth it. For newcomers and casual fans, you're probably better off with Columbia's earlier "Solo Flight" and "Featuring Charlie Christian" CD's. The two discs cover most of the master takes on the box set, but I should warn you the mastering isn't impressive, so if you're really, really patient, you may want to wait for Sony to remaster those (but don't hold your breath).
Rating:  -
i agree that columbia box sets come in the worst packaging imaginable, but this is by far the worst. you just have to see it to believe it. the best i could come up with is to take the cds out of the ridiculous foam slots and put them within the pages of the book. i would give it one star for this but the music is incredible and i have yet to be disappointed with anything that has charlie christians name on it.
-------------UPDATE----------------
believe it or not, this trash is nominated for a grammy for 'best recording package'. im absolutely serious.
Rating: -
First and foremost the reason for buying any cd is the music and this here excels. Not only is the playing great (Charlie didn't have the time to play bad, dieing at an age of 25) but the sound quality of recordings made in the late 30's to early 40's is some of the best remastering I've heard. I could only wish that Charlie had led a band so we could hear him stretch out some more but even in the context of a band led by one of the greats at the time,Benny Goodman; he is heard as the innovator that was envied, emulated and copied by almost any contemporarywho picked up an electric guitar.
The accompanying booklet is well done with some insiteful thoughts from Les Paul and a slew of comments from all types of guitarists.
The packaging... who is the mental midget at Sony who thought it a good idea to slip CD's into foam. The IQ of the designer rivals that of a piece of furniture. Not only do you have to take great care as to not scratch one against the other, but if you live in a humid climate like I do in Florida, then the life expectancy of foam is about a year before it deteriorates. Just what I want is little pieces of foam getting inside my CD player.
Maybe winning awards is more important to these bozos than keeping customers happy. Unfortunately this is the only negative point but it is such a huge one I cannot give this set 5 stars.
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