Charlie Christian - On The Air (2009)

Charlie Christian was fooling around with electric pickups on his guitar as early as 1936, and his vision for the instrument in a swing and bop setting had a far-reaching effect far beyond the jazz world -- any electric guitarists in any kind of a combo since owe a lot to this man, whether they know it or not. The tracks gathered here are drawn from radio broadcasts Christian did as the guitar player for the Benny Goodman Sextet between 1939 and 1941, which means he got to stretch out a little, and his elegant skill and timing are everywhere evident on these tracks. This material has been available in all kinds of configurations over the years, most recently as Radio Broadcasts from Cleopatra Records in 2001 and Selected Broadcasts and Jam Sessions from JSP Records in 2002. Christian fell ill in 1941, dying in March of 1942, cutting short what would have undoubtedly been an even more astounding career. As it is, his guitar legacy still reverberates some 65 years later.