A rare 4-CD set.
The popularity of the electric guitar, the instrumental backbone of contemporary music, is unthinkable without Charlie Christian. In a career that lasted barely three years, Christian (1916-1942) established the amplified guitar as a viable solo instrument, and had a huge influence on subsequent innovations in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. This four-CD set, Charlie Christian: The Genius of the Electric Guitar, released in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of his death, captures this young visionary's groundbreaking work with the most popular bandleader of the Swing Era, Benny Goodman, as well as important collaborations with Lester Young and Count Basie. This celebratory set returns this important music to official release once again. A special treat is the addition of the rehearsal performance that included Christian with members of Count Basie's band, including Christian's main influence, the tenor saxophonist Lester Young. With full discographical information, rare photos and liner notes by the Grammy-nominated scholar Peter Broadbent, this must-have set provides both an invaluable musical history lesson and a chance for pure listening pleasure provided by an immortal artist.
