Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian (1916–1942) was an American jazz guitarist and composer whose amplified single-note solos helped establish the electric guitar as a lead instrument in jazz.

Benny Goodman: Benny Goodman was an American clarinetist and bandleader associated with swing jazz. Goodman hired Christian in 1939, bringing his electric guitar into a nationally prominent ensemble.
Electric guitar: An electric guitar converts string vibration into an electrical signal that can be amplified. Amplification let Christian’s guitar project above the horns in Goodman’s bands.
“Solo Flight”: “Solo Flight” is a 1941 recording featuring Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman’s orchestra. The piece gives Christian an extended electric-guitar spotlight with big-band accompaniment.
Bebop: Bebop is a jazz style that emerged in the 1940s, marked by fast tempos, harmonic complexity, and improvisation. Christian’s harmonic and rhythmic experiments at Harlem jam sessions anticipated parts of bebop’s language.
Mary Lou Williams: Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams and Christian shared the Kansas City jazz scene and recorded together.
Gibson ES-150: The Gibson ES-150 is a hollow-body electric guitar introduced in 1936, often associated with early jazz amplification. Christian played an ES-150 with a pickup that helped produce his sustained lead tone.
Minton’s Playhouse: Minton’s Playhouse was a Harlem nightclub known for late-night jazz jam sessions in the early 1940s. Christian’s sessions there connected his swing-based improvisation to the musicians developing bebop.
Electric jazz guitar: Electric jazz guitar uses amplification for melodic soloing, chordal accompaniment, or both. Christian helped make amplified guitar a recognized solo voice within jazz.
Django Reinhardt: Django Reinhardt was a Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist known for acoustic playing and gypsy jazz. Reinhardt’s acoustic approach offers a striking contemporary contrast to Christian’s amplified sound.
Guitar amplifier: A guitar amplifier strengthens an electric guitar’s signal and drives a loudspeaker. The amplifier made quiet guitar lines audible as solo statements within a big band.

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