UNISSUED CHARLIE CHRISTIAN RECORDINGS

Listed below are eighteen unissued recordings of airchecks on which Charlie Christian participated.  With the exception of two tunes, which remain unavailable, sixteen are known to contain CC solos and are so annotated. Seven tunes are on Bill Savory’s treasured acetates (from 6 November 1939 through 19 April 1940).  All of these seven have CC solos.  These recordings can only be heard at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, NYC. Five titles are available only within the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies, Newark. Not included here are those recordings with CC known to be exclusively on rhythm guitar. JE indicates solo info obtained from Jan Evensmo’s solography The Guitar of Charles Henry Christian “Charlie”   SEPTEMBER 16, 1939          Saturday “CAMEL CARAVAN”     Shea’s Theater     BUFFALO, NY     NBC Radio Network  (WEAF) Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                OPUS LOCAL 802 *  12-bar solo   JE Rutgers collection SEPTEMBER 30, 1939          Saturday “CAMEL CARAVAN”     CHICAGO     NBC Radio Network  (WEAF) Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                STAR DUST *  32-bar solo   JE Rutgers collection NOVEMBER 6, 1939          Monday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     Mutual Broadcasting System  (WOR) Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                SHIVERS *  16, 8-bar solo  (clt brk)   JE Savory collection NOVEMBER 22, 1939          Wednesday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     CBS Radio Network Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                FLYING HOME *  32-bar solo   JE Savory collection NOVEMBER 29, 1939          Wednesday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     CBS Radio Network Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                OPUS ˝ *  12 + 12-bar solo   JE Savory collection DECEMBER 4, 1939          Monday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     Radio Broadcast Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                HONEYSUCKLE ROSE *  32-bar solo   JE Savory collection DECEMBER 6, 1939          Wednesday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     Radio Broadcast Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                SEVEN COME ELEVEN              (ROAST TURKEY STOMP) *  32-bar solo   JE Savory collection DECEMBER 9, 1939          Saturday “CAMEL CARAVAN”     Radio City Studios     NYC     NBC Radio Network  (WEAF) Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, FLETCHER HENDERSON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                PICK-A-RIB *  11 + 12-bar solo   JE Savory collection DECEMBER 21, 1939          Thursday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL     NYC     Radio Broadcast Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                HONEYSUCKLE ROSE *  32-bar solo   JE Savory collection APRIL 5, 1940         Friday “THE COCOANUT GROVE”     AMBASSADOR HOTEL     LOS ANGELES      NBC Radio Network Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                SOFT WINDS *  in ensemble   JE Savory collection APRIL 19, 1940         Friday “THE COCOANUT GROVE”     AMBASSADOR HOTEL     LOS ANGELES      NBC Radio Network Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                I SURRENDER, DEAR *  16-bar solo   JE Savory collection JUNE 1940         Saturday or Sunday     < possible dates: Jun 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 > “CATALINA CASINO”     SANTA CATALINA ISLAND     AVALON, CA      NBC Radio Network Benny Goodman Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  LIONEL HAMPTON-vib, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  NICK FATOOL-d. Aircheck                                                AVALON *  8-bar solo  (bridge)   JE   DECEMBER 10, 1940          Tuesday “WE THE PEOPLE”     NYC     CBS Radio Network Benny Goodman and his Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  GEORGIE AULD-ts,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  COOTIE WILLIAMS-tpt, COUNT BASIE-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  HARRY JAEGER-d. Aircheck                                                FLYING HOME *  16, 8-bar solo  (pno brk)   JE Rutgers collection DECEMBER 25, 1940          Tuesday Radio Broadcast  (location unknown) Benny Goodman and his Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  GEORGIE AULD-ts,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  COOTIE WILLIAMS-tpt, BERNIE LEIGHTON-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  HARRY JAEGER-d. Aircheck                                                WHOLLY CATS *  12 + 12-bar solo   JE Rutgers collection FEBRUARY  19, 1941          Wednesday “AMERICA IN SWINGTIME”     2nd annual  American Music Festival     NYC     Municipal Broadcasting System  (WNYC) Benny Goodman and his Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  GEORGIE AULD-ts,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  COOTIE WILLIAMS-tpt, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  DAVE TOUGH-d. Aircheck                                                ROSE ROOM *  5-bars  (partial)     < end of 24-bar solo > Aircheck                                                FLYING HOME theme w/ ens – 16, 8 bars   (clt brk), *  32-bar solo, chord accents – 16 bars   (behind tpt) riffs w/ ens – 8 bars        (on bridge behind ts) chord accents – 8 bars     (behind tpt); riffs w/ ens – 16 bars chord accents – 8 bars   (on bridge behind bass). riffs w/ ens – 8 bars. Aircheck                                                THE BLUES *  12 + 12-bar solo Aircheck                                                STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY Theme behind M.C.      •   8 bars – “Sa-voy” chords     (w/ ens),      •   8 bars – chord riffs     (behind ens),      *  8-bar solo     (over ens),      •   8 bars – riffs     (over ens),      •   3 bars – obbl      (behind ens)             [ sign-off ] These four tunes from this broadcast have never been issued in any format, however, the program was re-broadcast on Oct 3, 2012 for the first time since the original broadcast. Transcriptions of Charlie Christian’s solos on the latter two have been available in the “Transcriptions” section on this site since the summer of 2002. [ Update:  The first two were uploaded December 2016 and March 2017 – those two were not available until the re-broadcast. ] Two others from this date (Gone with “What” Wind and The Sheik of Araby) were issued for the first time on the Encore label in November 2001. MAY 1, 1941         Thursday “SHENANDOAH APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL”     ALEXANDRIA, VA     Mutual Radio Network Benny Goodman and his Sextet: CHARLIE CHRISTIAN,  GEORGIE AULD-ts,  BENNY GOODMAN-clt,  COOTIE WILLIAMS-tpt, JOHNNY GUARNIERI-p,  ARTIE BERNSTEIN-b,  DAVE TOUGH-d. Aircheck                                                A SMO-O-O-OTH ONE              (MOPPIN’ IT UP) chord intro – 4 bars; *  32-bar solo   JE Rutgers collection LeoValdes © December 2003