Transcription Page: Breakfast Feud
fifth take 19 Dec 1940 CO 29259-1
C&A:
Breakfast Feud was recorded for the first time on 19 December 1940 – none of the five full takes were released. It would be recorded again four more times on
the next Columbia recording session less than four weeks later at which time a master was selected and subsequently released in April 1941.
Notably, the talented pianist Kenny Kersey was recruited for this December session with the sextet – easily an equal to Basie or Guarnieri. He would be
heard from again the following year at Minton’s.
On this one take, the ensemble plays the four-bar refrain before each of Charlie Christian’s solo choruses splitting the solo into two eight-bar sections.
The first guitar solo starts a full measure before the end of the ensemble’s four-bar refrain with a wild start on this first run-through. Solid solos with
one other unique passage on this take: on mm 9-11 Charles plays a familiar sequence which this time he takes all the way to the depths – across all six strings.
The clarinetist began playing the melody immediately following the first take – the group joined in and continued on through to the end of first trumpet solo
when the leader either came in a chorus too early or he used some clarinet screeches to signal an abrupt end to the take.
The ensemble is now playing the four-bar refrain before Charles’ first chorus only; this continues beneficially for the rest of the takes – the guitar solo is
now 20 contiguous measures long instead of two separate eight-bar solos separated by the refrain on the initial take.
Unique start on the guitar solo on the first three bars. Charlie Christian
may have been anticipating the ensemble refrain on the start of his second chorus.
In any case, he doesn’t really start on the second chorus until the middle of the second measure when he goes on a tear with a very nice, long run(s) for the rest of the chorus.
This guitar solo also has an early pick-up (mid-fourth bar) and another marvelous unconventional start (mm 4-6). There’s a rather odd phrase terminus at
bar five of the second chorus. A fine solo.
Charles digs much deeper into the blues here than on the previous takes. Flawless fast blues solo – may be the best version of this set.
There’s a cool tuplet at bar 5 of the second chorus that he would again use in the same place on the next take.
♦ fifth take CO 29259-1
☊
LISTEN Guitar Solo / Coda
The first bar of Charles’ solo begins with that same wonderful phrase that he had used to start his solo with the orchestra on Honeysuckle Rose at another studio
date over a year earlier. And in the same manner, he builds up a mini crescendo in less than a measure – a lovely effect. Another excellent solo.
The subsequent studio recordings of this tune will have no piano intro, a tidier theme, a different pianist, and a much better drummer.
Issued Recordings:
( 3:07 )
[ LP ]
Blu-Disc
T-1004
(side B, track 1)
CBS
159.028/29
(side C, track 5)
CBS
2BP 220094
(side C, track 5)
CBS
67233
(side C, track 5)
CBS / Sony
56AP 674~6
(side E, track 1)
CBS / Sony
SOPZ4~6
(side E, track 1)
Columbia
CG 30779
(side C, track 5)
Columbia
G 30779
(side C, track 5)
[ CD ]
BD Jazz
JZBD022
(disc 1, track 17)
Classics
1154
(track 13)
Columbia/Legacy
AC4K 65564
(disc 3, track 1)
Columbia/Legacy
C4K 65564
(disc 3, track 1)
Definitive
DRCD11176
(disc 3, track 5)
Frémeaux
FA 218
(disc 2, track 3)
Jazz Unlimited
JUCD 2013
(track 9)
Le Chant du Monde
274 1357.58
(disc 2, track 7)
Le Chant du Monde
274 1459.60
(disc 2, track 8)
Masters of Jazz
MJCD 67
(track 16)
Masters of Jazz
R2CD 8004
(disc 2, track 4)
Primo / Proper
PRMCD 6092
(disc 1, track 20)
Proper
P1490
(track 10)
Proper
PROPERBOX 98
(disc 2, track 10)
Sony/Legacy
93035
(disc 3, track 1)
Spliced & Incomplete:
( 0:27 )
All spliced & incomplete issues contain only the 2 CC solo choruses from this take spliced with other takes.
(refer to The Spliced Recordings page, 1st spliced composite except Smithsonian releases as noted below)
All text and images in this site protected
by copyright laws.
No text or images (including transcriptions) may be copied, reused, or altered without
written permission from the owner of this site.