The CC Transcription Page
contains tablature depicting the way Charlie Christian would actually play his solo.
The standard
tabs illustrate the common fingerings that are typically used by most traditional transcribers.
Both standard versions are valid conventional interpretations and are provided here for convenient comparison.
C&A:
What a great solo this is. Theres a quantum leap from old swing to
innovative improv when Charles comes in after Cooties preceding trumpet solo.
This tune has great chord changes, especially for its day, with a couple of bridge-like
sequences that allows CC to improvise in a way that he is usually limited to on only the
bridge of most tunes.
CC immediately surprises the listener with the rhythmically displaced first two notes,
then follows with two bars that subtly relate to the melody before taking off with his own
lines. On mm 5-7, he turns the usual phrasing upside down with emphasis on the
upbeatat bar 9 he alternates stress on the downbeat and upbeat. Theres a
bridge-type, three-bar run on mm 10-12, followed by CC again alternating the accent on the
downbeat and upbeat at mm 13-14.
A giant swoop to the upper frets at mm 16-17 is followed by another brief allusion to
the tunes melody. An unexpected, relatively long pause between the
Bb7 phrase at bar 21 and the one at bar 22
Then with only a hint of a pause he tears off on one of those beautiful, long CC runs one
normally hears on a bridge (five uninterrupted bars at mm 23-28). After an off-beat
octave, an ingenious lick and some alternating strings scattered about, on the last two
bars of his solo Charles leads in the ensemble riffs.
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