DB Hall of Fame

SOLO  FLIGHT

THE  CHARLIE  CHRISTIAN  LEGACY

DB Hall of Fame


 

 

MEMORIES OF YOU
 
Aircheck
 
OCTOBER  23,  1939     Monday WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL,  NYC
“Empire Room”
Mutual Radio Network / WOR
 

 
  32  BARS    (AABA) Key of   E Quarter Note =   96 Time:   2:58
 
 
  2-Bar Intro  +  2  CHORUSES:
 
      2  bars  –  clarinet (Intro)
 
    32  bars  –  clarinet (Melody)
 
    16  bars  –  vibes
  32  bars  –  CC
      8  bars  –  clarinet (Melody)
 
a Jerry Newhouse recording 

 
Personnel:
 
  Benny Goodman Sextet
  CHARLIE CHRISTIAN Guitar
  BENNY GOODMAN clarinet
  LIONEL HAMPTON vibes
  FLETCHER HENDERSON piano
  ARTIE BERNSTEIN bass
  NICK FATOOL drums
 
 

Composed by: Eubie Blake  (lyrics by Andy Razaf)
 
©   VALDÉS   1/27/18


 

Transcription Page:     Memories of You   –  23 October 1939

 



C
&A:

Five different versions of Memories of You were recorded – all within a three-month period;  and all with the 1939 sextet in NYC, same personnel (Smack was reinstated as the sextet pianist for the concert) and routine:  one radio studio broadcast, one at a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel gig, two in the Columbia recording studio for possible commercial release, and one in concert at Carnegie Hall on Christmas Eve.  Goodman’s forte was playing the melody on ballads – his contributions to this tune are exemplary.

Charles’ usual method is to employ eighth notes in his solos.  On slower tunes he would use sixteenth notes in parts of his solos.  Memories of You is unique in that he applies sixteenth notes exclusively on all five versions.  And he plays much of the rhythm straight (not syncopated) on all five of his solos usually holding the swingin’ till the last bar.

Each and every one of Charlie Christian’s solos is beautifully put together.  Like whiffs of fresh air.  They arrive, exhilarate, and are quickly gone.

Oct 23, 1939
Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria

Charles’ solo begins with the same phrase as on the first version but with a slightly different inflection.  The measures that follow are comparable in concept to those on Oct 7th (but very different in detail) until the last two very dissimilar ending bars.

Erudite reviews:

Jan Evensmo in The Guitars of Charlie Christian… (1976):
“This version of Memories… is really worthy of a great musician.  It is clean and well conceived, with an unusually beautiful introduction in the lower register.  Really masterly.  It is also rather different from the other known versions.”

Claude Carrière in Charlie Christian, Vol. 1 (1992) MJCD 24 liner notes:
“Different from the earlier version, Memories of You is none the less beautiful … the guitar bridge makes us regret Christian was denied a full chorus…”

 



 
Issued Recordings:
 
  [ LP ] Jazz Archives JA-42 (side A, track 8)
    Queen-Disc Q-016 (side A, track 6)
 
  [ CD ] Definitive DRCD11177 (disc 1, track 14)
    Jazz Classics JZCL-5005 (disc 1, track 3)
    JSP Records JSP909 (disc 1, track 14)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 24 (track 19)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 9004 (disc 1, track 19)
    Vintage Jazz Classics VJC-1021-2 (track 3)
 

 



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