C&A:

This is the first recorded version of the Charlie Christian - Lionel Hampton composition Shivers – two studio takes (slightly less exhilarating) would be laid down the following month.  Charles plays the four-bar introduction with double-stop accents (bending the lower note), riffs on the theme chorus, plays riffs behind the vibes solo chorus, then goes right from his riffs on the previous chorus directly into his solo with three bars of sliding A♭s on alternating strings, an effective gambit that we’ve heard before and will hear again – particularly effective here following his riffs on the preceding chorus.

Measures 9 and 10 contain a melody I don’t believe I’ve heard him quote anywhere else.  Other than the brief D♭m sequence in mm 11-12, the 16+8-bar solo is all pretty much in the A♭Maj tonality with Charles providing examples of ingenious variations on the limited harmony.

On rare occasions, Charles rendered guitaristic recitations such as displayed in mm 26-28 – all of them are fascinating and they always fit in very nicely within the musical context of his solo.  This one, distinctly avant-garde, distinctively wraps up the chorus after the clarinet break.

Follows his solo with beautifully executed double-stop riffs (dressed-up versions of the intro, again bending lower notes to make the two-note chords scream with excitement) over the out-chorus theme.  Charlie Christian shines during the entire piece, from his intro through the course of all four choruses.  This is definitely the most memorable of the Shivers recorded performances.