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C&A:
This Christian - Henderson composition should probably be documented as:
composed by Charlie Christian / arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Although
Charles gets no solo space on this tune he still makes (to borrow quelques
mots from Claude Carrière) an indispensable impact with verve and presence.
Soft Winds was later recorded by guitarists Bill Jennings
(1955), Herb Ellis (1957), Wes
Montgomery (1958), Kenny Burrell (1959), Kenny Burrell/Jimmy Smith (1963),
Ed Bickert (1976), Charlie Byrd/Herb Ellis/Mundell Lowe (1996).
Recordings by non-guitarists included Lionel Hampton/Oscar Peterson (1953),
Art Tatum (1954), Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1955), trumpeter Chet
Baker (1958), harpist Dorothy Ashby (1961), flautist Herbie Mann (1963), Oscar Peterson/Ray Brown/Milt
Jackson (1998).
Lyrics were added by Fred Royal, the song was recorded by Dinah Washington,
and it became an R&B hit in 1956. By the late 1940s, Ellis had formed a trio
named the “Soft Winds.” Barney Kessel cited that it was Charlie Christian’s
playing on Soft Winds that “completely turned me around.”
There are five extant recordings of Charlie Christian on Soft Winds:
| Oct 21, 1939 |
“Camel Caravan” broadcast from Radio City Studios, NYC |
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| Nov 22, 1939 |
WCO 26285 A – alternate take – Columbia Studios, NYC |
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| Nov 22, 1939 |
WCO 26285 B – master take – Columbia Studios, NYC |
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| April 5, 1940 |
“The Cocoanut Grove” at the Ambassador Hotel, L.A. |
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| April 13, 1940 |
“The Cocoanut Grove” at the Ambassador Hotel, L.A. |
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