OCTOBER 28, 1940 Monday |
Columbia Recording Studios, NYC |
|
12-BAR BLUES |
Key of |
|
C |
Quarter Note = |
|
208 |
Time: |
|
3:14 |
|
|
4 bars piano intro |
[ false start ] |
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6-Bar Intro + 13 CHORUSES: |
|
|
2 chor ensemble |
(Theme Riffs) |
|
|
2 chor ensemble |
(Theme Riffs) |
Composed by: |
Charlie Christian - Count Basie |
C&A:
This is one of the tunes recorded with Lester Young, Buck Clayton, and
Count Basie with his entire rhythm section (including Freddie Green, Walter
Page, and Jo Jones) to explore the possibility of joining with Goodman and
Charles in a new ‘sextet.’ Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out but we lucked
out with the session being recorded and preserved. [Better yet would have
been if Charles had gone with Basie to re-form the “Kansas City Seven” – but
then we wouldn’t have a legacy of some many extant recordings, so scratch
that thought.]
Wholly Cats is a 12-bar blues making its first of many appearances – this is
the only one in the key of C, the subsequent versions being in
G. At the
very tail end of the theme, a call assigning the first solo is heard: “Come
On, Charlie.” Green was taking care of the rhythm guitar chores so Charles
doesn’t get entirely caught off guard – maybe just a split second late.
Charles gets three full choruses whereas the other soloists (clarinet,
trumpet, tenor sax) get only two and he makes excellent use of the time
allotted. Note also, he only gets two choruses for his solos on the other
ten versions of the tune.
The solo is up to his superb blues standards. For one thing, he’s funkier on
this blues than he normally is on most other up-tempo blues with the sextet.
Bear in mind that on many slower blues he tends to go into his down-home
mode staying on the same string for a longer time on a sequence of notes –
he does so here a couple of times.
We must comment specifically on the opening bars of the second chorus: that
downward jaunt is reminiscent of the start of “Waitin’ for Benny” on the
first CC Columbia LP, in this instance shorter and a bit more complex. The
opening bars of the last chorus, on the other hand, are the only relatively
mundane moments of the solo – a strategic, refreshing interlude – all else
is profoundly creative.
|
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[ LP ] |
Cicala / Durium |
BLJ 8021 |
(side B, track 4) |
|
|
Jazz Archives |
JA-6 |
(side A, track 4) |
|
|
Jazz Archives |
JA-42 |
(side B, track 6) |
|
|
Jazz Document |
va-7997 |
(side A, track 4) |
|
[ CD ] |
Archives of Jazz |
380106 2 |
(track 4) |
|
|
Archives of Jazz |
389106 2 |
(track 4) |
|
|
Blue Moon |
BMCD 1006 |
(track 11) |
|
|
Charly |
CD DIG 2 |
(disc 3, track 17) |
|
|
Columbia/Legacy |
AC4K 65564 |
(disc 2, track 4) |
|
|
Columbia/Legacy |
C4K 65564 |
(disc 2, track 4) |
|
|
Definitive |
DRCD11176 |
(disc 4, track 7) |
|
|
Fuel 2000 |
302 061 755 2 |
(track 12) |
|
|
Jazz Classics |
JZCL-5005 |
(disc 1, track 15) |
|
|
Masters of Jazz |
MJCD 44 |
(track 12) |
|
|
Masters of Jazz |
MJCD 9004 |
(disc 4, track 12) |
|
|
Masters of Jazz |
R2CD 8004 |
(disc 1, track 19) |
|
|
Mosaic |
MD4-239 |
(disc 4, track 5) |
|
|
Music Memoria |
87998 2 |
(disc 2, track 4) |
|
|
Norma |
NOCD5657 |
(track 12) |
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|
Proper |
PROPERBOX 98 |
(disc 2, track 1) |
|
|
Proper / musisoft |
EMCD 21 |
(track 4) |
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Sony/Legacy |
93035 |
(disc 2, track 4) |
|
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Sony Music Media |
SMM 517115 2 |
(track 7) |
|
|
Vintage Jazz Classics |
VJC-1021-2 |
(track 15) |
|
|
Warner Music France |
3007-2 |
(track 19) |
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