Customer Reviews

The Genius of the Electric Guitar (Deluxe Box Set)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This four-disc collection is an essential historical document. GENIUS brings together all available material recorded mostly by Benny Goodman's legendary 1939-1941 combo, in which the groundbreaking guitarist Charlie Christian was among the participants. The upgraded sound quality is amazing considering when it was recorded (as good or better than the recent Billie Holiday boxed set). As another reviewer mentioned, the packaging is odd...let's just say you may want to have some jewel boxes available to better protect your purchase.

The music here is often not that far removed from bebop, which revolutionized jazz a few years later. In my mind, bebop built on recordings such as these, rather than broke away from them as some would have you believe. Ironically (given the low opinion some jazz fans have of the rock genre), a number of these tracks also seem not far removed from 1950s rock'n'roll and r&b. Christian's inventive solos may sound quite familiar today--albeit still very fresh and provocative--given how far and wide his influence has spread. Imagine hearing it back then, though...when he was basically inventing this style of guitar playing. And he's not the only great soloist: Goodman and vibist Lionel Hampton are consistently impressive. Furthermore, among the guests on particular sessions are such jazz masters as Count Basie, Lester Young, and Fletcher Henderson.

Where the three star split-rating comes in is that there are two CDs worth of master takes included here (including the 20-minute closing jam session). I think the potential buyer should be aware that half of this boxed set contains alternate takes, fragments, and several rehearsal tracks, most of which vary little from the originally-issued versions. Certainly guitarists may want analyze Christian's playing on each take, but for the average listener things tend to get very repetitive. At least the producers put the master takes first on each CD (followed by the alternates), so if you want to hear only the prime cuts you don't have to keep skipping over tracks.

Before commenting on the music, I should note that the packaging is
different than most. The CDs are mounted on a piece of foam-sponge
material without sleeves. The arrangement does make it easy to get
to the CDs (often a hassle with elaborate box sets), but potential buyers
should know what they're going to get in terms of packaging. The CDs
appeared to be fine, and the arrrangement is convenient, but one has
to be careful not to scrape the CDs when putting those back in.

Also, those who aren't familiar with Charlie Christian's playing should
note that this music is primarily his work with the Benny Goodman
Sextet, and while his solos are superb, it is in the context of a band led
by someone else. So, most of the initial solos are by Goodman and
often next by Lionel Hampton, and with pianists like Fletcher Henderson
and Count Basie, there's also plenty of piano solos. Christian plays
plenty of guitar here, so there's plenty for the fan to enjoy, and the
sound is excellent considering the sources.

As a jazz set, the music swings, but with a lot of unison work that
has a noticable bop-like feel, and the playing is first rate, with the
sextet line-ups now legendary. Those who are expecting a pure guitar
set will be disappointed, but kick back and enjoy the music, and you'll
find that Christian sounded just great in in the company of such
musicians like Goodman and Basie. This won't be as guitar-oriented
a set like music by Django Rhinehart would be.

The rehearsal and outtakes are like those in many jazz sets, and I
question the value of aborted takes the only lasted a minute or so.
Those seem like mere padding. The long jam session tracks on CD4
are fun, though, and with musicians like this, of course the playing is
almost too good to be a jam.

A superb set, and worth it for any jazz fan. The price is pretty good for
a box set also. The booklet included has merely Ok details, but
lots of great photos.

On the whole, I recommend it, I found many of the tracks to be a
revelation, with few weak tracks (excepting the outtakes, etc).

However, do note that the box set celebrates Charlie Christian, but
in the context of a dynamic sextet and orchestra, and is not music
by a group led by him.

Rising to fame as a soloist in Benny Goodman's band, guitarist Charlie Christian was one of jazz music's most prominent and influential champions of the electric guitar as a solo instrument. His rich, loud tones and amplified leads were new to the jazz vocabulary, and opened the way for every guitarist from Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery and Charlie Hunter on down. Christian only basked in the limelight for a few years, though -- joining Goodman's band in 1938 after a few years in the Southwest jazz circuit, the guitarist was felled by tuberculosis, and died in March, 1942, less than a year after his final studio session dates. This 4-CD set tracks his entire career with Goodman, highlighting his revolutionary work in Goodman's various small combo sextets, septettes and trios. Christian's style of matching other soloists such as Goodman and Lionel Hampton note-for-note was nothing short of revolutionary: up until then, the guitar had been primarily a rhythm instrument, and though Eddie Lang had pioneered its use as a lead voice in jazz, it was Christian who brought the amplified guitar into play, finally introducing an six-string sound that could be hear at the volume level of the big bands. Included here are over two dozen tracks that have never been released in the US before, including Christian's last studio sessions in 1941. Listening to it all at once may be a bit much -- it's super-sweet music, but admittedly it's also a bit noodly and repetitive. But taken in small slices (like a chocolate mousse, or anything similarly rich), it's heavenly. Among the new tracks on here are several studio jam sessions that show both Goodman and Christian's free-swinging improv style... a jazz collector's dream!

The 4 CD mini Gibson Amp 'box-set'leaves off genuine off vinyl 78, and Lp 'harder-to-get' Charlie Christian/Benny Goodman recordings. Legacy states "MASTER TAKES", but absolutely fails to research deep into Charlie Christian's recording history.
Columbia vinyl 2Lp 30779, (1972), and Columbia 78rpm C -102 along with the Columbia "Sextet" Cds leave legacy far behind.
The Wang Wang Blues -78rpm isn't in the 4CD set, and there are far too many 'false-starts', which Benny Goodman discarded for a good reason. Star Dust is only about 3 minutes, it's 8 minutes on vinyl. There is even In-studio handclapping after some tunes.
I have the 78s, many Col. Lps, and there is no "Studio-Live" takes. This 4 CD box could have, and should have been much better in information, content and genuine Charlie Christian guitar stylings. The 2 readily available BG Sextet Cds are a better purchase idea, but there are still those super hard-to-get vinyl Lp tracks, which ARE "The Master Takes", left Off the legacy/Sony box set. Musicologist's suggestion, try to get the vinyl Lps. Skip this misleading 4 CD set of various tracks, + handclapping = NOT "Good Enough To Keep", (AirMail Special).
Try the 2 Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian Columbia CDs, Amazon has both, and most of the Benny Goodman Sextet 'takes' are Master Takes, and "Good Enough To Keep!"

The packaging of this set has been covered pretty well by other reviewers, but while it could have been a bit more practical, you should still get this set if you are diehard Charlie Christian fan. Though it only tells part of the story, covering only studio recordings involving Benny Goodman's band, it does it very well.

The sound quality is excellent, far better than past Columbia CD issues. The organization of the music is exceptional, separating alternates from masters, and the annotation is thorough and thoughtfully written. Most importantly, the music is first rate. One can trace Christian's rapid development from a groundbreaking guitar player to a masterful soloist rivaling the best of any instrument. Though he isn't given much room to solo on these recordings, for the most part, he crafts some exquisite, concise marvels, including some amazing ones on the "Breakfast Feud" tracks, probably the best thing here. It's sad to think of the possibilities lost when Christian died early from tuberculosis (despite the enormous ground covered by Christian, there was still plenty of uncharted territory left, in jazz improvisation and guitar playing).

I should also point out that these tracks aren't just a showcase for Christian. These group performances are of a high standard, and soloists like Lionel Hampton and especially Benny Goodman match Christian blow for blow.

A lot of hyperbole gets written about Christian, and while his contribution to jazz is immense and very impressive considering his small output, I don't want to raise any unrealistic expectations about this music. While his solos were usually expert, there are some that aren't as spectacular or enjoyable as his best work. On a few, the playing can seem formulaic (like I Surrender Dear), maybe even uninspired. Sometimes, it's simply because he isn't given much to work with (as in the "A Smo-o-o-oth One" tracks or L'il Boy Love), and not surprisingly, his next biggest leap would come on the early bop "sessions" at Minton's, where he was freed of any previous constraints (this music is covered on other CD's). And though there are exceptions like the "Breakfast Feud" alternates, most of the alternate takes have solos that are very similar to those on the masters, some almost identical. Which is why I can't recommend this set to someone who's looking for a good introduction or who's simply not that crazy about Christian (perish the thought). This is a pretty expensive purchase, and I doubt a newcomer will enjoy listening to disc four, which contains a lot of false starts, breakdowns, and rehearsals. I listened to this material once, maybe twice for a few tracks, but that was it. It's very rare to find any gems among a bunch of false starts, and you won't find any here.

If you're familiar with Christian, and you're looking to buy an extensive collection of his CD's, than this is definitely worth it. For newcomers and casual fans, you're probably better off with Columbia's earlier "Solo Flight" and "Featuring Charlie Christian" CD's. The two discs cover most of the master takes on the box set, but I should warn you the mastering isn't impressive, so if you're really, really patient, you may want to wait for Sony to remaster those (but don't hold your breath).

I'm sick and tired of Columbia's jazz reissues. They seem to care less about getting the music to the listeners than they do about winning box design awards! What should have been a dandy set is instead turned into an artifact, with a needlessly big box designed to look like a guitar amp. But that's not enough: the CDs themselves are WEDGED into a piece of foam with four slits in it. Brilliant. That way, when the foam starts to wear, the discs can contact and scratch each other.

Columbia has done their share of this, with the 3-CD Monk box, in which the discs are "secured" with rubber hubs, and the Louis Armstrong Hot Fives & Sevens and Billie Holiday sets, in which the discs are held in rough cardboard sleeves. As for the new "Herbie Hancock Box," don't get me started. Columbia, we jazz fans want the MUSIC, not "artistic" packaging. Fire your "designers" and put the discs in jewel boxes or some other easily accessible and safe containers. Listening to great music like this should be a pleasure, not a physical chore!

First and foremost the reason for buying any cd is the music and this here excels. Not only is the playing great (Charlie didn't have the time to play bad, dieing at an age of 25) but the sound quality of recordings made in the late 30's to early 40's is some of the best remastering I've heard. I could only wish that Charlie had led a band so we could hear him stretch out some more but even in the context of a band led by one of the greats at the time,Benny Goodman; he is heard as the innovator that was envied, emulated and copied by almost any contemporarywho picked up an electric guitar.

The accompanying booklet is well done with some insiteful thoughts from Les Paul and a slew of comments from all types of guitarists.

The packaging... who is the mental midget at Sony who thought it a good idea to slip CD's into foam. The IQ of the designer rivals that of a piece of furniture. Not only do you have to take great care as to not scratch one against the other, but if you live in a humid climate like I do in Florida, then the life expectancy of foam is about a year before it deteriorates. Just what I want is little pieces of foam getting inside my CD player.
Maybe winning awards is more important to these bozos than keeping customers happy. Unfortunately this is the only negative point but it is such a huge one I cannot give this set 5 stars.

All previous reviewers who trashed the packaging are right. Not only is it highly incovenient but it actually leaves a greasy film on the surface of the CD that is in the foam. Needless to say I was very dissapointed when I got home, unwrapped the brand new (expensive) box set, placed the first CD in my CD player and it immediately started skipping. When I removed the CD I noticed that an entire section of the CD had a greasy / stickly film on it. I surmised this was from the foam and verified this assumption by check the other CDs, and they all had the same problem. This was not a coating of dusty or something easily cleaned. Amazingly poor package design. I work for a medical device company and our packaging is subjected to extensive testing any time we change it to make sure it will withstand vibration, shock, drop, aging and the extremes of temperature the devices might be used in. You would think that, while it need not be as extensive for CD packaging, they would do similar work before launching entirely new packaging for a CD box set. Utter crap. Someone should lose their job for this one.

I am a jazz guitarist, music salesman, and record collector. So, I was obviously excited when I heard about this reissue. Charlie Christian is arguably the most important jazz guitarist of all time, and he was certainly the first great electric guitarist (regardless of genre).

Sadly, I must say that I agree that the packaging is miserable. As previous reviewers have complained, some of the cds skipped as a result of the blemishes caused by the foam packaging. My solution was to purchase a cheap ($12) cd cleaner (all of the blemishes were superficial and not permanent). I also tore out the foam (which is glued in) and put the cds on blank trays, which fit conveniently in the "amp" (Note: Should you choose to do this, you will have to remove the tray from the rest of the jewel case).

Its such a shame that Columbia packaged the set this way, because it is such a wonderful and important release. The remastering is truly remarkable, stunning in fact. Comparing these discs to the single cds which Columbia first issued close to 20 years ago, one hears so much detail. For example, there is a clarient obbligati from Benny Goodman in "Six Appeal" which is inaudible on the single cd. Definetly an essential purchase, just beware of the packaging.

Any guitar player must have this, period. This is one of the first electric guitarist, and yet, this is as good as the electric guitar can get. Charlie Christian is a titan, not only for the guitar but for jazz in general. Be-bop? Just listen to this guy and you'll understand the connection bewteen the old swing jazz and the new thing that was coming. Charlie knew it all along. The alterante takes are also essential, like Bird alternate takes, each one has a different solo and must be heard and compared and studied to get an idea of the genious of this man. The packaging, while beautiful is stupid, you need to take your CDs into jewel cases to prevent damage. But all is forgiven for the amazing sound quality, breathtaking. All stars, five star release!!