Charlie Christian was a famous jazz guitarist. He played with the Benny Goodman sextet starting in 1939 and is often considered the first electric guitar innovator. Goodman was initally reluctant to hire Christian, due in part to the novelty of the electric guitar, but was so impressed by Christian's playing he changed his mind.
Christian's use of the newly created 'amplified guitar' as a solo instrument--influenced by the jazz and blues music he heard others perfom--helped pave the way for many electric guitarist thereafter, from B.B. King to Jimi Hendrix, and in fact Christian is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an 'Early Contributor'. (Perhaps only Django Reinhardt is considered as important as an early jazz guitarist, but he was primarily an acoustic guitar player.)
Though known mainly for his influence on electric guitar, Christian was also an important player in the development of bebop, or 'modern jazz,' and his jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in New York City were landmarks in the evolution of bop from the then-popular, radio-friendly, accessible swing music to the more intimate and experimental bebop. |
