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Charlie Christian, guitarist with Benny Goodman’s swing band in 1939, was a pioneer, playing the electric guitar in a professional setting early in the 1930s. Charlie was able to play single note solos and be heard over a large band because of the amplifier and created a new jazz style “playing like a horn” on the guitar. He was a master improviser from whom guitarists are still learning.

There is no known film of Charlie Christian playing guitar. This video is a Ken Burns like slide show of black and white photos of Charlie shown over a recording made in 1941 at Minton’s in New York, after hours, on October 12, 1941. Charlie is playing in a pick up band with Joe Guy on trumpet, Kenny Kersey on piano, Nick Fenton on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums.

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