C&A:

This was the sextet’s third recording of Rose Room in October of 1939 – from a “Camel Caravan” broadcast – and the rarest of their recordings on that tune (not released until 1997).  Charlie Christian plays the four-bar intro and again gets the entire second chorus for his featured solo.

Charles really surprises with his solo opening on this version – totally unique and harmonically advanced.  Measures 6-8 were some of the most difficult to transcribe – not the notes, but the tablature (frets and fingering);  it’s interesting to compare the phrase to the same measures on his 2 October 1939 and 6 June 1941 solos.

The repeated phrases at bars 8-10 are different but very reminiscent of the phrases that opened the October 2nd Rose Room solo.  One of CC’s favorite licks is played over B♭7 at bars 13-14 then repeated (over E♭7) in modified form on the following two measures.

The A♭13 phrase beginning at bars 20 through 22 has a really nice melodic and harmonic quality to it;  followed by a most unusual D♭ motif (slides from a sixth to a major-seventh to the tonic before he plays a simple major triad), which closes out the sequence.  Measures 25-26 are much the same as on his solo of October 9th – well worth repeating.

Charlie Christian never fails to amaze on Rose Room.