The band took a two week vacation in the first half of March 1940 then
assembled in L.A. for a long stand at the Cocoanut Grove ballroom followed
by a tour of the West Coast. This final recording of Seven Come Eleven was
recorded on their first night of their stay at the Peacock Court ballroom in
San Francisco.
Unlike the Camel Caravan version six months earlier, this aircheck was well
recorded. Charlie Christian gives his solo a soulful feeling
right at the outset in the first bar. At mm 6-7 he previews the figures that
would be featured while concluding his solo (mm 29-31).
There’s a similar slide into the bridge as that which he used on the other two
versions; on this one though, Charles starts three full beats before the
chord change – on the others it’s a one or two beat anticipation. After the
bridge, he closes out with alternating string A♭s, some intense skating
effects on bars 27-28, and then the aforementioned figures.
The band finished their tour with a four week engagement at the Hotel St.
Catherine on Santa Catalina Island before disbanding for the summer. Charles
was kept on salary for that duration.
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