DB Hall of Fame

SOLO  FLIGHT

THE  CHARLIE  CHRISTIAN  LEGACY

DB Hall of Fame


 

 

THE SHEIK OF ARABY
 
Aircheck
 
APRIL  12,  1940     Friday “THE COCOANUT GROVE”
Ambassador Hotel
Los Angeles
NBC Radio Network
 

 
  32 BARS    (AAA'B) Key of   B Quarter Note =   220 Time:   3:53
 
 
 

Goodman:  “Take it, Nick”

 
 
  4-Bar Intro / 16-Bar Prelude  +   6  CHORUSES:
 
      4  bars  –  drums (Intro)
 
  16  bars  –  CC  & ensemble (Verse in B♭m)
 
    32  bars  –  clarinet (Melody)
 
    32  bars  –  vibes
 
  32  bars  –  CC
 
    32  bars  –  piano
 
    32  bars  –  clarinet
 
    16  bars  –  clarinet
      8  bars  –  piano
      8  bars  –  clarinet
 
a Jerry Newhouse recording 

 
Personnel:
 
  Benny Goodman Sextet
  CHARLIE CHRISTIAN Guitar
  BENNY GOODMAN clarinet
  LIONEL HAMPTON vibes
  JOHNNY GUARNIERI piano
  ARTIE BERNSTEIN bass
  NICK FATOOL drums
 
 

Composed by: Ted Snyder  (lyrics by Harry B. Smith - Francis Wheeler)
 
©   VALDÉS   9/21/06


 

The Sheik of Araby  —  12 April 1940

        First Page:              Intro

        Second Page:      Solo

 



C&A:

Charlie Christian is quite animated on this The Sheik of Araby broadcast from The Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard.  It’s taken at the same tempo as the master studio take from the previous week but his solo is more keyed up.  The solo starts calmly enough but promptly heats up.

For the first ten bars CC stays on B♭ over the B♭ and F7 harmony.  At mm 8-9 he repeats a 4th/3rd (E♭/D) appoggiatura six times that further ignites the proceedings.  CC ends an F7 sequence with a 13th (D) at bar 14 followed by a 6th/♭3rd (G/D♭) double stop to start the B♭ line.  By the end of the 16th bar Charles is really out there, with Hampton egging him on verbally around mm 18-21.  The alternating-string B♭s that CC plays at mm 17-18 are much the same as he played on the first ‘fours’ on the out chorus of last week’s master take.

On the D7 phrase at bar 23, CC comes close to losing it.  Then on the next measure he swoops up seven frets for the beginning of the G7 phrase.  Bars 29 and 30 hold the same double stops as on bar 14, again following a 13th.  The solo ends with a 6th drop as did the Sheik solo on the alternate take a week before.



 
Issued Recordings:
 
  [ LP ] Festival ALB 377 (side C, track 6)
    Giants of Jazz GOJ-1005 (side A, track 5)
    Jazz Anthology JA 5181 (side A, track 6)
    Jazz Archives JA-23 (side A, track 5)
 
  [ CD ] Archives of Jazz 380123 2 (track 5)
    Archives of Jazz 389123 2 (track 5)
    Definitive DRCD11177 (disc 2, track 15)
    Definitive DRCD11386 (track 7)
    Fuel 2000 302 061 755 2 (track 9)
    Galaxy 389944 2 (track 5)
    Jazz Classics JZCL-5005 (disc 1, track 8)
    JSP JSP909 (disc 2, track 15)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 40 (track 16)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 9004 (disc 3, track 16)
    Masters of Jazz R2CD 8004 (disc 1, track 14)
    Mr. Music MMCD-7040 (track 18)
    Music Memoria 87998 2 (disc 1, track 16)
    Norma NOCD5657 * (track 8)
    Phoenix 131606 (track 7)
    Proper / Musisoft EMCD 21 (track 16)
    Stardust CLP 1150-2 (track 5)
    Uptown UPCD 27.63 (track 15)
    Vintage Jazz Classics VJC-1021-2 (track 8)
    Warner Music France 3007-2 (track 4)
 
  * [CD]   NOCD5657  incorrectly lists this as  “Boy Meets Girl”
 

 



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