DB Hall of Fame

SOLO  FLIGHT

THE  CHARLIE  CHRISTIAN  LEGACY

DB Hall of Fame


 

 

WHOLLY CATS
 
Aircheck
 
APRIL  7,  1941     Monday “WHAT’S NEW? – THE OLD GOLD SHOW”
NBC Radio Network / WJZ,  NYC
 

 
  12-BAR  BLUES Key of   G Quarter Note =   202 Time:   2:14
 
 
  MC:  “Wholly Cats!”
 
 
  4-Bar  Intro  +  9  CHORUSES:
 
    4 bars  –  piano (Intro)
 
    2 chor  –  muted trumpet (over CC & ens theme riffs)
 
    1 chor  –  tenor sax
 
    1 chor  –  piano
 
    2 chor  –  CC (over ens riffs)
 
    1 chor  –  clarinet
 
    1 chor  –  muted trumpet (over CC & ens riffs)
 
    1 chor  –  CC & ensemble (theme riffs)
 
 

 
Personnel:
 
  Benny Goodman and his Sextet
  CHARLIE CHRISTIAN Guitar
  GEORGIE AULD tenor sax
  BENNY GOODMAN clarinet
  COOTIE WILLIAMS trumpet
  JOHNNY GUARNIERI piano
  ARTIE BERNSTEIN bass
  DAVE TOUGH drums
 
 

Composed by: Charlie Christian - Count Basie
 
©   VALDÉS   11/7/18


 

Wholly Cats:     Guitar Solo    “What’s New? – The Old Gold Show”

 



C&A:

Eight weeks after the first “What’s New? – The Old Gold Show” Wholly Cats again gets recorded on the weekly program, with the same cast and with the piano solo restored to its usual place between sax and guitar.

This is one version of the tune where the riffing behind Charlie Christian definitely clashes unnecessarily with his solo.  Presumably the radio studio mikes were placed to close to the other horns.  Thankfully, Charles gets two choruses for his solo whereas all other soloists are cut back to one chorus apiece.

Charles starts off placidly with an instantly-muted open-string note introducing an almost casual phrase.  Then he’s off on one of those unrelenting fast blues solos with scarcely a breath allowed the listener, maybe just half-a-beat between endless ideas cascading from the man and his instrument.

Measures 7 and 8 of the second chorus:  G6 chord-notes on the down beat, each preceded by a passing tone a semitone lower creating a step-wise effect – a procedure usually used in a more defined and prolonged manner.  On the antepenultimate measure he almost runs himself aground but sorts it all out and continues with a sequence similar to bar six of the first chorus but rhythmically inverted.

All of his broadcast-version Wholly Cats solos are outstanding, possibly topped by this final breathless one – here in the radio studio it is ‘live’ without the studio restrictions of re-takes and practice and re-runs and such.



 
Issued Recordings:
 
  [ LP ] Festival ALB 377 (side D, track 5)
    Jazz Anthology JA 5181 (side B, track 5)
    Jazz Archives JA-23 (side B, track 5)
 
  [ CD ] Archives of Jazz 380123 2 (track 13)
    Archives of Jazz 389123 2 (track 13)
    Definitive DRCD11177 (disc 4, track 1)
    Galaxy 389944 2 (track 13)
    JSP JSP909 (disc 4, track 1)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 75 (track 4)
    Stardust CLP 1150-2 (track 13)
 

 



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