THE SPLICED RECORDINGS

There has been much confusion in the past about the various takes that have been spliced and issued on LP and CD.  It seems that Charlie Christian has been complimented/victimized more by this practice than any other jazz artist.  This has been done in a manner quite different from the later splicing techniques that are now routine.

In an attempt to clear up the disarray that may still exist, I am presenting some graphic charts in this section in the hope that this resolves the situation.
(Only the two “I Got Rhythm” jam session takes are outlined to show both the spliced recordings and the actual recordings.)

Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra, on Columbia CL 652, was the first Charlie Christian 12" LP ever issued.   Released on 11 April 1955, it was also the album that contained the first spliced recordings:  “Breakfast Feud” and “Good Enough to Keep (Air Mail Special).”  For a couple of years, it remained the only LP collection of CC recordings (until the release of the Minton’s / Monroe’s jam sessions on the Esoteric label).

Some of us still vividly remember hearing Charlie Christian for the first time on this LP, and reading the large print on the cover:

“This is the story of Charlie Christian, who played
guitar with the BENNY GOODMAN Sextet and Orchestra
from the fall of 1939 to the spring of 1941…”

BREAKFAST FEUD

Nine takes from two studio sessions recorded four weeks apart produced plenty of material from which to splice all sorts of combinations of “Breakfast Feud.”
Six different combinations have been issued—the way it started out, it could have been worse.  Nevertheless, this has been enough to create lots of confusion in the past.  It didn’t help matters much that the structure of the tune, with the four-bar refrain preceding Charlie Christian’s solo, lent itself…almost invited splicing.  For many years I was as perplexed as everyone else, until I had enough material to unravel the mess.  I have to admit though that I really enjoyed solving the puzzles once I had the pieces to work with.

Three of the five takes from December 19, 1940 (mx CO 29259) and all four of the takes from January 15, 1941 (mx CO 29512) were used in various combinations on these spliced composites.
(The CD version of “Breakfast Feud” in The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz contains the same four takes as the LP version except that take CO 29259-1 is at the end instead of the beginning.)

click on the Splice  listed in the following table to view

GOOD ENOUGH TO KEEP
(AIR MAIL SPECIAL)

Not as infamous as “Breakfast Feud,” this was the other spliced tune originally issued on Columbia CL 652, Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra.  Two takes were recorded on March 13, 1941 and were used in different combinations on the two spliced composites.

click on the Splice  listed in the following table to view

BENNY’S BUGLE

The complete “Benny’s Bugle” session consists of a breakdown, two complete takes, another breakdown, and two more complete takes, with the last ( - 1) being the one selected for issue in 1941:

CO 29030 - v     (breaks down 16 bars into CC’s solo)
CO 29030 - W
CO 29030 - X
CO 29030 - y     (breaks down 10 bars into CC’s solo)
CO 29030 - Z
CO 29030 - 1

takes  v  &  W  were used on the 1st spliced composite
takes  X  &  Z  were used on the 2nd spliced composite

click on the Splice  listed in the following table to view

I GOT RHYTHM

Two takes of  “I Got Rhythm” were recorded by Jerry Newhouse during an after-hours jam session at the Harlem Breakfast Club in Minneapolis.  They have been released on all LPs and most CDs in a spliced, incomplete version.

click on the Splice  listed in the following table to view

OH, LADY BE GOOD

This spliced track is different from the preceding spliced recordings.  This one is not a composite spliced together from different takes as the others.  Here a chorus is excised from Charlie Christian’s first solo.  The splice removed the third chorus from his 3-chorus solo.

A recent release has further excised 7½ additional choruses from this concert jam, appending a second spliced version to our mix.

click on the Splice  listed in the following table to view

Additional information on these CDs can be found in the ALBUM INDEX located in the DISCOGRAPHY section
(listed by label)

The Spliced Recordings section was revised and updated on February 25, 2001
from the original published in the 1997 Solo Flight: The Charlie Christian Newsletter # 3.

LeoValdes © 2001