Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian是第一個在演出中使用電吉他和放大器的人，那是在30年代末，他剛剛從一個鋼琴手轉向到吉他樂器。他的那把Gibson ES-150上的單線圈拾音器后來被命名為&Charlie Christian拾音器&。這種技術上的革命給了后來的吉他音樂以強大的生命力。Christian的演奏有著薩克斯手般的流暢和自信，他也是第一個在吉他上鑄造出Bee-Bop樂句的爵士音樂家。 1919年生于美國德州，而在俄克拉荷馬市長大的Charlie Christian，從12歲時開始學習吉他。俄克拉荷馬市也是許多著名樂手的出身地，如Lester Young及日后的“菜鳥”Charlie Parker等；其中Lester Young的流暢的演奏風格，便對于Charlie Christian獨奏技巧有著相當?shù)挠绊憽?Charlie Christian在15歲時，便隨他哥哥的樂團開始了演出的生涯；而自1937年他開始使用ES-150電吉他以來，他的獨奏技巧也很快地使他小有名氣。1939年時，John Hammond這位曾發(fā)掘Bob Dylan、Bruce Springsteen的著名星探與制作人，在聽過Charlie Christian的演奏后大為激賞，并將他引介給當時最著名的樂隊指揮Benny Goodman。在John Hammond的要求下，Benny Goodman不太情愿地讓這個年輕的黑人與他的樂團合奏，并且挑了一首他認為Charlie Christian無法演奏好的曲子Rose Room企圖刁難他。沒想到Christian的表現(xiàn)卻極為驚人，以他的吉他帶領整個樂團，足足演奏了四十五分鐘！可想而知Charlie Christian當場便獲得錄用，加入了Benny Goodman的樂團，成為第一位重要的爵士吉他手。 Charlie Christian不僅是第一位使用電吉他的著名吉他手，也是第一位擁有能在不同把位上流暢地即興演奏的能力，足以和當時擔任主奏的薩克斯風或小號相抗衡的樂手，他也因此被視為日后崛起的咆勃(Bebop)爵士樂的先驅之一。然而他卻無法目睹他與其它樂手所帶來的這場轉變。他于1942年因肺結核而去世，年僅26歲。 爵士電吉他演奏家charlie christian一開始并不被人認為是jazz-blues音樂家，（盡管christian用他的空心電吉他錄過很多不錯的作品）。因為當時人們并不認可電吉他，也沒有想象到電吉他對后來流行音樂起到的重要作用。但這些并沒有影響他成為一個有影響力的jumpblues吉他演奏家。另一位叫T- blone walker的，他也是jumpblues的代表，也同時是西海岸blues的代表。他從jazz中吸取了大量的元素用于他的的單弦獨奏。同時與 christian和一些其他的爵士音樂家在一起合作，他也被公認為jazz-blues藝術家。但他的音樂始終扎根在blues的土壤里。
 
by Scott Yanow
 
It can be said without exaggeration that virtually every jazz guitarist that emerged during 1940-65 sounded like a relative of Charlie Christian. The first important electric guitarist, Christian played his instrument with the fluidity, confidence, and swing of a saxophonist. Although technically a swing stylist, his musical vocabulary was studied and emulated by the bop players, and when one listens to players ranging from Tiny Grimes, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis, to Wes Montgomery and George Benson, the dominant influence of Christian is obvious.
 
Charlie Christians time in the spotlight was terribly brief. He played piano locally in Oklahoma, and began to utilize an amplified guitar in 1937, after becoming a student of Eddie Durham, a jazz guitarist who invented the amplified guitar. John Hammond, the masterful talent scout and producer, heard about Christian (possibly from Mary Lou Williams), was impressed by what he saw, and arranged for the guitarist to travel to Los Angeles in August 1939 and try out with Benny Goodman. Although the clarinetist was initially put off by Christians primitive wardrobe, as soon as they started jamming on Rose Room, Christians talents were obvious. For the next two years, he would be well-featured with Benny Goodmans Sextet; there were two solos (including the showcase Solo Flight) with the full orchestra; and the guitarist had the opportunity to jam at Mintons Playhouse with such up-and-coming players as Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke, and Dizzy Gillespie. All of the guitarists recordings (including guest spots and radio broadcasts) are currently available on CD. Tragically, he contracted tuberculosis in 1941, and died at the age of 25 on March 2, 1942. It would be 25 years before jazz guitarists finally moved beyond Charlie Christian.