ROSE ROOM (1939) by the Benny Goodman Sextet featuring Charlie Christian on guitar

[DrFrankmeister1]

@wilsonmcphert... thanks so much for your commentary and copy of this tune. Of all the early jazz tunes out there, Ken Burns selected this tune for the background music for the credits section all 10 discs on Jazz, and over time it haunted me. I'm rewatching the Benny Goodman Story (with Fred Allen) and am loving the music all over again. Thanks for the treasure!

[Georgio64folk]

I love YOUTUBE

[555Filters]

Can you believe my Mother,

now 82yo, turned me on to Charlie.

[coonks1]

Benny is the genius.Please check out my video under "entertainer mike danton"

[kmc56]

Ellington's "In A Mellow Tone" is based on these changes.

[TheHeater90]

@kmc56 Ellington also has a very fine version of this tune, "Rose Room", which his band recorded in 1932. And it was a hit! I can't decide which version I prefer though. Both are very good, but this one with Charlie may be more historically noteworthy.

[kmc56]

One of the few Christian solos I learned note for note. I also had the privilege to learn these changes from a handwritten circa 1939 lead sheet at Clarence Christian's dining room table in Oklahoma City in 1978.

[Hey2Dashiki]

one of my favorite jazz songs

[TheZenerDiodes]

Love Charlie

[sirjuandabicho]

Estupenda grabación, muchas gracias por compartirla.

[Fruscianteistheman]

what a nice melody

[busessuck1]

Christian's awfully quiet on this recording...

[ury80]

najlepsze jest to ze my w trakcie tego koncertu wojowalismy z fryckami

[ruffian1868]

Only jokes :)

[ruffian1868]

What's with demoting the bassist and drummer in the credits at the beginning ?

[wilsonmcphert]

@ruffian1868 See discussion of this in background just under the yt screen. It was an unintended consequence of file conversion. 

[MrMutron]

@wilsonmcphert Do you know Gibson Guitars has used THIS video (your video) on their recent article on Charlie Christian? Pretty cool man.

[wilsonmcphert]

@MrMutron

They used my video of 'Stompin at the Savo'y as well. Cool. And thank for the heads up. 

[rewinfrey]

excellent info and slide show! the song is outstanding.

[TheGurra93]

Being both a clarinetist and a guitarist, this song is just so perfect!

[ThemThems]

makes me wanna pick up a clarinet and learn how to play this tune. 

[lalbruiz]

Damn, if I could go traveling in time I would take with me some damn good cameras and a Kick Ass recording equipment, and maybe spend 20 years in the past recording this stuff as it should had been...too bad the technology evolved too late for this. Amazing interpretation.

[KarlMcEvoyHoxtonHero]

@lalbruiz do you not think the quality of the sound adds to the beauty of it?

[lalbruiz]

@KarlMcEvoyHoxtonHero ...well...yes ,but I would love to be able to hear every nuance and detail in these recordings. I don´t know if they used the "everybody gather around the cone so the sound can be imprinted on the wax disc" method, but notice that the clarinet sounds extremely loud at 0:43, so maybe Goodman was very near the device that captured the sound. So, if that was the case, it would do them justice to have a modern recording for this excellent song. Thank you for the nice comment!

[49kasey]

@lalbruiz Odd isn't it, how with all our fine technology, the music today sucks... so ironic.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey The music today doesnt suck. And it is not really ironic, as music has not much to do with tech.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 I beg to differ. Music today is all about technology.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey Care to elaborate?

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 In a nutshell... digital. And all that it allows you to do. Engineers can't help but get carried away with it, the temptation is too strong. People are in love with technology, now don't deny it.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey That is the case for some music, but there is still plenty of dry music. And that aside i think that technology has actually contributed to music.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 I dunno... I think it's all been spoiled by musicians wanting to be stars first and foremost. I grew up in the 60's and everyone was just fucking around and coming up with amazing things. Really raw and exciting.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey The mainstream is fucked, i totally agree. But look and you will find amazing musicians.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 But yuck, I don't have the time to wade through all the muck. What am I supposed to do, listen to the radio? It was bad enough in the 80's... forget it.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey Suit your self. Good musicians are pretty easy to find, but if you would rather miss out on good music because your too lazy to expand your taste in music, go ahead.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 Oh, come on! There's so little time to waste...

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey The point is there is plenty of good music, your just lazy.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 And if someone doesn't accept the ideas you push on them you get negative... BTW, my musical taste is very broad, I just don't "get" most modern music.

[Grimmjow567]

@49kasey Well then your missing out.

[49kasey]

@Grimmjow567 Well, just don't worry about it.

[49kasey]

Respond to this video... I'm sure there are lots of amazing musicians out there and getting more so all the time but that doesn't mean the music they create will necessarily get better.

[kvnlmn]

@49kasey couldn't agree more

[mrtvsmith]

it's also a testament to Goodman who was not intimidated or jealous - but seemed to celebrate a new sound and approach - that's cool - he changed his mind - or allowed it be changed - I love this piece and the story behind it.

[Corrie121]

How I long for a return to music of this standard. Wishful thinking, I know, but this stunning performance makes me tingle. it is supreme.

Thanks a million for sharing this great post.

[Gullahboy]

@Corrie121 When parents start demanding grade a music programs in the public schools as was in the past .......and music is made one of the requirements ......

[taildragger53]

He says more in one bar than a million of todays guitar shredders.

The feel for Blues played a huge part in CC's technique and the way he plays notes from the chord rather than scales was used by others like T Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Billy Butler. etc.

[babbersabber]

@taildragger53 So he only played arpeggios?

[taildragger53]

@babbersabber

 Do some research on Christians style. Steve Khans guitar site is a start.

There's masses of info on-line about every guitarists style.

[kmc56]

@babbersabber No, Christian played a lot more than arpeggio.

[kmc56]

@taildragger53 All great jazz players incorporate blues into their sound.  Listen to Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," it's a blues masterpiece!

[taildragger53]

@kmc56

 My father had friends who had jammed with Coltrane back in the late 50s. I have listened closely to practically every alto & tenor player for the past 50 yrs. If we take Blues out of jazz we are left with very little, IMHO..perhaps just Mexican & Haitian music leftover. Ironically, there are many on ytube who say there is NO connection with Blues & Jazz.

[callasexperience]

yep Cholocharlie is correct charlie Doesn't play scales, he just run changes shaping the inside or ouside of chords in geometric shapes linking them with little chromatic runs called passing notes ... Simple but Deadly. never heard anything like it since..

Also anticipating a chord change by a couple of beats creating a feeling of great drive like a plane diving, Charlie Parker used this Technic too.

[kmc56]

@callasexperience I call it the New Orleans idiom - it's like a language. Lester Young was fluent in this idiom, too.

[Biggus63]

Such a great guitar solo-really swinging and just a little understated-one of the coolest bits of playing I've ever heard.

[NickTheBluesMan1]

real nice to listen to

[niallconroy]

charlie christian . what a man. shame theres no footage of him playing anywhere.

[cabjdavid]

damn, i was waitn a long time to find out wat this tune was called... finally found it!

[8cccpeevostokzempf]

Wearin' out the REPEAT button.

[Hoopermazing]

Charlie!!!

[willruddock]

Nice to hear the Genius play.

[broadcastarik]

great song, thanx for sharing

[guitardude431]

Charlie left this world too soon. He was so ahead in his playing, I cant imagine what he would have accomplished had he lived longer.

[joeyjoejoejnrjohnson]

awesome stuff!

[rguion8]

Ken Burns used it as the menu music for his Jazz DVDs. That's how I came to this tune. It does deserve more attention. Do read the info posted by wilsonmcphert to the left.

[Anontalkwarrior]

No comments for this!

WHAT A FUCKING SHAME!

This song needs more attention

[gwither2011]

@Anontalkwarrior i am a bg collector/ 86 lp, and 100 tapes and 40 cds.