Genius Pt. 2

Charlie Christian was a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, but, like here, did a lot of jam sessions on the side where he would show his prowess at long, improvised jazz guitar solos.

As much of a fan as I am of the guitar and can listen to solo artists play for hours, sometimes the instrument is best in the context of a larger band. I think Christian was at his best within the larger Goodman picture. Pay attention to the music in this next clip (which I think is from Ken Burns' Jazz) and you can here a lot of complex things going on in Christian's playing. As for the rest of the story, I'll let the clip do the talking: