Travels with Charlie Christian: Between Region and Nation
Travels with Charlie Christian: Between Region and Nation
This chapter analyzes the electric guitarist Charlie Christian, a key swing-era jazz soloist who was deeply influential to a generation of musicians. The development of Christian's musical style was the result of a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nationn, and he was most celebrated by jazz historians for the central role he played in the development of “modern jazz.” “Flying Home” was one of the earliest recordings of Christian as a new member of Benny Goodman's organization. With its evocation of great distance and speed, this song depicted Christian's new life far from Oklahoma City. His solos on “Flying Home” were musical experiences of different types of movement. Moreover, Christian's musical development was intertwined with a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nation. His music was also an omen of wartime mobility and migration.
Keywords: Charlie Christian, modern jazz, Flying Home, Benny Goodman, nation, Southwest, wartime mobility, migration
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