Audio CD review:
Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk - After Hours

Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk - After Hours

Band: Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk Title: After Hours Rating: Release Date: 09 May, 2000 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Swing To Bop - Charlie Christian 2: Stompin' At The Savoy - Charlie Christian/Dizzy Gillespie 3: Up On Teddy's Hill - Charlie Christian 4: Down On Teddy's Hill - Charlie Christian 5: Guy's Got To Go - Charlie Christian 6: Lips Flips - Dizzy Gillespie 7: Stardust #1 - Dizzy Gillespie 8: Kerouac - Dizzy Gillespie 9: Stardust #2 - Dizzy Gillespie

Customer Reviews Must Have! It is indeed recorded at Minton's playhouse in Harlem in 1941, but the personel on the album can be missleading. This is the 4th release version I have seen for this historic session. The original release that I ever heard was on the Laserlight label and it had 2 recording sessions. The first was this one with Charlie, and the other was with Dizzy Gillespie. After doing some research, and I could be wrong folks, but the trumpet player on the Charlie Christian recording at Minton's Playhouse was Joe Guy. An unpopular trumpeter during and after that pops up in the jazz history books next to Charlie Christian. Thelonius Monk is indeed on piano, Don Byas on the cool sounding tenor sax, and Kenny Clarke on the drums. Whether it is Dizzy on the trumpet or not really doesn't matter to the music lover because the playing is outstanding no matter what. I bought this session on CD in Europe last year and it is more extended than what is shown here. . . I would say 2 extra songs, about 15 minutes of exta music. This is probably the earliest hard-bob recording, and it does represent a big part of jazz history. If there was no Charlie Christian, and if this live gig was never recorded. . . who knows how jazz would have evolved. I've said enough, buy it and enjoy it! . RARE LOOK INTO THE TRANSITION TO BOP. If you do not know there was a recording lockout in the early to mid 40s and only V discs were made. Recorded in 1941 at Monroe's Uptown House and Teddy Hill's Minton's Playhouse, this recording is considered to be the first and one of the only recodings of the early transistion to Bop. These were big name artists and bands. The transitional music that was going on in the clubs was pretty much left unrecorded. It was only because a private collector, Jerry Newman, brought his own recording device to these clubs that these recordings even exist. Before these were even put to LP originally, Jerry Newman played the discs he made over and over. That accounts for why the sound quality is not quite perfect. Bebop didn't happen overnight but there is no recorded history of it. But this recording does exist and speaks out for the rare talent Charlie Christian had. He helped make the path along with others like Dizzy for the creation of Bebop. This does not deserve anything but 5 stars. This recording is a rare piece of history. Big bands didn't call for long uninterupted solos like were allowed to be performed here on this CD. Minton's was also a jam place for among others Parker. BOP WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED IF IT WERE NOT FOR JAM SESSIONS LIKE THIS. AGAIN I SAY THIS IS A HISTORIC RECORDING. NOTHING ELSE LIKE THIS WAS RECORDED IN THE EARLY TO MID 40S. THIS IS THE EARLIEST BEBOP. No one played like Charlie in the early 40s. His and Dizzy's talent shine on this disc. Hope this is helpful, Norman W. Nonnweiler. . Good stuff but don't be misled It is part Charlie Christian album (tracks 1-5) and part Dizzy Gillespie album (6-9) with Monk playing on TWO of the Christian tracks, and not very noticeably (or even audibly) on either of them. Those of you more observant than I will have already deduced that this is NOT a collaboration between Charlie Christian and Dizzy Gillespie, with Monk thrown in for good measure. The recording quality is adequate, about how you'd expect a live 1941 jazz club recording to sound; doesn't ruin the album, but is hard to ignore at times. Plenty of great music here, far ahead of its time, and especially a fascinating showcase for Christian away from his more (relatively) conventional work with Benny Goodman, and in the final year of his too-short life. This is the sound of bebop being born, and worth it for that alone, but if you were expecting an all-star session like I was, you've been warned. . You can see a complete list of all Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk discography, or go back to the Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk tabs