Aside from the name being misspelled on front and back cover, guitarist
Charlie (not Charley)
Christian was at the forefront of the bebop revolution. These ten tracks show why, and also gives rise to the notion of
Christian being the first to wield an amplified electric guitar. The CD has a nice range of bop classics, three written by co-conspirator
Dizzy Gillespie, two originals of
Christian's, a lone standard, and a tribute to
Jack Kerouac. This collection represents not only a smidgen of what
Christian did before his career was tragically cut short, but opens a window into his grand contributions to jazz. Though only an appetizer and a bit flawed, it is tasty.