Celeste Star

Packed with multiple takes that might scare away the timid, this is volume six in the complete recordings of guitarist Charlie Christian as compiled and released during the '90s by the Masters of Jazz label. It traces his path through various sessions which took place between December 19, 1940 and February 5, 1941, involving the Benny Goodman Sextet (with and without Count Basie), the Metronome All Star Band (see "One O'Clock Jump"), and lastly, Edmond Hall's Celeste Quartet. This little Blue Note band combined the musical personalities of Charlie Christian, clarinetist Edmond Hall, string bassist Israel Crosby, and boogie-woogie master Meade "Lux" Lewis, who knocked the stuffing out of the celeste, a keyboard instrument that mimics a glockenspiel but might sound to some ears like a well-tuned toy piano…