Benny Goodman (featuring Charlie Christian): Solo Flight

During the Swing Era, as bands swelled in size, acoustic guitarists turned to amplification to avoid being buried alive by ten brass and five saxes, even though most big-band guitarists played rhythm only, not solos. In 1938 George Barnes and Eddie Durham began exploring the electric guitar's solo possibilities, and in 1939 the instrument took flight when Benny Goodman hired Charlie Christian. As "Solo Flight" shows, Christian projected gloriouslyor, put another way, stood out like a sore thumb. As marvelously as Christian played, the electric guitar fit a big swing band the way blue suede shoes complement a tuxedo.