Seven Come Eleven
Benny Goodman Sextet, 1939, from Seven Come Eleven (single). Solo by Charlie Christian.
An early showcase for Christian's electric guitar, with clean eighth-note lines carrying equal weight with the clarinet.
Seven Come Eleven is an early showcase for Charlie Christian's electric guitar within the Benny Goodman Sextet. Using his Gibson ES-150, he plays clean, even eighth-note lines that carry the same weight as Goodman's clarinet, which was a new idea at a time when guitar was mostly heard as rhythm. The tune is short and riff-based, and Christian's solo is compact, swinging and full of horn-like phrasing. It helped establish the electric guitar as a serious solo voice in jazz. Listen for how his lines move steadily through the chord changes without fuss, and for the way he punctuates phrases with short repeated notes, giving the solo a relaxed but driving swing feel.
Seven Come Eleven by Benny Goodman Sextet is featured in our Jazz (#17) list. The solo is played by Charlie Christian and the song was released in 1939.
In our lists
- The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #3
- The 25 Greatest Jazz Guitar Solos — #17
- The Best Charlie Christian Guitar Solos — #3
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on Seven Come Eleven?
Charlie Christian played the solo on Benny Goodman Sextet's Seven Come Eleven (1939).
What guitar was used on the Seven Come Eleven solo?
A gibson es-150, according to widely reported accounts.