Jonathan Stout and his All-Star musicians play a birthday tribute to the "Genius of the Electric Guitar", Charlie Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942). The program will present Charlie's music in its original arrangements and instrumentation -- and on period instruments!

Charlie Christian rose to fame as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet, and his brief, two-year public career was almost single-handedly responsible for popularizing the electric guitar. Besides being one of the great Swing-era soloists, he was also one of the first practitioners of what would eventually be called Bebop. Charlie's influence spans from subsequent jazz guitar players like Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery, to the Blues players who would provide the foundation for Rock and Roll, like T Bone Walker, B.B. King and Chuck Berry.

The music of Charlie Christian has been an integral part of Jonathan Stout's music since debuting his Campus Five in 2002. Jonathan Stout and his bands have played for Lindy Hoppers and Balboa dancers all over the world, headlining many of the world's most important and prestigious swing dance events. As it happens, the music of Charlie Christian is among the best small group swing for dancing ever created, so it'll be a killer program for listeners and dancers alike.