Historical Dictionary of Jazz. John S. Davis
to New York City in 1982. He was a member of Benny Goodman’s last band from 1985 to 1986 and was a member of the Buck Clayton Orchestra from 1987 to 1991. He has performed with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. During his career he has appeared on more than 70 albums with artists such as Joe Wilder, Bob Mintzer, pianist Marcus Roberts, and Kenny Davern. From 1992 to 1999 he was a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, directed by Gunther Schuller and David Baker.
CHISHOLM, GEORGE (1915–1997)
Scottish trombonist. He was inspired to play the trombone by hearing recordings of Jack Teagarden. In 1937 he played in a jam session in London with Fats Waller, Coleman Hawkins, and Benny Carter that helped to start his career. He recorded albums with both Carter and Waller in the late 1930s. He joined the Squadronaires in 1939 and in 1950 was a member of the BBC Radio Show Band. In the late 1950s and 1960s he appeared on the television show The Black and White Minstrel Show as a musician and a comic. In the 1960s and 1970s he was a guest soloist with Alex Welsh’s orchestra, and in the 1970s and 1980s he appeared with Keith Smith’s Hefty Jazz and his own band, the Gentlemen of Jazz. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1984 and retired from playing in the 1990s before dying in 1997.
CHIZHIK, LEONID (1947–)
A Russian pianist, Leonid Chizhik graduated from the M.I. Glinka State Conservatory in Gorky in 1970. Appearing in various trios and orchestras from the mid-1960s through the 1970s, he was the first pianist in the former Soviet Union to program complete recitals of improvised music. The founder of the Chizhik Jazz Center in Moscow in 1989, he was also director general of the Moscow Art Center beginning in 1990. He moved to Germany in 1991 to teach piano at the Richard Strauss Konservatorium in Munich and at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Weimar.
CHOCOLATE DANDIES
Named after a stage show by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, the Chocolate Dandies were various recording groups who recorded from the late 1920s through the mid-1940s. The most well-known group contained the combination of Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins and produced some of the most important examples of the swing style.
CHOICE
Record label and company founded in New York in 1972 that issued many recordings by solos, duos, and small groups in the swing and bop styles.
CHOPS
A term referring to either the actual embouchure used on a brass or woodwind instrument or the facial muscles used to create that embouchure. It may also be used to refer to a musician’s technical proficiency, as in “He has great chops.”
CHORD PROGRESSION
The harmonic movement from one chord to another or, more generally speaking, a series of chords within a song. Some chord progressions in jazz have become standard, as in the blues or in a turnaround. See also CHANGES.
CHORD SYMBOL
The specific notation used to denote the root and quality of a chord in a song. See also CHANGES; CHORD PROGRESSION.
CHORUS
In jazz, this refers to performing the harmonic progression to a song once through, either with the melody being performed or with an improvised solo. It is often repeated to allow for more statements of the melody or more improvised solos.
CHRISTENSEN, JON (1943–2020)
A Norwegian jazz percussionist who, early in his career, was the main drummer of choice for American jazz musicians visiting Norway. In the late 1960s, he played alongside Jan Garbarek on several recordings by the composer George Russell. He went on to perform at festivals with Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods, Sonny Stitt, and Sonny Rollins, among others. In the 1970s, Jon Christensen would record a number of albums on the ECM label, and he was central to developing the style that characterized ECM throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, drumming in Keith Jarrett’s European Quartet and many other groups. See also EUROPE.
CHRISTIAN, CHARLIE (1916–1942)
An American guitarist in the early bebop style, Christian grew up poor in Oklahoma City. By 1937 he was experimenting with amplifying his acoustic guitar, and in 1939 he was discovered by talent scout John Hammond, who convinced Christian to travel to Los Angeles and audition for Benny Goodman. That evening at the Victor Hugo Restaurant in Beverly Hills, Goodman, initially unimpressed with Christian, called for the tune “Rose Room.” When it was Christian’s turn to solo, he played 25 choruses that electrified the audience and convinced Goodman to put him in the group. From 1939 to 1941 he played with Goodman and became an important fixture at the famous jam sessions held at Minton’s Playhouse, which included Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Kenny Clarke. One of the most influential guitarists in the history of jazz and popular music, Christian’s style and lines were incorporated and imitated by guitarists and bop musicians for years afterward. Christian contracted tuberculosis in 1941 and died in 1942.
CHRISTLIEB, PETER (1945–)
Born into a music family, Christlieb started playing saxophone professionally just out of high school. He occasionally substituted for his teacher, Bob Cooper, at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California. Pianist Jimmy Rowles heard Christlieb and became a big influence on Christlieb’s concept of playing. Just out of high school, Christlieb joined the Si Zentner band. Christlieb briefly played with Woody Herman in 1966 before joining Louie Bellson in 1967, with whom he would continue to perform for the next 20 years. He was also a member of Doc Severinsen’s Tonight Show band through 1992, in addition to playing with the bands of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Mel Lewis, and Bob Florence, among others. He played as a member of other television show bands including the Glen Campbell Show, The Bill Cosby Show, and Sonny & Cher. He co-led a group with saxophonist Warne Marsh, and in 1978 their album Apogee (Warner Bros.) was a critical success. Christlieb has been nominated for three Grammy Awards in the category of Best Jazz Soloist.
CIRCLE
A free jazz group founded in 1970 by Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul.
CIRCLE
A record label and company founded in 1946 with the goal of recording the cultural transition from African music to jazz. Several different ensembles and artists were recorded, and in addition several records by Jelly Roll Morton were reissued.
CIRCLE
A record label and company founded in Germany in 1976 that issued mainly free jazz and bop records.
CIRCULAR BREATHING
A method used by wind players to continuously play without interrupting the tone to breathe. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while using the cheeks to continue to push air through the instrument.
CLAMBAKE SEVEN
An octet formed by Tommy Dorsey in 1935 that served as a smaller ensemble within his big band. The group would perform interludes during the big band’s performances and also at jam sessions in addition to making several