On top of this Christian’s contributions to the evolution of jazz itself are of major importance. His unique brand of phrasing in just one facet of his playing that makes him stand out from other jazz guitarists of the 1930s. The horn-like quality of his long melodic lines was characterised by evenly placed notes in a legato manner. Christian concentrated on a free exposition of the conventional 4/4 time signature by deploying a new approach to the use of basic riffs to produce a kind of rhythmic excitement that was as fresh-sounding as it was exhilarating. In this aspect of his playing Christian parallels tenor saxophonist Lester Young’s work in the Count Basie band. (Proper Records) 


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