“The Calling (The Ghost of Charlie Christian”)
Join the Parade
This is a song that sort of snuck up on me. I first heard it in concert (in at least 2007, though I think it was earlier), and it initially underwhelmed me. The guitar is amazing, but that’s Shayne Fontane and to be expected. It was haunting enough (being part of the Ghost Quartet) but didn’t grab me.
Or so I thought. Because within a few days of receiving Join the Parade, I found myself humming the refrain at odd moments. Apparently it worked its way deep into my hind brain, because I continue to return to it. I can’t say that the lyrics speak to me much but the melody really does. It probably doesn’t help that crossed circuits in my brain map “Charlie Christian” into “Charlie Wilson“. Though I have always felt that Marc Cohn has a place in an Aaron Sorkin soundtrack. 🙂
Oh, by the way, Charlie Christian was apparently a swing guitarist credited with helping transition the guitar from a part of the rhythm section into a solo instrument in its own right.
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