Jazz Beat: 12th Street Jump, at the Broadway Kansas City

Every month on 12th Street Jump — the jazz variety show recorded live at the Broadway Kansas City (formerly the Broadway Jazz Club) and broadcast over 100 NPR stations — jazz masters honor a legend with music, while hosts keep the hour flowing with wit. Wednesday, Charlie Christian is the focus of the program. Christian, who died in 1941, brought the electric guitar to jazz with Benny Goodman’s sextet. After hours, he’d jam with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, heralding the music to be known as bebop. Guitarist Rod Fleeman, who has traveled the world with singer Karrin Allyson, fills Christian’s chair. Joining him are pianist Joe Cartwright, bassist Tyrone Clark, drummer Michael Warren, and singers David Basse and Eboni Fondren.