More than Peanuts: Guaraldi brought an impressive jazz pedigree to his work on the animated television specials. Wrote some of the most popular music ever composed by a jazz artist. Drawing on boogie-woogie, blues, bebop, Latin jazz, and bossa nova, he created a magical and evocative sound that was heard by millions of listeners around the world through the Peanuts TV specials, beginning with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965.
Vince Guaraldi was born in the North Beach region of San Francisco, California, on July 17, 1928.
Though the commercial success of those specials gave Guaraldi economic security, he continued to play jazz gigs at small clubs till the end of his life. Intense, exploratory and devoted to his craft, he left a profoundly jazzy stamp on American popular culture. It’s Jazz, Charlie Brown: The Vince Guaraldi Story reveals insight into Vince Guaraldi as a musician and a man, with interviews and music. We’ll talk with:. Guaraldi’s son, David Guaraldi.
Peanuts producer. Jazz critic, who wrote the liner notes for the excellent new anthology. Guaraldi friend and sideman Eddie Duran. Jazz pianist We’ll also hear the wide expanse of the pianist’s career on record.
Recordings include:. Early appearances with Woody Herman and Cal Tjader. 1960s bossa nova collaborations with guitarist Bola Sete. Excerpts from Guaraldi’s sacred concert and late-period fusion excursion. Guaraldi’s early piano trio sides. Several of his most popular Peanuts recordings. Guaraldi’s 1962 pre- Peanuts hit, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” For More Vince Guaraldi.
![Vince Vince](http://www.fivecentsplease.org/dpb/vincediscography.jpg)
Read Derrick Bang‘s, and his. Listen to an NPR story on.
While searching for music to accompany a planned Peanuts television documentary, (the producer of the special) heard a single version of 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' by Guaraldi's trio on the radio while traveling in a taxicab. Mendelson contacted, jazz columnist for the, and was put in touch with Guaraldi. He proposed that Guaraldi score the upcoming Peanuts Christmas special, and Guaraldi enthusiastically took the job, performing a version of what became ' over the phone two weeks later.
The soundtrack was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, with drummer and bassist Fred Marshall. Guaraldi went on to compose scores for seventeen Peanuts television specials, as well as the 1969 feature film and the. Guaraldi died at age 47 on February 6, 1976. The evening before, he had dined at Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson's home and was reportedly not feeling well, complaining of indigestion-like chest discomfort. The following evening, after concluding the first set at Butterfield's Nightclub in, with his interpretation of the Beatles' ', Guaraldi and drummer Jim Zimmerman returned to the room they were staying in that weekend at the adjacent Red Cottage Inn, to relax before the next set. Zimmerman commented, 'He was walking across the room and just collapsed.
That was it.' His cause of death has been variously described as a heart attack or an. Guaraldi had just finished recording the soundtrack for earlier that afternoon. Guaraldi's death was a blow to his colleagues.
'It was totally unexpected', said Mendelson. 'The day of his funeral, they played the Charlie Brown music over the sound system in the church. It was not an easy day; he was so young. It was one of the saddest days of my life. He was up to my house the night before his death, and said he had not been feeling well, and didn't know what it was.'
Peanuts animator added, 'He was a real good guy and we miss him.' He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in, California. A book-length biography of Guaraldi was published in March 2012. Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, by author and Guaraldi archivist Derrick Bang, chronicles Guaraldi's career and role in the Northern California jazz scene, and also includes a complete discography and filmography, as well as an appendix of quotations from Guaraldi's former sidemen. Some of Guaraldi's Peanuts compositions have been recorded by, and other jazz musicians.
Jazz musician has often credited Guaraldi and the original Peanuts Christmas special music for his interest in jazz. In 1985, Benoit recorded a cover of Guaraldi's 'Linus and Lucy' for an album called This Side Up, which enjoyed considerable radio airplay and helped launch the smooth jazz genre. He released 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' on the album Waiting for Spring in 1989. Pianist released a Guaraldi tribute album in 1996 entitled. Winston performed many Peanuts songs that had not been released by Guaraldi himself. 'I love his melodies and his ', Winston said of Guaraldi.
'He has a really personal way of doing.' The album was very successful, leading Winston to record a follow-up entitled, released in early 2010. In 2003, a live performance of the eight-part 'Charlie Brown Suite' was released on the album The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites. The performance was culled from tapes in Winston's private collection.
As leader/co-leader Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes 1955 Modern Music from San Francisco Some tracks trio, with (guitar), Ron Crotty (bass); some tracks quartet, with Jerry Dodgion (alto sax), Eugene Wright (bass), John Markham (drums); includes other tracks without Guaraldi 1956 Trio, with (guitar), Dean Reilly (bass) 1957 Trio, with (guitar), Dean Reilly (bass) 1962 Trio, with (bass), (drums); also known as Cast Your Fate to the Wind: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus 1963 In Person With (guitar), Fred Marshall (bass), (drums), Benny Valarde (percussion); in concert 1963? Jazz Casual: Paul Winter / Bola Sete & Vince Guaraldi television recording 1963? With (guitar), Fred Marshall (bass guitar), (drums) 1964 The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi With (guitar), Fred Marshall (bass), (drums), Bill Fitch and Benny Valarde (percussion), strings 1964? Jazz Impressions of 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown' 1964–65 With Fred Marshal (bass), (drums); various others on some tracks; reissued with extra material as A Charlie Brown Christmas Original Recordings Remastered 1965 With (guitar), (bass), and Nick Martinez (drums) 1965 The Grace Cathedral Concert With Tom Breeson (bass), Lee Charlton (drums), St Paul's Church of San Rafael choir 1966 With (guitar); in concert 1967? An Afternoon with The Vince Guaraldi Quartet with Eddie Duran; in concert 1968? Vince Guaraldi with San Francisco Boys Chorus 1968? With (guitar), Stanley Gilbert (bass), Carl Burnett (drums) 1969?
A Boy Named Charlie Brown With (bass), (drums) 1969? The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi late 1960s The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites 1970?
Alma-Ville late 1960s – early 1970s Oaxaca late 1960s – early 1970s North Beach 1974? Live on the Air Trio; in concert 1972–75? Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials 1973–75?.
^ i-ITALY, December 24, 2010. ^ Bang, Derrick (2012). NC, USA: McFarland. Archived from on April 6, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011. 'Downbeat: Vince Guaraldi Trio Takes A Permanent Coffee Break.' Downbeat Magazine 1964 (August) p.9.
Derrick Bang, Peanuts Collector's Club Newsletter, 1993. Retrieved June 29, 2011. Lodi News-Sentinel. February 9, 1976. A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition by Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez, p. HarperCollins Publishing, 2000.
McGarrigle, Dale (October 19, 1996). Bangor Daily News. Biles, Jan (September 5, 1996).
Lawrence Journal-World. Beauchamp, Lane (September 12, 1996).
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (Kansas City Star).
Maples, Tina (November 20, 1996). 'Music Just Happens To Winston'. Archived from on February 5, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2018. Yanow, Scott.
Retrieved November 26, 2018. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Archived from (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
External links.