Vince Guaraldi - Peanuts Portraits: The Classic Character Themes

Written by Fantasma el Rey

When Charlie Brown and the rest of Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts gang hit television for the first time in December 1965, Vince Guaraldi’s music was their theme. As A Charlie Brown Christmas animated our comic friends, Guaraldi’s music further brought life to those characters. Schulz and Peanuts had been ruling comic strips since 1950 and now with Gauraldi’s help they began a successful run with T.V. specials. Now available from Concord Music is Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts Portraits.

Vince Guaraldi had his own style of jazz by the time he ran into the Peanuts gang. His cheerful piano, plucky bass and steady, easy-does-it brush drumming with slight Latin overtones were mellow, cool and very playful. All those elements made up his signature sound and would breathe further fantastic life into the characters we all love and know so well.

The eleven-track set kicks off with the very familiar “Linus And Lucy,” which has become the "Peanuts" theme song over the years. This catchy little ditty was based on the Van Pelt siblings. His blue blanket always at his side, Linus is most known as Charlie Brown’s best friend. Meanwhile Lucy is a “fuss budget” who constantly refers to Charlie as a blockhead and swipes the football as he attempts to kick it.

Cool, jazzy blues plays a major part in these portraits. “Sally’s Blues” is a playful, mellow blues named after Charlie’s baby sister and long admirer of Linus. Good ol’ Charlie Brown is himself represented in two blues pieces, both variations of “Charlie’s Blues.” The first is “Blue Charlie Brown (Version #2),” which is a bit slower than the slightly more upbeat “Charlie’s Blues,” presented here in a variation of the original version.

Two other girls in the "Peanuts" gang are represented on disc here as well in “Peppermint Patty” and “Frieda (With The Naturally Curly Hair).” “Peppermint Patty,” the tomboy of the bunch who fancies Charlie, is captured here in the dreamy tune of here own name. “Frieda” is a lively run that illustrates the bounce in the natural curls of a little girl. An odd note is that while Frieda the character had a relatively short life in the comic strip her song clocks in at the longest at just over six minutes.

Rounding out the tracks are “Joe Cool,” “Schroeder” and “Little Birdie.” “Joe Cool” is the up-tempo horn-filled rant about Snoopy, the mischievous beagle loved worldwide, in one of his classic roles. “Little Birdie” features Guaraldi on vocals and is a funky jam centered on Snoopy’s friend the little yellow bird, Woodstock. Then we have “Schroeder,” a beautiful piano piece that no doubt the character himself would have played on that toy piano of his with ease and grace.

Closing the CD are two Gauraldi tracks played by George Winston, “The Masked Marvel” and another version of “Linus And Lucy.” “The Masked Marvel” is another tune Guaraldi put down with Snoopy in mind and is playing in the background when Snoopy licks Lucy’s face to win a wrist-wrestling match.

Peanuts Portraits also contains great liner notes filled with info on the music and the classic character that inspired the songs. A great CD with great music from the man who captured the Peanuts gang like no one but Schulz did.

The Definitive Vince Guaraldi

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Way back before he met the Peanuts gang pianist Vince Guaraldi was playing fine jazz either as a sideman or leading a trio. Cutting, digging, and jiving his way through the San Francisco scene, turning out platters on the Fantasy label for years. Here now is The Definitive two-disc collection of his finest works from those early days to his ‘60s hits, and of course, the tunes brought him to the masses.

Guaraldi began in the early 1950s as a sideman for vibraphonist Cal Tjader and then for clarinetist Woody Herman before forming his own trio around ’55. With years of side work under his cap and backed by hard-working kats who’d been gigging around like himself, he began his run at jazz stardom. From these years come jams like “Calling Dr. Funk,” which includes some good alto sax by Jerry Dodgion, and the flying “Fascinating Rhythm.” The latter is a fast-paced romp that has the ivories smokin’ while the guitar (Eddie Duran) and bass (Dean Reilly) are on fire as the trio race to the finish; listen to the last piano run, you can hear a bit of the future.

The trio can slow it down to a sleepy stroll with tunes like “Never Never Land” and “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing.” The boys can also swing a bit with the cool “Fenwyck’s Farfel” and the hep grooves laid down on “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise.”

“Samba De Orfeu” begins a new phase in Vince’s career as he picks up a Latin beat and incorporates samba and bossa nova rhythms into the mix (“Mr. Lucky,” “Corovada,” and “Work Song”). Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete plays on a few tunes that include “Star Song,” “The Days Of Wine And Roses,” “Ginza Samba,” and “The Girl From Ipanema”

Guaraldi scored his biggest hit with 1962’s “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” the song producer Lee Mendelson heard and kept in mind as he worked with cartoonist Charles Schultz while bringing Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip to television. The connection becomes clear after one listen to songs like “Cast Your Fate” and “El Matador” that this will be the music of the Peanuts gang and become Guaraldi’s signature sound: cheerful piano; plucky bass; and steady, easy-going brush drumming with a slight Latin kick. Overall mellow and cool, yet very playful. Mendelson made the call to Guaraldi and the rest is history.

With all the pieces in place, Guaraldi, a Peanuts fan in his own right, put it all together and gave us the classics we know and love today: the bouncy “Linus And Lucy” and “Skating;” the mellow “Oh, Good Grief;” and the quirky “Charlie Brown Theme.” Let’s not forget the holiday titles that go hand in hand with those original specials, “Thanksgiving Theme,” “Christmas Is Coming,” “Christmas Is Here,” and “The Great Pumpkin Waltz.” The holidays wouldn’t be complete without seeing these specials or hearing these songs somewhere as you shop for gifts or pick up that last-minute can of yams.

So go grab The Definitive Vince Guaraldi because without him and his cheerful piano playing we wouldn’t have those jazzy memories of holidays gone by. And if not for his years of knocking around San Francisco soaking up the sounds, it wouldn’t have all come together and given him the fame he knew he would achieve. It’s too bad a heart attack claimed Guaraldi at 47 before he knew the lasting effect his music would have on the world.