Vince Guaraldi - The Man Behind the Music of Peanuts

[@johnlopez9963]

I went to school in the 8th grade with his Son. Will never forget the day he told me his Dad played the music for the Charlie Brown Cartoons.

[@jarreauforney8107]

Wow really, what his son name.

[@mescko]

@@jarreauforney8107 David. Vince composed a song in his honor, "Little David".

[@caljader3388]

Awesome 👍😎

[@samuelsun3560]

im guess you're a 67 year old man then huh since thats how old David Guaraldi is now. but then again... i see this kind of comment everyday just to entice commenters to believe a white little lie just made up to get likes and shit.

[@williammizebee]

I don't no how to add anything to what's already been said about this man Xmas would not be Xmas without this trust me their wasn't much besides either thanks

[@yesterdaze114]

Peanuts & Vince Guaraldi make me cry. I can’t explain it.

[@Jaxthewonderhusky]

Me too and I understand what you're saying.

[@RC-Flight]

The last surviving member of the original group, the drummer Jerry Granelli has passed away today July 22 at the age of 80 RIP Jerry! Peanuts music was the soundtrack of my childhood.

[@kirbyculp3449]

RIP Jerry

[@DoctorQuackenbush]

😢

[@paulrobinson188]

Saw him perform a few yrs back - a tribute to the cartoon. A very memorable evening.

[@DougMcDave]

I am so glad to hear Jerry Granelli trio, presented by the CBC on KZbin the last couple of years. He knew exactly how to provide just the right amount of rhythmic sound without overpowering the trio.

[@RC-Flight]

@@DougMcDave yes he was a very talented person.

[@literallyshaking8019]

The soundtrack to a Charlie Brown Christmas is the most perfect holiday album of all time. “Christmastime is Here” will never fail to bring me to tears whenever I hear it, it’s so hauntingly melancholy.

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

Xmas is supposed to be festive or religious, not melancholy

[@joesterling4299]

@@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu Live a few decades longer (if you're lucky enough), then see if you still feel the same way.

[@bobtaylor170]

Charles Coderre, my pastor, a conservative Presbyterian, understands why for me and many other Christians, Christmastime is a melancholy time. There is nothing wrong with this. The Lord Jesus Christ knew what melancholy was like.

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

@@bobtaylor170 the music is still trivial, the characters abominable

[@kayleefrost670]

I agree… just thinking about it makes my eyes misty. I hope it never loses that feeling.

[@Rosannasfriend]

He made jazz cool to me. When I was a kid I didn’t get it. As an adult, I like jazz with or without peanuts. But thank you peanuts, and thank you Vince.

[@shairaptor1865]

Maybe you didn't get ibut I massively enjoyed Vince's music as kid!! Don't underestimate kids!

[@boomerguy9935]

I already had jazz in my DNA and didn't know it until this special came on, which I watched the first time it aired in 1965. I started playing drums in a garage, self-taught rock & roll, and soon switched to jazz as soon as I found a professional instructor who taught me how to PLAY drums instead of BANG on them.

[@juniorjames7076]

Wow, it just hit me that I thought I only got into jazz in college, discovering to Miles Davis (Bitches Brew, On The Corner) or Coltrane (Love Supreme) etc, but I've been a fan of Charlie Brown's soundtrack since I was 5. So maybe I've been a fan of jazz much longer than I thought!

[@werearethedreamteam3724]

There would be no one ever like him again and never will be period

[@Peter-pv8xx]

My mom had read about this brand new Christmas cartoon and was excited to see it with me, I was six I think, it was the most incredible thing I ever saw, we only had a black and white tv but it was still great, I don't remember if my dad was home, working in the post office he would get home late some nights, I miss those Christmases my parents and grandparents, it's just me and my two sisters now, they're older than me and live 2000 miles away, me in NJ and them in Colorado. Merry Christmas to all in 2021!

[@wvman2374]

Have a Merry Christmas, Peter!

[@deaterk]

Peter - Great memories of a simpler time. Stay healthy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@andrewpetik2034]

I could have written this! Except I am the oldest. It was wonderful to watch with the family....even on that old black and white Zenith! Merry Christmas to you brother!

[@lisatrautner9426]

My Father, and later me, worked at the Post Office. NJ also!

[@MrBronx61]

Peter - I was four years old when this was first broadcast in 1965, and I haven't missed it since. The music is timeless, and it always takes me back to Christmas during my childhood.

[@jrfrondelli2023]

Just listening to this music tears at my childhood heartstrings, and makes this 61 year-old yearn to be a kid again, just for a little while. :/

[@SisterShirley]

Me too John. If only to skate like Snoopy!

[@michellestark5387]

I have loved the music of the Vince Guaraldi Trio for the majority of my life. I can put on the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas any time I’m feeling down and it never fails to restore my spirit. They had a wonderful gift.

[@santonucci]

There are very few perfect works that have ever been produced by mankind, but A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of them, and Guaraldi's part of it is simply amazing.

[@joycefreeman5628]

The way they drew the kids dancing to the jazz in the Charlie Brown Christmas special has always looked so incredibly hip to me. 🥰 love ❤️ it

[@mescko]

Hip is right. There is a slice of pop culture in that scene, as one of the kids is doing the 'Frug', and one is doing the 'Slop'.

[@cclyon]

We would do the peanuts dance at work every Christmastime. I had a great boss.

[@muffs55mercury61]

Yes another product of the fabulous 1960s. So glad to have lived thru it.

[@werearethedreamteam3724]

Magical my dear !! just pure magic .

[@1oolabob]

The basic "Running Man" is there too.

[@loosenoose]

I grew up loving Vince's music in the Charlie Brown Christmas movie. Decades later as an adult, and being a single father of 3, feeling very lower middle class. Christmas is always a stressful and depressing time for me. I try to give my kids a good one each year, and I try to put on a happy face, but I think the melancholy spreads amongst the ranks, regardless. Vince's music has always spoken to me. Until you said it had sadness in its tones, I had never placed that. If I'm giving it a serious listen, I get a little choked up, possibly a little tear in my eye. I love this music and it makes me feel things against my will.

[@anitahamlin2411]

Sadly, he didn't get the recognition of a rockstar but will live forever in this work!

[@guerralg63]

Jazz Artists never get the recognition and adulation that pop and rock stars do, because people seem to like simple catchy beats or guitar riffs. Jazz is appreciated by people that understand complexity and feel of tge instrument/s. They like to hear the individual talent that is the signature sound of the artist, especially when they improvise. That also goes for the Jazz vocalist. I believe that people that enjoy jazz, and classical music are people that think and feel things deeper than most people.

[@sgrace7607]

@@guerralg63 Awesome comment. I agree.

[@ohnoohyeah3205]

Every year, we turn off all the lights except our Christmas tree and play O'tannenbaum. The tree poses and looks back at us. We both smile. 😊

[@blachubear]

When Guaraldi composed the music for Charlie Brown & The Peanuts Gang, he never thought his music would raised 5 generations and counting.

[@mescko]

He always said he wanted to write Standards, not just hits. He did, but the shame of it is he wasn't with us long enough to see it happen.

[@tehhkrmn65]

When people ask me who my favourite artist is, Guaraldi is usually one of my top artists. The way he crafts these beautiful songs, it brings more emotion to me than almost any other music I've ever heard. The sheer power and brilliance of his playing, the subtlety of the trio, the variation is musical styles, it inspires me to play piano more than any other pianist alive or dead. This was an excellent video, and hopefully people will learn who this wonderful man was, and what he did for jazz and for music in general, and in the mean time, listen to some wonderful jazz.

[@1060michaelg]

@Magnus Man, thanks for putting down this guitarist's thoughts about this musician so clearly and with so much love, that we all feel for him. Vince just seemed to be able to hit that, yes, CHORD in me. It's funny, when you're watching, say, "Charlie Brown Christmas, the music does just what it is supposed to do and we don't give it much thought (unless you're a musician, then you can't help iit)...but put on your headphones and listen to LINUS AND LUCY and for me the biggest goose bump inducer of them all, "CHRISTMAS IS COMING"...these two pieces are a tour de force one-two punch to your deep feelings. You might smile and bop along, or you might, like I do, well up with emotion mined from a DEEP place...but excavated with ease by this genius, Vince, who we lost far too young.

[@gallifreyandefense]

@@1060michaelg You need to check out his work with Bola Sete, there's a couple songs of theirs. Days of Wine and Roses is so good.

[@mescko]

@@1060michaelg Christmas is Coming has always been one of my favorites. It's so evocative, you can just feel the anticipation.

[@1060michaelg]

@@mescko Evocative, great description, my friend! And the anticipation, as you said---it's genius to create longing with an opening chord...and that's what Vince does. It finds me as that 5 year old who even in 1965, would hum that music for months after I first heard it!

[@deaterk]

@@gallifreyandefense Also a track called ‘Star Song’ (with Bola) is pretty awesome. Contains all the things mentioned in this string. Just a lovely, chill, bossa that stirs emotions and propels you to a happy place.

[@kenh.5903]

Years ago I worked with a couple of people who actually hated this man's music. As you can guess they were completely soulless and joyless people.

[@galedribble9535]

Charlie Brown Christmas will forever be one of my favorite albums. Driving around in the snow with this album on in the car it’s like you’re in a winter wonderland!

[@robhughes8516]

I do the very same thing.

[@Cml725]

So wonderful, and so sad his life was cut short.

[@dorothyjackson5168]

He seemed to be a chain smoker. Perhaps this contributed to his early and untimely death. Such a loss to the world!!!

[@mdmjeremiah]

True story, I had to buy two copies of the soundtrack to Charlie Brown Christmas because I actually wore out the first one to the point it wouldn't play anymore. That was in the days before MP3 and streaming music. Now I have it in multiple formats in multiple places so I will never be without my favorite Christmas album of all time. It is the first and last album I listen to for the season and, truth be told, all year long.

[@johnmitchelljr]

The power of music. Thank you.

[@baxatakbaxatak2014]

Vince Guaraldi is, was, and always will be one of the most criminally underrated jazz pianists.

[@oldcountryman2795]

Uh? No. He's universally recognized as a great jazz pianist. What planet are you from?

[@firstlas9647]

Oldcountryman: don't be a dick. No one knows jazz musicians. Other than you, no one would be able to name who scored Peanuts.

[@16voyeur]

@@firstlas9647 lmfao!

[@renelopez2244]

Truth

[@cravinbob]

According to you buddy boy. Compose piece that gets played yearly at Christmas and live like fucking king on royalties. Annoying when you amateur critics go on and on about "underrated" this or that. Annoying as click bait titles and race hustlers

[@daydayh7671]

I enjoyed this so much❤️As a Mom of Autistic Children now Adults. I recall sitting in front of the TV to watch Charlie Brown Christmas Special. When they were 5 and 6 years old I bought the CD for them to listen to. And to this Day, they now Vince's songs go hand in hand with good ol' Chuck❤️🥰

[@ronsorage78]

The Charlie brown Xmas soundtrack is one that gets played every year. Its my favorite Christmas album.

[@johnsanchez5204]

It's not Xmas! It's Christmas! Don't X-out, Christ! "Jesus is The Reason For The Season!"

[@ronsorage78]

To bad you are talking to an Atheist lol. Also the "reason for the season" was the church being unable to stamp out pagan holidays and religions. Can't beat them? Incorporate them. In the case of Christmas, winter solstice holidays like Saturnalia where many Christmas traditions come from. Actually most evidence in the Bible lead to Jesus being born is spring not winter.

[@robertaanderson6229]

I still listen and played for my kids and now grands every Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas.

[@dougshoemaker7733]

Peanuts cartoon soundtracks were never the same after Vince Guaraldi died.

[@vincentfranklin17]

Doug Shoemaker Agreed!

[@TWolf317]

I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say music has not been the same. Vince Guaraldi was unique and I don't think there will ever be anyone else quite like him.

[@Musicradio77Network]

After Vince Guaraldi died, “It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown” was the first “Peanuts” TV special with a different music director and a more updated and upbeat jazzy sound.

[@mescko]

Well, *who* could fill those shoes??

[@icecreamhero2375]

@@Musicradio77Network Thats very ironic considering that is one of the most depressing ones they ever did.

[@TheABElia]

It’s sad that Vince didn’t consider himself a “great pianist”. He was the person most responsible for my love of Jazz music. It all stems from these Peanuts specials.

[@michaelleffler5219]

Indeed. I fell in love with jazz before I knew what it was called when I was a child watching the Charlie Brown specials.

[@JimmyJets-ld8tc]

And countless others ❤

[@charliebrown3001]

I’ve walked this earth everyday as the physical embodiment of Charlie Brown with how he thought about life and how he dealt with it with all the highs but many lows. Vince practically saved my life with everything mentally I was dealing with at the time and still currently dealing with as of now. His music like many wonderful songs the genre of jazz music has to offer is the music I consider represents everyday life in a nutshell. But regardless of the many talented artists who’ve paved the way and made a mark In the industry, I firmly believe no one did it better then Vince, I know that may be a hot take, but I personally believe his music was like no other out there, though died relatively young he was truly one of a kind and the definition of uniqueness in his craft. So much so that when designing my pages for my very own yearbook for my senior year, I had to put him in my top tier musicians that got me through school. So thank you Vince and wherever the heck you’re at now I hope your still playing your tunes.

[@egreenbery]

His sound is so distinctive. The Charlie Brown Christmas album is an all-time great jazz record, both commercially and critically.

[@agitadora60]

testify

[@chrisfitzchrisfitz5182]

Can you imagine the jam session going on right now??! 😎☃️

[@kevinelliott5823]

I feel you brother! Same here…my wife and I had a piano trio play our wedding with a heavy focus on “Peanuts” music, Linus and Lucy was our walk in song😁✌🏼…and by the way, I proposed while we were “Skating”😁

[@markgigiel2722]

So, I watched it again for the millionth time and paid special attention to the music. Truly a masterpiece.

[@ulvesparker]

I was just telling people that Christmas Time (Is Here) is one of my top 3 favourite Christmas songs. I love the mellow, relaxing pace, minor key mood, and later the complex improvisations. I think that it reminds me a bit of the brilliant background compositions on Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Learning that he was from San Francisco and of his latin music influences totally make sense to me now. He kind of has that smooth Jobim groove, and San Francisco in the 60s and 70s was about that cool, mellow, artistic vibe on a rainy or foggy day. His sound is very SF. I did not know that much about Vince Guaraldi before this video. Thanks.

[@AnyahEMB]

Great post. ❤️

[@trex3003]

Yes. Many of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood's melodies were played by Pittsburgh Jazz artist, Joe Negri.

[@laidback93]

Yes, Vince was part of the west coast "Cool Jazz" scene.

[@1mespud]

Vince Guaraldi and Johnny Costa were two major influences that introduced kids to piano jazz.

[@baxatakbaxatak2014]

Tremendously underrated.

[@eedleate]

Costa was a beast. Those Mister Rogers end of show outros were incredible. Never met anyone who didn't dig Guaraldi's stuff.

[@boomerguy9935]

Also, Jerry Granelli with his brushes which grabbed me by the collar and froze me in place! Wow!!!! This group was like the Beatles in which the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. Each one individually was great but as a combination, they were fantastic!

[@rayvanwayenburg998]

How good is it that you would be remembered so fondly by generations of kids and adults 😊

[@rengarcia5189]

It's not possible to properly describe the smile on my face throughout the video tribute. These simple sounds are an indelible feature of my childhood reminding me of simpler days, of innocence and sweet melancholy.

[@gregjames9875]

I watch Charlie Brown Christmas every Christmas Season. It's a joy.

[@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists]

In 1965 I sat down to what I thought was a Christmas classic. Merry Christmas Charlie Brown! it was decades later I learned that I wasl actually watching the debut. It was magic for a five year old. In many ways these shows defined our childhoods of the time. I am so grateful for what Vince Guaraldi and Charles Shultz created.

[@minamiyamoto9976]

I can't explain why but after all these years of ups and downs, crisis and disasters, Peanuts is still my favorite. I love you Charlie Brown!

[@kingdoc3262]

Thank you for bringing this wonderful memory associated music to Life with recognition of whom was behind it. Born in 61, I welcomed it in 65!

[@JackFalltrades]

Probably the best known and loved jazz compositions in the world.

[@tayojones9460]

Used to watch the specials on boomerang. The music always meloncholy most of the time, and really set the mood. And now, thanks to you Matt, I now know the name of the man who composed this iconic soundtrack. Thanks.

[@MattDraper]

My pleasure! I absolutely love Guaraldi's music, so I thought it would be nice to highlight him this month.

[@timmy707707]

Vince's music coming out of the radio on KSFO way back in the early 60's fit our foggy San Francisco days like a glove. I fell in love with it at 4 yrs. old.

[@rwrynerson]

As a Portlander in the 1950's and 60's, San Francisco was our Paris. Vince Guaraldi and Charles Schulz were reminders to us that not all art is handed down from the Northeast Corridor or Sunset Blvd. Bravo for this concise video reminder.

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

This is where I fell in love with the sound of the brushes on the drums. Still one of my favorite sounds, quite magical.🥰

[@jaystark841]

How many people did this man effect with his music? Might as well begin counting the grains of sand on all the beaches in the world. I still get shivers listening to it.

[@katsuyaki7605]

I remember the excitement of being a little kid in the days before cable T.V., waiting for the moment each year when they would air the Charlie Brown specials again. Miss it, and you had to wait an entire year again to watch it. Now, I have them all stored digitally on my hard-drive and can watch them whenever I want as much as I want, and it's just not the same.

[@danacoleman4007]

Yep. Younger generations will never understand that feeling.

[@danacoleman4007]

Wonderful video! Thank you so much for making it!

[@MilanAlexich-f2n]

makes me bust out crying now.

[@Dan-zq5wt]

Beautiful tribute to one of the most soulful, melancholic and joyous soundtracks of childhood ever written. Thank you

[@FitzArias]

He like some before him and many after him, will live on thru his music. Almost 50 years later he is heard in these now legendary cartoon specials. Thanx Vince. RIP.

[@neiladlington950]

I'm in my sixties and have always loved this music but never realized that it might well have been the reason why I was receptive to jazz later on. Thank you for putting a face to this music. I am embarrassed to say that though I have heard this name before in jazz circles I didn't know he was also the musician behind this timeless music.

[@rayvanwinkle7022]

My wife was a student at College of San Mateo in the 70's, and she told me years ago about being in a choral group (or taking a choir class) there and the director, I think his name was Galen Marshall, knew Vince Guaraldi and had him come in to speak to his class. She says the one hour class turned into an all day performance!

[@kprimm1967]

Vince is absolutely incredible talent! The soundtrack to my entire life. You cannot be sad when listening to his music.

[@tomst9417]

Vince Guaraldi's music is pure genius. I have listened to the Charlie Brown Christmas album thousands of times and it never gets old. I'll always remember seeing the cartoon Christmas special in 1965, such a happy memory of a classic production.

[@siobhanlong459]

December 2, 2023 Loved your background info on the work of Vince Guaraldi.

[@j.jester7821]

Guiraldi's peanuts recording are sublime. the best music ever done for any animated television show.

[@nooneelsehasthisuser]

Timeless music...i can still remember just sitting in my car at work listening to the christmas album on cold winter days...it was my lunch hour pass time i didnt even eat sometimes 😅

[@alanjay35]

I have loved Vince Gauraldi my whole life. Thanks for this interpretation

[@lindaeasley5606]

The smooth , beautiful piano styling of Vince Guaraldi will forever remain with us

[@jacobsims8307]

It is bizarre the way those tunes convey anticipation and melancholy at the same time.

[@1st1anarkissed]

The score practically narrated the movie on its own. So many moods and all of them as smooth as silk.

[@nicholson227]

Started me to playing piano. Back. then I learned Linus and Lucy in C from the first published book.Later I got my hands on the actual music and this mans Genius. THANK YOU Mr Guaraldi.

[@philwithnotes]

The critical observations in the narration are incredibly intelligent and thoughtful. Nice work!

[@jmoody3]

Vince Guaraldi was an absolute treasure.

[@Thelionatays]

Learning Linus and Lucy now on my piano. I wake up in the morning and run right to the piano to practice. He’s so good!!! Love those low bass notes!!!

[@chrissie136]

My favourite Christmas album, no doubt. Love the smoothness of Vince's music. Thanks for the sharing. Happy Holidays ☃️🎄❄️

[@scopex2749]

Thank You so much Vince Guaraldi for making my childhood growing up with Peanuts so wonderful AND my love of Jazz! - They will be dancing in paradise with you there!

[@gh9111]

Probably the most recognized soundtrack in the last 50 plus years.

[@vincentfranklin17]

I'm a HUGE Peanuts fan! I'm also a huge jazz buff. Whenever I would read a strip,tunes like Linus And Lucy, Oh Good Grief, Little Birdie, would play in my head. My only complaint with The Peanuts Movie is it didn't have enough Vince Guraldi tunes. I think the score should have been all Vince's tunes!

[@williamjones7163]

Thank you. I always loved the Peanuts soundtracks but now I gave a deeper understanding. These songs will be the base of my childhood.

[@embryoniclebronster]

I Went To A Jazz At Lincoln Center Concert And Wynton Marsalis Said, "My Dad And Vince Served In The Korean War Together, And They Were Pretty Tight. My Dad Would Tell Me, 'Vince? Yeaah, He's Alright, Man.' '' Love You Vince.

[@spenzalii]

I would love to have heard Vince and Ellis play together

[@embryoniclebronster]

Would Have Made An Awesome Trio :)

[@glnnchrstphr9717]

My mom told me once that we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas together when I was 9 months old in 1965. She said I was moving my hands to the music. I've been a fan all of these 58 years since. It's just not Christmas without it.

[@HerculesCoronaBorealis]

What an absolute GEM of a human being. So much beautifulness he brought to the world.

[@alexiswiftrock]

Fantastic artisric expression in art and music. Unforgettable

[@hoisin75]

Thanks for this. Every Christmas I try and learn a Vince track from the song book. Love his music so much

[@deenyc705]

I have probably watched ACBC over 60x in my lifetime (I’m not quite that old, getting close, but have enjoyed sharing it with various young people in my life;) And I still laugh at Snoopy mimicking Lucy and still well up w tears at the end. I have the Best of Vince Guaraldi and have listened to it as much if not more. Every song is wonderful. He will never be forgotten.

[@tortera]

Brilliant. Thank you so much and Merry Christmas. 🎄

[@jacquelineharrell4605]

Still a favorite of mine!! 💜☃️⭐️

[@JackFalltrades]

Definitely this music sparked my interest in jazz.

[@Lou_Thats_Who]

Because of the music in the Charlie Brown specials is why about 18 years ago is why I started to looking into Mr. Guaralaldi's work and absolutely love it! I have two of his LP's one being A Boy Named Charlie Brown by his VG Trio that is a green record and came with Peanuts trading cards. Best purchase ever.

[@Joseph-xp3hh]

I remember as kid wanting to be a drummer , my neighbor was a piano player he had the linus and lucy song down pat !! I loved the left hand bass line even as a kid I felt the swing in it .Mr.Guaraldi is now swinging for the Angels for sure ! 🙏

[@DarkMoonDroid]

I knew nothing of this guy! Thank you, so much, for introducing him to us! Bless all!

[@ahanova33]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I love this music, now a reminder of my childhood. I now hear it and it feels warm and comfortable. When one of my kids puts it on in the background while I'm working in the kitchen, I hear the music and I'm drawn in. I have to leave the kitchen to go cuddle up on the couch with my girls (or my now adult son, still) and watch the Charlie Brown specials with them. These moments are new memories being made, blended with my own childhood memories. It's amazing what music can do.

[@JasonMAlexander]

Few pieces of music instantly reaches into my memories, through my heart, like Vince Guaraldi. The effortless reaction of a smile always accompanies my momentary drift to warm childhood memories & happiness once I hear any notes from the Charlie Brown Christmas

[@rsoubiea]

what an awesome musician, such a talent.

[@curiousgemini]

His music captures the essence of Peanuts.

[@davidcudlip6587]

Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Possibly the best sound track ever recorded. As relevant today as when I first watched it as an eight year old.

[@BlueParadoxical]

Great commentary! I loved it. His music will always be inseparable from my childhood.

[@lp-xl9ld]

I never knew (until rather recently) that the composition was called "Linus and Lucy"--funny thing was, I'd call it "the Charlie Brown theme" and everyone knew what I meant.

[@Otokichi786]

Some years ago, when Sears, Roebuck had an anchor store in Ala Moana Center, management had set up a CD player in a camping set. Non-stop Christmas Muzak and THIS local aural torture was too much. During a break, I substituted "A Charlie Brown Christmas" OST. A couple of young Japanese tourists strolled by just as "Linus and Lucy" played. Excited, they proclaimed: "Charlie Brown!" before moving on to shop. A musical Hallmark moment by The Vince Guaraldi Trio.;)

[@jasonstegallco.960]

On the "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" album (not for the movie of the same name) there, oddly enough, is a piece entitled "Charlie Brown Theme" with a nice shuffle feel to it. But I get how people tend to think of "Linus And Lucy" as either "the Charlie Brown theme" or "the Peanuts theme".

[@DonaldTaylor-e2c]

Vince and Bola played at my dad's nightclub ( the "Trois Coleur" ) in Berkeley in the early-ish 60s .

[@bretgatrell3700]

Thank you for the music

[@rheedo1]

Thank you Mr G for introducing me to jazz back in the 60s…I just didn’t realize it at the time😍😍

[@daviddisandro821]

well done ! you captured him and his work!

[@africkinamerican]

There is nothing "simple" about his compositions. They are: accessible, heavy on the melody, and harmony, tonally centered, hum-able (mostly), memorable, and evocative. "Christmastime" doesnt feel sad or melancholy to me: like the accompanying scene of the children skating, it feels placid, peaceful, quiet, reminding me of walking or riding through my own suburban Chicagoland neighborhood on a snowy evening. (Even if i never got to skate on a frozen pond, i got to see them all the time in the middle of winter.) Years ago I was working at a private club years ago that had a baby grand piano, and one Nov or Dec shift during the slow time of say, i felt a need to teach myself the song-- or as much of it as I could remember. I think I did pretty well at the first two sections. The harmonies are so beautiful they're burned into my brain.

[@tommym321]

I’m from suburban Chicago too 🙂 nice to see this comment

[@dmutant2635]

Snowfall is neither happy nor sad, but it can be mesmerizing, like Vince's music.

[@galedribble9535]

I used to drive around in the snow listening to this cd in South Suburban Chicago when I lived there

[@BooksForever]

The color palette of the Peanuts cartoons, especially the autumn/winter themes, is almost a visual jazz complement to Guaraldi's audio jazz. Like artistic peanut butter and jelly!

[@audreymuzingo933]

Totally agree, but it's almost like saying Elvis' dance moves were a visual complement to Rock & Roll. When something is truly iconic and goes so far back in time it feels like genetic memory, like something you were born familiar with, it's impossible to tell whether you think the elements were complementary to one another because they actually were, or whether they MADE it so, for you (and anyone who agrees with you). Does that make any sense? Ha, or maybe the peanut butter and jelly analogy is better than Elvis. Americans think they complement one another perfectly, but I suspect my British friend would disagree. Peanut butter is relatively obscure across the pond, so she thinks it's weird and kind of gross (but thinks Marmite is heaven, LOL!!). Wayyyy off topic now, but did you know that Oreo cookies were an absolute flop when introduced in Asia? The critiques were about the fact that the brown-black cookies are rather bitter and don't really taste like chocolate, and the white filling is sickeningly sweet. When I heard that I thought, 'Well, yeah, they weren't wrong about that, so why do I like Oreos?' Thankfully the documentary immediately answered for me: It had nothing to do with racial genetics or anything like that (Asian Americans were about as likely to enjoy Oreos as any other Americans). It was all in the marketing; they didn't advertise on TV as much in Asia like they did here. The American commercials showed people twisting the Oreos open and licking the filling, also dunking the parts in milk, which was virtually a non-beverage in Asia (and still isn't very popular, partly because Asians DO have a high genetic likelihood of lactose intolerance). So in America, Oreos were the treat you were encouraged to PLAY WITH, which had a bigger psychological effect than sheer flavor evaluation of the treat itself. That was not the case in Asia, so they could make the easy judgement call of, "Why would I eat this when there are plenty of other sweet treats that taste so much better?" And I guess that isn't really off-topic, if one thinks of (any) cookies and milk to go perfectly together; it might be because cookie manufacturers made you think it.

[@BooksForever]

I know exactly what you're saying. The cozy mental association may have been formed by the conjunction rather than discovered as a serendipitous good fit after the fact. On the Oreo, you would think the existence and popularity of cuisine like sweet & sour dishes or hot & sour soup would pave the way for a stronger Asian appetite for the cookie.

[@michaelg5919]

It was many years of listening to Rock and Blues before I came around to Jazz. Little did I know that I was just coming full circle after getting hooked on it by Vince, as a kid who absolutely loved the Charlie Brown Christmas! All these years later it's still so endearing to hear it every Christmas, and realizing how his music helped make the special beloved by millions, and I'd say as an equal to the great Charles Schultz animations.

[@LucilleBrawl17]

I absolutely love his scores. He even had a nice bluesy voice. Wonderful!

[@susanmorano405]

I love your avatar & pen name 😄

[@CyberSamurai4Life]

Jerry Granelli, the drummer for the Charlie Brown Christmas album was my neighbor for the last 12 years. He passed this i July last year. He was an awesome musician and kind person and a great friend.

[@donmcallister3745]

A classic Christmas tradition… both a Charlie Brown Christmas… and Vince’s soundtrack… it wouldn’t be Christmas 🎄 without them… Thanks Charles and Vince…👌🙏👌

[@vegetariansuniteworldwide8091]

Rest In Peace to Peter Robbins who died in January 2022. He was the first child voice actor who played Charlie Brown for the Christmas and Halloween specials. He had the perfect voice for good old Charlie Brown. So sad😢

[@tmorton42]

Outstanding job.

[@stevebailey325]

My grandmother babysat Vince in the late 1930s in SF. I have a photo of him and my grandfather on a ship when Vince was coming back from Korea. Looked like any GI, even had his trademark dark glasses on. ;)

[@pretorious700]

I graduated with a BA in music compositionj from SF State Univ. Guaraldi is a legend there.

[@drummingface]

The first jazz I was exposed to and still love!