The Man Who Made Schroeder JIVE!
Vince Guaraldi was the composer for Charles Schulz's Peanuts television specials, but did you know he wrote a lot of other great jazz pieces?
Keep reading to learn about this Grammy-winning American jazz musician and pianist.
Keep reading to learn about this Grammy-winning American jazz musician and pianist.
Get to Know Vince Guaraldi
- Vince Guaraldi: A Quick History
- DISCOGRAPHY: Albums as Leader or Co-Leader
- The Lucy and Linus Rag
- Outer Space Jazz
- DISCOGRAPHY: Notable Appearances on Other Albums
- Vince Guaraldi's son, David Guaraldi, talks about his father.
- Extra Credit
- DISCOGRAPHY: Albums Showcasing or Featuring Vince Guaraldi's Music
- Did you enjoy meeting Vince? Let me know!
Vince Guaraldi: A Quick History
Vince Guaraldi was born in San Francisco on July 17, 1928. He graduated from Lincoln High School and then San Francisco State College, and served as an Army cook in the Korean War. He began performing while in college at weddings, high school concerts, and many other small gigs. His first serious gig came at the Black Hawk, where he performed as an intermission pianist, filling in for the legendary Art Tatum.His first recording was made in November of 1951 and came out early in 1953. The early 10-inch LP was called The Cal Tjader Trio, which included the tunes "Chopsticks Mambo," "Vibra-Tharpe," and "Lullaby of the Leaves." By 1955, Guaraldi had put together his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly. In June 1956 he reunited with vibraphonist Cal Tjader and was an important part of his two bands.
Guaraldi left Tjader's group early in 1959 in order to pursue his own projects full time.
Though he was best known for composing the music for the popular animated Peanutstelevision holiday specials, he won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1962 for "Cast Your Fate to the Wind."
Even before Duke Ellington played San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, that venerable institution's Reverend Charles Gompertz selected Guaraldi to write a modern jazz setting for the choral Eucharist. The composer labored 18 months with his trio and a 68-voice choir, and the result is an impressive blend of Latin influences, waltz tempos, and traditional jazz "supper music." It was performed live on May 21, 1965, and the album became another popular and critical hit. If Vince Guaraldi could write music for God, he could pen tunes for Charlie Brown!
Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson heard a single version of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Vince Guaraldi's trio on the radio while traveling in a taxicab on the Golden Gate Bridge. He contacted the jazz columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and was put in touch with Guaraldi. Guaraldi performed for Mendelson a version of what became "Linus and Lucy" over the phone just two weeks later. The show also introduced the now-standard "Christmas Time Is Here." While the network had misgivings about A Charlie Brown Christmas,A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the first Peanuts theatrical feature. He still released conventional jazz albums, but after a while Charlie Brown music consumed all his time. (His final album was released in 1969.)
After completing work on 1976's It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, Guaraldi took on a small schedule of nightclub gigs in California. He died of a sudden heart attack in a Menlo Park hotel on February 6, 1976, while waiting for his next show to start. His contribution was honored in the special This Is America, Charlie Brown, where Charlie Brown, talking about jazz, mentions Vince Guaraldi by name, then hums a few bars of "Linus and Lucy."
Discover Vince Guaraldi for Yourself
Sample some of his music
Vince Guaraldi - Greatest Hits
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 07/12/2009) 
Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
Vince Guaraldi and the lost cues from the "Charlie Brown" television Specials vol. 1
Amazon Price: $14.45 (as of 07/12/2009)
Alma-Ville
Amazon Price: $15.98 (as of 07/12/2009)
Vince Guaraldi Trio
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 07/12/2009)
"I want to write standards, not just hits."
DISCOGRAPHY: Albums as Leader or Co-Leader
· 1955 Modern Music from San Francisco· 1956 Vince Guaraldi Trio
· 1957 A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
· 1962 Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus (also known as "Cast Your Fate to the Wind: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus")
· 1963 Vince Guaraldi In Person
· 1963 Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends
· 1964 The Latin Side Of Vince Guaraldi
· 1964 Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown
· 1965 From All Sides (with Bola Sete)
· 1965 The Grace Cathedral Concert
· 1965 "A Charlie Brown Christmas (album)"
· 1966 Live at El Matador (with Bola Sete)
· 1968 Vince Guaraldi With San Francisco Boys' Chorus
· 1968 Oh Good Grief!
· 1969 The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi
· 1970 Alma-Ville
· 1998 Charlie Brown's holiday Hits
· 2001 Jazz Casual: Paul Winter / Bola Sete & Vince Guaraldi (1963 television recording)
· 2003 The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites (previously unreleased material from late 1960s)
· 2005 Oaxaca (previously unreleased material from late 1960s/early 1970s)
· 2006 North Beach (previously unreleased material from late 1960s/early 1970s)
· 2006 "A Charlie Brown Christmas (album)" Reissued 1965 album with additional recordings and more complete versions of some tracks
· 2006 Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials (previously unreleased recordings from 1972-1975)
· 2008 Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials: Volume 2
The Lucy and Linus Rag
Listen to Vince Guaraldi's Lucy and Linus while seeing still shots from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Outer Space Jazz
The Lucy and Linus Rag (the actual name of the song) was played to the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavor as the wake-up music on Day 2 of the STS-123 on March 11, 2008.
DISCOGRAPHY: Notable Appearances on Other Albums
· 1953 The Cal Tjader Trio (Guaraldi's first recorded session)· 1956 Introducing Gus Mancuso (w / Cal Tjader)
· 1957 Jazz At The Blackhawk (Cal Tjader Quartet)
· 1957 Cal Tjader (Cal Tjader Quartet)
· 1957 Conte Candoli Quartet
· 1958 Mas Ritmo Caliente (Cal Tjader)
· 1958 Stan Getz/Cal Tjader Sextet (all-star studio session that includes a long version of Guaraldi's piece "Ginza")
· 1958 Latin Concert (Cal Tjader Quintet)
· 1959 A Night At The Blackhawk (Cal Tjader Sextet)
· 1959 Latin For Lovers (Cal Tjader with Strings)
· 1959 Tjader Goes Latin (Cal Tjader)
· 1959 West Coast Jazz In Hifi (Richie Kamuca / Bill Holman)
· 1960 Little Band, Big Jazz (The Conte Candoli All Stars)
· 1974 Jimmy Witherspoon & Ben Webster - Previously Unissued Recordings (1960s session from Verve Records archive; the Black Orpheus incarnation of Guaraldi's trio supports the two leaders)
Vince Guaraldi's son, David Guaraldi, talks about his father.
Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Vince Guaraldi
Vince Guaraldi's son, David Guaraldi, talks about his father. Cast Your Fate
Runtime: 1:24
52283 views
10 Comments:
Extra Credit
Guaraldi's trio filled in for the Stanford Band at halftime of the 1963 Stanford-Oregon football game.
DISCOGRAPHY: Albums Showcasing or Featuring Vince Guaraldi's Music
· 1988 Quiet as the Moon (Dave Brubeck)· 1989 Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (Various artists including B. B. King, Chick Corea, Gerry Mulligan, and Dave Brubeck)
· 1995 Joe Cool's Blues (Wynton Marsalis)
· 1996 Linus & Lucy: The Music Of Vince Guaraldi (George Winston)
· 2000 Here's to You, Charlie Brown! 50 Great Years! (David Benoit)
· 2000 A Charlie Brown Christmas (Cyrus Chestnut Trio)
· 2006 Wintersong (Sarah McLachlan)
Let's Get Personal!
Loading poll. Please Wait...
Did you enjoy meeting Vince? Let me know!
YourCover_Mama wrote...
I love charlie brown, and for some reason forgot to put Charlie Brown's Christmas in the list :o( I will fix that right now!! Great job!
Posted October 01, 2008
JenniferAkers wrote...
Fantastic lens!! You've given a great resource for learning more about the man behind the Peanuts' song. Welcome to our group, Kids TV Shows!
Posted September 17, 2008
This Lens was Fun to Make
And YOU can make one, too!
It's fun, it's free, and it can actually earn you $$. Click Here to Get Started!
by BeautifulDreamer
Get to know Vince Guaraldi beyond Charlie Brown's Christmas and Linus and Lucy - you'll be glad you did! (more)
