a charlie brown christmas

Vince Guaraldi and Charles Schulz made an indelible mark on what Christmas is all about with this uncommercial classic.   Guaraldi had made a name for himself in the jazz world with artists like Cal Tjader and Stan Getz and recorded eight albums of his own (Modern Music from San Francisco in 1955,  Vince Guaraldi Trio in 1956,  A Flower is a Lovesome Thing in 1957,  Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus aka Cast Your Fate to the Wind: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus in 1962,, Vince Guaraldi In Person and  Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends in 1963,  and  The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi in 1964) before making his big break.  

It was the single "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" that caught the attention of producer Lee Mendleson, who commissioned Guaraldi to do the music for his documentary about Charles Schulz.  The result was released as Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown in 1964.  The documentary was only aired once; but when the producers began work on an animated television special with Schulz' 'Peanuts' comic strip characters, Guaraldi was brought back to do the soundtrack.  The television score for  A Charlie Brown Christmas was recorded at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California.   The songs were re-recorded for the album several months later at Fantasy Recording Studios in San Francisco, California with The Vince Guaraldi Trio featuring Jerry Granelli on drums;  Vince Guaraldi on piano, Hammond organ, and arrangements;  and  Fred Marshall on double bass.  The old rhythm section of  Colin Bailey on drums and Monty Budwig on double bass sat in for "Greensleeves".  The children's chorus was performed by members of the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael California had appeared on Guaraldi's The Grace Cathedral Concert earlier that year.  In the interim he had also released  From All Sides with Bola Sete.  


The executives at CBS were not pleased with the anti-commercial religious message of the show; but Schulz stuck firm on Linus' speech relating the story of the birth of Christ.  They had already put loads of advertising into it, so they were forced to air it.  The television special and the soundtrack album were both big hits, gaining more fans and sales with each passing year.  The soundtrack album for A Charlie Brown Christmas has gone on to become one of the biggest holiday albums ever, being certified as triple platinum with sales of over three million copies.     A Charlie Brown Christmas has also been inducted into  Grammy Hall of Fame and made a part of the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" sound recordings.   The television special won  an Emmy and Peabody Award.  










A Charlie Brown Christmas
full album:


"O Tannenbaum" (Ernst Anschütz) – 0:00 
"What Child Is This" (William Chatterton Dix) – 5:08 
"My Little Drum" (Vince Guaraldi) – 7:33 
"Linus and Lucy" (Guaraldi) – 10:46 
"Christmas Time Is Here" (Vocal) (Guaraldi) – 13:53 
"Skating" (Guaraldi) – 16:40 
"Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" (Charles Wesley) – 19:07 
"Christmas Is Coming" (Guaraldi) – 21:02 
"Für Elise" (Ludwig van Beethoven) – 24:28 
"The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 25:35 
"Greensleeves" (Traditional) – 28:53 
"Christmas Time Is Here" (Instrumental) (Guaraldi) – 34:20

A Charlie Brown Christmas
television special:


A Charlie Brown Christmas by atsau

jazz impressions of "a boy named charlie brown"

Vince Guaraldi found his most enduring success with the music he initially composed for a documentary about Charles Shultz.  After playing in bands with Cal Tjader and Stan Getz, Guaraldi had an unexpected hit with the b-side "Cast Your Fate To The Wind"from the single "Samba de Orpheus" off of the album 'Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus', earning himself a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition.  

It was this song that producer Lee Mendleson heard in a taxi cab that prompted him to contact Guaraldi to compose music for a documentary about Charles Shultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.  The documentary aired once and was shelved; but the music would be released in 1964 as 'Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown' on the Fantasy Jazz label featuring music by the Vince Guaraldi Trio of Vince Guaraldi on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums.  Some of the music would be utilized in the 'Peanuts' animated television specials starting with 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'.  In 1969, a full length feature film, 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown' was released as well, with its own soundtrack.  






http://www.vinceguaraldi.com/






"Linus and Lucy" was the first song Guaraldi composed for Mendleson's project.  It has become his most famous song.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80vORCMhJeA







"Charlie Brown Theme" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UQ2jhe_JO0








'Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown'
full album:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0796D78EDBF57B8F

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL887733908B7EAEFB





Oh, Good Grief 2:21
Pebble Beach 2:47
Happiness Is 3:37
Schroeder 1:51
Charlie Brown Theme 4:20
Linus and Lucy 3:03
Blue Charlie Brown 7:26
Baseball Theme 3:13
Freda (With the Naturally Curly Hair) 4:31

bonus
Fly Me to the Moon 8:56












'A Boy Named Charlie Brown'
full movie 1969
http://www.hulu.com/watch/431387



soundtrack to 1969 feature film
part one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLvisLt3uIY

part two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7DpvOF7-d4

oh, good grief!

Vince Guaraldi reworked some of his classic 'Peanuts' songs for this jazz pop hybrid. The reformed boogie woogie pianist had spent years playing jazz with Cal Tjader, Stan Getz, and many others before forming The Vince Guaraldi Trio with guitarist Eddie Duran and bassist Dean Reilly. In 1962, they had a top twenty hit with the original song 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' which also earned Guaraldi a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition.


In 1964, Guaraldi was approached by television producers Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez to do the music for a documentary about Charles Schulz; but when that fell through, he released the music as 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown'. A year later, he was asked to score the animated 'Peanuts' feature 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. Both albums became instant classics and brought jazz to a whole new generation of fans. When he switched to Warner Brothers Records Guaraldi decided to record new versions of some (not nearly enough!) of the 'Peanuts' songs from 'You're in Love, Charlie Brown', 'Charlie Brown's All-Stars', 'It's Your Dog, Charlie Brown', 'A Charlie Brown Christmas', and 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'. Guaraldi produced the sessions at Golden State Studios in San Francisco with electronic keyboards and an expanded lineup. The sessions featured Vince Guaraldi on piano and electric harpsichord; Eddie Duran on guitar; Stanley Gilbert on double bass; and Carl Burnett on drums. 'Oh, Good Grief!' reinterprets the music with a more contemporary electronic sound that is as much pop as it is jazz.








http://www.vinceguaraldi.com/










'Oh, Good Grief!'
full album:



All tracks composed by Vince Guaraldi 

1 Linus and Lucy 2:53
2 You're In Love, Charlie Brown 3:03
3 Peppermint Patty 2:34
4 Great Pumpkin Waltz 3:31
5 It's Your Dog, Charlie Brown 3:04
6 Oh, Good Grief! 2:33
7 Red Baron 4:43
8 Rain, Rain Go Away 4:59