Vince Guaraldi

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Biography

Vincent Anthony " Vince " Guaraldi (July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an Italian-American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip . Guaraldi was born in San Francisco, California . He was the nephew of musician, singer, and whistler Muzzy Marcellino . Vince graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School (San Francisco)|Lincoln High School , attended San Francisco State University , and served as an Army cook in the Korean War .

Italian American musical family

According to Laura E. Ruberto :

:"Vincent Anthony Guaraldi ... was born in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and raised out in the Avenues, surrounded by an Italian American musical family, especially on his mother’s side. According to the pianist’s son Dave Guaraldi, Vince was adopted by Tony Guaraldi, after Vince’s mother, Cannella Guaraldi, neè Marcellino, split with his biological father, Vince Delaio (sp? ). Guaraldi’s maternal grandfather hailed from Sicily and at least some part of his family emigrated first to New York before coming west.

:"And although it was his mother who arranged for his piano lessons as a kid, it was his uncles, Joe, a violinist, and Muzzy, a singer, who introduced him to the world of professional music."

Early career and Grammy Award

Guaraldi's first recording was made in November 1953 with Cal Tjader and came out early in 1954. The early 10-inch LP was called The Cal Tjader Trio , and included "Chopsticks Mambo", "Vibra-Tharpe", and "Lullaby of the Leaves". By 1955, Guaraldi had his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly . He then reunited with Cal Tjader in June 1956 and was an integral part of two bands that the vibraphonist assembled. The first band played mainly straight jazz and included Al Torre (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Luis Kant (congas and bongos). The second band was formed in the spring of 1958 and included Al McKibbon (bass), Mongo Santamaría (congas and bongos) and Willie Bobo (drums and timbales). Reed men Paul Horn (jazz musician)|Paul Horn and Jose "Chombo" Silva were also added to the group for certain live performances and recordings. Guaraldi made a big splash with his performance with Tjader at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival .

Guaraldi left the group early in 1959 to pursue his own projects full time. He probably would have remained a well-respected but minor jazz figure had he not written an original number to fill out his covers of Antonio Carlos Jobim/Luis Bonfá tunes on his 1962 album, Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus , inspired by the French/Brazilian film Black Orpheus , which won an Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film . Fantasy Records released "Samba de Orpheus" as a single, trying to catch the building bossa nova wave, but it was destined to sink without a trace when radio DJs began flipping it over and playing the B-side, Guaraldi's " Cast Your Fate to the Wind ". A gentle, likeable tune, it stood out from everything else on the airwaves and became a grass-roots hit. It also won the Grammy for Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition|Best Original Jazz Composition . While "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" by Guaraldi achieved modest chart success as a single in 1963, a cover version two years later by British group Sounds Orchestral cracked the Billboard top 10 (in the spring of 1965). Unlike many songwriters who grow weary of their biggest hits, Guaraldi never minded taking requests to play it when he appeared live. "It's like signing the back of a check", he once remarked.

Guaraldi then recorded an album called Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete, and Friends with guitarist Bola Sete , Fred Marshall (bass) and Jerry Granelli (drums). This began a period of collaboration between Guaraldi and Sete where Guaraldi began experimenting with bossa nova-influenced music as well as with the electric piano. This led to the recording and release of his album The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi . Shortly after this, Guaraldi undertook the role of composer and pianist for the Eucharist chorus at the San Francisco Grace Cathedral . Utilizing his Latin influences from his bossa nova days with Bola Sete, Guaraldi composed a number of pieces with waltz tempos and jazz standards and later recorded this performance in 1965.Derrick Bang , ''Peanuts Collector's Club Newsletter , 1993. Retrieved June 29, 2011.

Compositions for Charles Schulz's Peanuts

While searching for just the right music to accompany a planned Peanuts television documentary, Lee Mendelson (the producer of the special) 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 in San Francisco, California . Mendelson contacted Ralph J. Gleason , jazz columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle 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 " Linus and Lucy " over the phone two weeks later. The soundtrack was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, with drummer Jerry Granelli , and Puzzy Firth standing in for bassist Fred Marshall (jazz musician)|Fred Marshall , who was ill at the time. Guaraldi went on to compose scores for seventeen Peanuts television specials, plus the feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown as well as the A Boy Named Charlie Brown (TV special)|unaired television program of the same name .

Death

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 that his doctor had told him was nothing to worry about. The following evening, after concluding the first set at Butterfield's Nightclub in Menlo Park, California with his rousing interpretation of "Eleanor Rigby," 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 (Vince) was walking across the room and just collapsed. That was it." His cause of death has been variously described as a myocardial infarction|heart attack or an aortic aneurysm . Guaraldi had just finished recording the soundtrack for '' It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown earlier that afternoon.

Guaraldi's untimely passing was a blow to his colleagues. "It was totally unexpected", said Peanuts executive producer Lee 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 , and said he had not been feeling well, and didn't know what it was." Peanuts animator Bill Meléndez added, "He was a real good guy and we miss him." A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition by Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez, p. 91. HarperCollins Publishing, 2000

After Guaraldi's death, the music for the Peanuts series was composed first by San Francisco film and television composer Ed Bogas , who scored several Peanuts TV specials and motion pictures up to the early 1990s, along with Bogas' future wife Desirée Goyette , and occasionally, Judy Munsen . Bogas also did his own arrangements of Guaraldi's "Linus And Lucy" theme as a nod to the musician (most notably in '' It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown and What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! ).

Legacy

The first definitive, book-length biography of Guaraldi is scheduled for release in early 2012. Vince Guaraldi at the Piano , by author and noted Guaraldi archivist Derrick Bang, chronicles Guaraldi's career and role in the Northern California jazz scene, and also will include a complete discography and filmography.

David Benoit

Noted jazz musician David Benoit (musician)|David Benoit 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.

George Winston

New Age music|New Age pianist George Winston released a Guaraldi tribute album in 1996 entitled Linus and Lucy – The Music of Vince Guaraldi . Winston performed many Peanuts songs that had not been released by Guaraldi himself. "I love his melodies and his Chord progression|chord progressions ", Winston said of Guaraldi. "He has a really personal way of doing Voicing (music)|voicings ." The album was very successful, leading Winston to record a follow-up entitled Love Will Come – The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2 , released in early 2010.

In 2003, a heretofore unknown 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.

Discography

Albums as leader or co-leader

1955 Modern Music from San Francisco

1956 Vince Guaraldi Trio (album)|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)| A Charlie Brown Christmas

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

1989 Greatest Hits (Compilation album by Fantasy Records)

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)| A Charlie Brown Christmas 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

2008 Live on the Air

2009 Essential Standards (Compilation album by Fantasy Records)

2009 The Definitive Vince Guaraldi (Compilation album by Fantasy Records including two previously unreleased tracks)

2011 An Afternoon with The Vince Guaraldi Quartet

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)

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 , Dave Brubeck )

1995 ''Joe's Cool Blues ( Wynton Marsalis )

1996 Linus and Lucy – The Music of Vince Guaraldi ( George Winston )

2000 ''Here's to You, Charlie Brown& #33; 50 Great Years! ( David Benoit (musician)|David Benoit )

2000 A Charlie Brown Christmas ( Cyrus Chestnut Trio)

2000 The Seventh Song ( Steve Vai )

2006 Wintersong ( Sarah McLachlan )

2010 Merry Christmas II You ( Mariah Carey )

2010 Love Will Come – The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2 (George Winston)

Copyright Citations

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1. David Benoit 2. Sarah Slean 3. Umphrey's McGee 4. George Winston 5. Stu Hamm 6. Cal Tjader 7. Charlie Byrd 8. Stuart Hamm 9. Tom Harrell

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