Volume 1, Number 35

 

I love Christmas songs and holiday music. I tend to sing Jingle Bells in the dead of summer, coming out of nowhere for no apparent reason. I can't help it, a catchy and joyful tune is just that and shouldn’t be bottled up and let out only once a year. So this holiday season I was thinking about which holiday songs and music I enjoy the most and why. I came up with my list of songs which includes ages old carols up to some relatively modern day tunes. Time and time again though my thoughts would come back to a sound that seems to elicit the feeling of the holidays for me better than anything else: Vince Guaraldi’s music for A Charlie Brown Christmas.

 

Now most probably wouldn’t attribute the sounds of laid back, cool jazz as being representative of the holiday season, but because of its association with the TV show, whose Christmas images and sounds always conjure up those magical holiday feelings from my childhood, it has become my personal holiday musical touchstone.

 

Where I live it almost never snows and when it does it rarely sticks on the ground, usually only doing so every 10-15 years or so. Low and behold, a little over a week ago it snowed and stuck for one brief afternoon. As I was looking out at the falling snow “Christmas Time Is Here” immediately started playing in my head and I could hear it as clearly as if it were actually playing on the stereo. I instantly got the feel of the holiday season and could almost see the Peanuts gang playing out in the snow. It made me want to run out and play and I did!

 

 

Vince Guaraldi (1928-1976) was a jazz pianist and composer, who up until his association with Charles Schulz’s animated Peanuts, was known primarily for his song “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”. This was an original song he wrote as a filler for his 1962 album “Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus” which otherwise contained covers of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfá tunes written for 1960’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Film winner Black Orpheus. Shortly after, the song received a single release as the B side of a record and made it onto the charts eventually winning the 1963 Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition. Guaraldi’s recording was a moderate success, but later made it to the Billboard top 10 in 1965 as a cover performed by Sounds Orchestral.

 

 

It was hearing this one song that got the attention of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson, eventually leading to the hiring of Guaraldi to score the first Peanuts TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965. Needless to say the show struck a chord with the public as did the music. Pretty much everyone recognizes “Linus & Lucy” from this show as the Peanuts’ theme song even to this day.

 

 

The success of this Christmas special lead to countless other Peanuts TV specials and several theatrical movies. Guaraldi continued scoring every Peanuts outing right up until his untimely death at age 47 from a heart attack. His entire scoring output was confined to the music of Peanuts and comprised a total of 17 TV specials and one theatrical movie.

 

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) (TV)

Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (1976) (TV)

You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) (TV)

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975) (TV)

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974) (TV)

It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974) (TV)

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) (TV)

There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973) (TV)

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972) (TV)

Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971) (TV)

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) (original musical score)

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969) (TV)

Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz (1969) (TV)

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968) (TV)

You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967) (TV)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) (TV)

Charlie Brown's All Stars! (1966) (TV)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) (TV)

 

So during this holiday season, I’m stopping and taking time to reflect on the music that helps makes this time of year so special to me by recognizing one man for being a big part of it. Vince Guaraldi may not be a household name, even by some folks here, but his music has certainly been heard by us all at one time or another in our lives, whether we have seen the shows or not. Thanks to the Peanuts connection and through his music for it, his instantly recognizable sound has become part of our collective pop consciousness and has definitely lived on long after its creator has left us.

 

Happy Holidays Everyone!