Vince Guaraldi | Artist
Vincent Anthony Guaraldi was an American jazz pianist born 1928 in San Francisco, California. He is best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip, but also released many excellent cool jazz records. His compositions for the Peanuts series included their signature melody "Linus and Lucy" and the holiday standard "Christmas Time Is Here". Guaraldi is also known for his performances on piano as a member of Cal Tjader's 1950s ensembles and for his work with Brazilian samba guitarist Bola Sete. Guaraldi's 1962 composition "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" became a radio hit and won a Grammy Award in 1963 for Best Original Jazz Composition. Guaraldi was born in San Francisco's North Beach area, a place that became very important to his blossoming musical career. His last name changed to "Guaraldi" after his mother remarried. Growing up, Guaraldi was influenced by his maternal uncles, Joe and Maurice "Muzzy" Marcellino, both of whom headed jazz big bands in San Francisco for many years. Guaraldi graduated from Lincoln High School, briefly attended San Francisco State College, and served in the United States Army as a cook in Korea from 1946 to 1948. Guaraldi's first official recording was made in November 1951 with Cal Tjader's Mambo Trio. The songs "Chopsticks Mambo", "Vibra-Tharpe", "Three Little Words" and "Lullaby of the Leaves", were released in December 1953 on The Cal Tjader Trio. By summer 1954, he had formed his first trio, with Eddie Duran (guitar) and Dean Reilly (double bass), and regularly performed in the house band at the hungry i jazz club in San Francisco, backing the singer Faith Winthrop. Guaraldi's debut recording as a group leader occurred in August 1955 during a live session at the Black Hawk, which was released by Fantasy Records in March 1956 as Modern Music from San Francisco. Fantasy was impressed enough with Guaraldi to offer him an exclusive contract, yielding his debut album, Vince Guaraldi Trio. From his discography of 23 studio albums, standouts include Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962), Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends (1963), A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack (1965), and A Boy Named Charlie Brown Soundtrack (1972). Guaraldi made a total of four original Peanuts soundtracks, plus there are numerous archival releases. The Charlie Brown series came about when in 1963, while searching for music to accompany a planned Peanuts documentary, television producer Lee Mendelson heard Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" on the radio while driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. Mendelson then contacted Ralph J. Gleason, who put him in touch with Guaraldi. Vince Guaraldi died of a heart attack on February 6, 1976, at age 47, moments after concluding a nightclub performance in Menlo Park, California.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Vince_Guaraldi
Featured Albums: Vince Guaraldi
Related Artists: Vince Guaraldi Trio, Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Rod McKuen
