Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964/2014) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Vince Guaraldi’s name will forever be inextricably linked to Charlie Brown’s, thanks to the iconic piano jazz music Guaraldi composed and performed with his trio for 17 Peanuts television specials and a feature film. It all started in 1964, with A Boy Named Charlie Brown, a never-aired documentary on Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz that first brought Snoopy and the gang to life. Producers wanted a jazz soundtrack and approached Guaraldi after Dave Brubeck said he was too busy. In two weeks Guaraldi came up with Linus And Lucy, the freshness of the music perfectly enhancing the simplicity of the animation.

Originally entitled Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown, this is an important album not only because it is Guaraldi’s first Peanuts soundtrack, but also because the music heard here probably introduced millions of kids (and their parents) to jazz from the mid-’60s onward. Actually, this music is the score for a documentary on the Peanuts phenomenon called A Boy Named Charlie Brown, which ran before the first Peanuts specials per se appeared on the CBS network. The most remarkable thing, besides the high quality of Guaraldi’s whimsically swinging tunes, is that he did not compromise his art one iota for the cartoon world; indeed, he sounds even more engaged, inventive, and lighthearted in his piano work here than ever. It must have been quite a delightful shock back then to hear a straight-ahead jazz trio (Guaraldi, Monty Budwig, bass; Colin Bailey, drums) backing all those cartoon figures and genuine children’s voices, a mordant running musical commentary that made its own philosophical points. The music on this album laid the groundwork for much that was to come; here is the first appearance of the well-known bossa nova-influenced “Linus and Lucy,” and fans of the series will recognize such themes from future episodes as “Baseball Theme” and “Oh, Good Grief” (which is a rewrite of the Dixie Belles’ hit “Down at Papa Joe’s”). The original LP came with 12 bonus lithographs of Charles Schulz’s celebrated Peanuts drawings; the only extra thing the CD issue offers is a gratuitous outtake of “Fly Me to the Moon.

Tracklist:
01 – Oh, Good Grief
02 – Pebble Beach
03 – Happiness Is
04 – Schroeder
05 – Charlie Brown Theme
06 – Linus And Lucy
07 – Blue Charlie Brown
08 – Baseball Theme
09 – Freda (With The Naturally Curly Hair)
10 – Fly Me To The Moon [Bonus Track]
11 – Baseball Theme [Alternate Take, Bonus Track]

Reissue Produced by Nick Phillips. Remastered by Joe Tarantino.

Musicians:
Vince Guaraldi – piano
Monty Budwig – bass
Colin Bailey – drums

Please note: Track “10” is 44.1 kHz / 24-bit Digital Master, mastered in 192 kHz / 24-bit.

Download:

mqs.link_VinceGuaraldiTriAByNamedCharlieBrwn19642014Qbuz24192.part1.rar
mqs.link_VinceGuaraldiTriAByNamedCharlieBrwn19642014Qbuz24192.part2.rar