Customer Reviews

"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus)

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As a Jazz musician, often I'm forced to play certain tunes from the Bossa Wave to the point that they might have been cute and catchy the first million times I heard them, but after a while, its like enough is enough. Then, a cat like Horace Silver or Herbie Hancock might come along, and show you what a bad cat Jobim really was. - - "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" falls in that catagory. Its not really a bossa album per se. Jobim was a brilliant melodist. If you ever have a chance, rent Black Orpheus and that catchy rhythmic melody from Samba De Orpheus will probably be rattling around your head for atleast a month. - - Vince G. takes those melodies and swings out with a slick soul Jazz edge - - Despite the fact that its straight ahead trio Jazz, the title song launched the album straight up the pop charts for almost a half a year. Vince Guaraldi may not come to mind when names like Ramsey Lewis and Cannonball Adderly are brought to mind, but this is a definitely a heavy swinging Jazz combo and well worth getting if you dig that sound. Incidently, you'll probably recognize the haunting Manha De Carnaval as the tune better known now as Black Orpheus, and with Guaraldi's commanding playing, backed by Monty Budwig on bass and Colin Bailey on drums, its definitely one of the best versions I've heard date.)

When I first saw the Brazillian movie "Black Orpheus" in the 1960s (it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1959), I was taken not only with a wonderful modern-day retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridyce but also with the fabulous music that pulsed through it. The Bonfa/Jobim score has an incredible energy, and Guaraldi's jazz interpretation of it is sheer joy. "Manha de Carnaval" was popularized in the U.S. by vocalist Jack Jones, under the name of "A Day in the Life of a Fool."

Not only do you get the marvelous Orpheus music on this CD, you also get "Cast your Fate to the Wind," one of the finest jazz classics of the 60s.

Guaraldi, most famous for his "Peanuts" music, had a great talent that extended far beyond that, and this fabulous CD showcases his wonderful jazz interpretations.

If you want to hear music and playing that will make your spirits soar, buy this album!

With "Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus," Vince Guaraldi created one of the most original, recognizable, and joyous sounds in piano jazz. (Perhaps only Thelonious Monk is more instantly recognizable.) The lively keyboard work, the sympathetic rhythm section, the Latin flourishes, the tender ballads, and the playful swinging all come together to create an instant classic. Extremely accessible, "Black Orpheus" is an excellent selection to get a friend interested in jazz - or to introduce yourself to America's classical music. A masterpiece!

I was 9 years old when the first Peanuts TV show aired, but I immediately recognized the piano work of my favorite jazz artist, Vince G. Not bad for a little kid, huh? I knew his music because my brother, 9 years older, had a copy of "Black Orpheus". It was a semi-clear red LP. As a child I loved listening to it. In Junior High I bought the LP for myself - made of boring black vinyl, not the cool red one Tom had owned - and I wore it out and bought a second copy in college. Then my wife bought the CD for me in 1986, and a new richness to the recording emerged. This remains, some 40 years after I first heard it, one of my very favorite recordings. As another writer said, if you enjoy enjoy the infectious music Vince recorded for the Peanuts specials, this CD will sound like an old friend.

If you're not familiar with the work "Black Orpheus", the title may confuse you as to the nature of the music inside. Don't worry! If you have fond memories (as I do) of sitting on the living room floor and waiting for CBS "Peanuts" specials, and if you loved the music that accompanied them, you will deeply enjoy this work.

While there is a certain Latin influence throughout, it doesn't take much listening (especially if you own any of the "Peanuts"/Guaraldi albums) before you recognize Guaraldi's signature techniques. "Moon River" is a standard, but he leaves his fingerprints all over it. "Generique" starts off with an early '60's spy movie sort of feel, but quickly takes off in an upbeat direction. Just listen to it for yourself. Guaraldi is THE MAN!

I would also add that this is the sort of work that would serve as an excellent entry level for someone who has not listened to much jazz in general, or piano jazz in particular.

I saw this Brazilian film from the 1950s here in NYC a few years ago at an art house on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It's a magical mix of the Orpheus legend set against the bright colors and raw sounds of the Carnivale.

That DVD is available from Criterion. However, the biggest treat from the film is this Vince Guaraldi interpretation of the jazz/bossa nova score. It's a stunner.

The hybrid SACD version is better than the regular CD. In SACD format, it sound like you have a jazz ensemble playing in your listening room. Guaraldi is perhaps best known as the piano 'voice" behind the Peanuts cartoons. But this is a true jazz album, and one of the best I've heard. I'm a bit too young to know, but I understand it was a huge seller in the 1960s.

"Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus" was the breakthrough album for Vince Guaraldi. It's a classic jazz trio playing in the then-popular bossa nova style. Mr. Guaraldi is a master of the piano, playing in a laid back, flowing style that is a joy to hear. People are most familiar with the mega-hit "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" but the other cuts are just as good and will haunt you for days after hearing them. All-in-all, a classic jazz album that belongs in every afficianado's collection.

Our family enjoys the Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi. This CD has several tracks that equal that performance

Sweet brazillian jazz piano combined with Guaraldi's 1960's hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." Throw in a coupla classics like "Since I Fell For You" and "Moon River" masterfully interpreted by Vince and you have the perfect album for unwinding, loving, or waking up!

The "Black Orpheus" soundtrack is often cited as the source of the Bossa Nova movement that swept the American jazz front in the late 50s, early 60s. Guaraldi, one of the first musicians to intepret this movement, delivers a performance that remains as fresh today as it was when originally released. If your only exposure to the agressive style of this pianist has been through the "Peanuts" soundtrack, you are in for a treat. Also,this CD will reaquaint you with Guraldi's original contribution, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind". In this piece, Guraldi has digested Bossa Nova and has produced a wholey new sound.