Customer Reviews

The Charlie Brown Suite And Other Favorites

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In what will hopefully be the first of several never-before-available Vince Guaraldi recordings to be released by his son, "Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites" gets off to a roaring start that the rest of the disc doesn't quite live up to. But this is a very nice CD.

A sleek big band arrangement of "Linus and Lucy" that was heard in "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (1973) is the first track (it's played during the scene when Snoopy directs the making of the popcorn and toast meal that Charlie Brown is forced to improvise because Peppermint Patty has invited herself to his house). This has always been my favorite version of the tune, and I never expected to hear it on CD.

The "Charlie Brown Suite," recorded live in San Francisco in 1968, takes up the bulk of the album. As other reviewers have noted, some of it has a certain saccharine quality. It is certainly well done, however, if you don't mind a string section on jazz material.

Let's hope for more -- perhaps Guaraldi's arrangement of "Skating" as heard in "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."

This album is certainly not for the faint of heart...If you just want to hear some Charlie Brown music, go get the original sdtk to the christmas special.

On the other hand, if you really appreciate the twisted melodic genious of Guaraldi (like I do), this album is a must. I picked up this cd on a whim to preview it at Borders, and was blown away. Once I realized that the track 'Happiness Is' is actually a slower version of the 'Great Pumpkin Waltz' with strings, my jaw dropped. Then halfway through the song, Vince comes in with this solo that sends chills down my spine! And the fact that it's at a slower tempo allowed him to really take his time in expressing himself. Man...talk about sick!!! that track was worth the price alone. Then as I listened to the rest, and I found more great gems...like the way Vince playfully bounces around over the wonderfully melancholy arrangement of 'Rain Rain Go Away', and how vince musically captures the quirkiness of 'Peppermint Patty'.

And mind you that the majority of these tracks are live...no studio retakes...every lick Vince plays is improv.

Although there are some doubtful renditions on this album - like Linus and Lucy (a little too abstract for my taste), there are great finds on this cd well worth the price for the V.G. fan!

San Francisco's jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi is best known for his work on the mid-1960s Peanuts TV specials, crafting irresistible, swinging ditties like "Linus And Lucy" and the oh-so-mellow "Blue Charlie Brown." His version of West Coast jazz is, admittedly, a bit on the light side, but for decades has caught the ears and imagination of an eager listening audience. For many, he was the gateway drug of Jazz, leading a few listeners onto harder stuff, while many others were content with the happy buzz his deceptively simple songs could induce.

This is an interesting, odd album that features extended explorations of the poppy ditties that made up the Charles Schultz section of the soundtracks to our lives. The disc kicks off with a rockin' jazzed-up tune, "Linus And Lucy With The Band," which has a few unexpected sonic twist and turns; the Suite itself is an impressive, if somewhat sugary, 1968 live performance which runs the Guaraldi gamut from florid orchestral work ala his "Cast Your Fate To The Wind"-era soundtracks to the smooth bossa nova of the "Charlie Brown Theme" and the moody, atmospheric take on "Peppermint Patty..." Just when you think he's gone soft, Guaraldi sneaks in something really cool and subtle. And once you realize that the seven songs of the sSuite itself were performed live (with studio-like sleekness), the project seems all the more impressive. If you're already a fan, you'll want to pick this one up.

I quite enjoy the new Charlie Brown Suite. It is a rare pleasure to find previously unknown original recordings by the composer reinterpreting his own work. That is the essence of jazz after all, and all of the greats continue to explore and reinvent their music and themselves throughout their careers.

That being said, what is contained here?
A new band arrangement of Linus and Lucy.
A live arrangement of Cast your Fate to the Wind, both wonderful.

The Charlie Brown Suite, in seven movements, a live orchestra with jazz trio, recorded at a performance on reel-to-reel tape.

Is the recording flawless? No. If you only insist on flawless recordings you will miss out on a lot of wonderful live material. Overlook the chair squeaks and the pops and faint tape hiss.

Is the recording original? Definitely.
Does it have moments of brilliance? Definitely.
Does it have moments where it drags a bit. Yes, but there are many more sparkling moments of wonderfully inspired music.

I enjoyed imagining I was at the concert hearing Guaraldi and company give a new look to his music. Each time I hear this CD I enjoy it more.

This is hopefully the first in a line of new Guaraldi material, and I for one am glad he is finally receiving his due as an important figure in the Pantheon of Jazz.

This is a terrific CD. It has a wonderful, joyous sound -- the musicians were obviously having a ball. For the average listener who loves "Peanuts," it's great.

You folks below giving it 1 star, although entitled to your opinion, are being WAY too harsh. Dull, lifeless, boring? Not hardly. No, they are not the originals -- so what?

If you're a true jazz aficionado then, ok, perhaps this might not be your cup of tea.

But for those of us without as discriminating a taste, it's wonderful.

if you were born between 1955 and 1963 and charlie brown meant anything to you at all, hearing this new material from vince guarldi is nothing short of heartrending

sublime!!!

I find it difficult to not compare this new Vince Guaraldi release to Oh, Good Grief!. Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites is an excellent collection of previously unreleased recordings, and the sound quality is quite good when you consider the original reel-to-reel tape source. Unfortunately, it is nothing more than an interesting long-play extension to Oh, Good Grief! -- which isn't necessarily all that unfortunate. If you are looking to fill a long rainy afternoon with background music, then I assure you that Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites along with Oh, Good Grief! will put you in the right mood. No question about it, Vince Guaraldi has the brilliant talent to pull your mind into playful relaxation and memories of childhood innocence that I wouldn't trust to anyone else.

Fans of jazz AND classical will both love this.

When I first heard the Charlie Brown suite, I thought it was a studio recording. I was surprised when I read it was recorded live at Mr. D's in San Francisco. Imangine being there when it happened - enjoying a martini in the darkened room while watching Vince jam to Peppermint Patty. He kicks ass on this.

Vince's brilliant arrangements for the full orchestra truly enhances the music, without overpowering his piano. Peppermint Patty and Red Baron are better versions than the original because 1) they are played on piano instead of harpsichord as the originals were and 2) Vince knew how to use the orchestra to emphasize certain chord passages, making it better than on piano alone. A huge bonus is the live version of "Cast Your Fate To The Wind". The whole album is great!

The album is a great album. Its generally an album created by Vince Guaraldi's son, who according to the booklet of the CD found many unreleased songs and tracks of the like, and wanted to share them with all of his fans. Some of the songs are actually more professional versions of other songs. Such as Linus and Lucy;it's that same familiar song we all know and love, but it's longer and has more instruments played as if the version heard on the show was kind of, well down graded for television since apparently Vince Guaraldi produced lots of tracks that seemed like too much. Well it's a great album, it's basically old tracks made better and some new tracks. I recommend it to anyone who'd like to hear what other songs Vince produced, and what some of the other songs were supposed to sound like.

If you're a fan of Guaraldi's amazing songwriting and melodies, don't pass this up! Certainly don't hesitate because there's some orchestration on a few songs. Once you've listened a few times, the orchestration seems to belong. This includes wonderful versions of rare gems like "Peppermint Patty" and "Red Baron" (and these are better than studio versions found elsewhere). Also here is a terrific slow-jazz version of "Happiness Is" where Vince seems to improvise with the perfect choice of notes. An added bonus is a (somewhat) jammed out version of the ever-popular "Cast Your Fate To the Wind" that closes out the album -- worth the price of the disc by itself. But perhaps the best part of this is "Rain Rain Go Away". Why this song isn't a jazz standard, I don't know. It's one of the most beautiful, almost tear-jerking, numbers I've ever heard. This is a real treat to have access to these versions of these songs. I give it 5 stars because of the beautiful melodies here and the opportunity to hear a rare-well-performed/arranged set of Guaraldi's songs. If you like his music, definitely do not pass on this one...