A Charlie Brown Christmas

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I want to be able to talk about this recording... after all, it's just about my favorite Christmas music. So I went out today and picked it up. I'll give it a spin tomorrow and see how it is. Just the fact that several tunes don't fade out should be a bonus. My biggest worry is that the version of 'Linus & Lucy', supposedly the "real" TV soudtrack version, will be too different from what I've grown to love for the last 20 years on CD.

[etherbored]

I never even knew there was a soundtrack release for the Great Pumpkin! I really love the music on the Thanksgiving show too. Lots of funky Fender Rhodes on that one...

what? i got one over on the soundtrack guy? you gotta be kidding me. anyhow, seek it out because it is excellent.

regards,

-e-

[brownie]

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel today.

THE JAZZ BEHIND CHARLIE BROWN

Christmas special's now classic score considered risky at the time.

Published December 17, 2006

When it was first broadcast in December 1965, no one was quite sure what to make of A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first Peanuts tale ever shown on television. Untrained children did the characters' voices, there was no laugh track and it had an overtly religious theme, highlighted by Linus' recitation of the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke. Network executives were certain it would flop.

Then there was the soundtrack. Producer Lee Mendelson invited a pianist named Vince Guaraldi to compose the music, opting for grown-up jazz instead of the exaggerated effects of most cartoons. Guaraldi's high-spirited Linus and Lucy theme has become almost as recognizable as the Peanuts kids themselves.

"The music was absolutely essential to its longevity," says Mendelson, who has been the executive producer of every Peanuts TV project since the beginning. "It didn't catch on right away. It was all serendipity."

After four decades, Guaraldi's subtly infectious soundtrack has just gone double platinum, with sales of 2 million. It was recently released in an expanded and remastered version with a brighter sound that gives fresh clarity to Guaraldi's inspired work. (The sidemen have finally received proper credit as well.)

Perfectly pitched to the moods of the show, the music underscores the humor, innocence and wisdom residing within Charlie Brown and the rest of cartoonist Charles Schulz's world. Virtually every American has heard the soundtrack, but the story behind it -- and the career of the late jazzman Guaraldi -- remains largely unknown.

Fate to the wind

In 1963, Lee Mendelson was a young San Francisco filmmaker working on a documentary about Schulz, whose Peanuts cartoon strip was fast becoming a national craze. He needed music for a two-minute animated segment of his film. Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, he heard a catchy jazz tune on the radio called Cast Your Fate to the Wind, which was written and performed by Guaraldi, who also lived in the Bay Area.

Guaraldi, then 35, was a journeyman jazz pianist who had toured in the 1950s with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and with vibraphonist Cal Tjader and trombonist Bill Harris. He had made a few recordings with his own groups and was one of the first American musicians to discover the swaying rhythms of the Brazilian bossa nova.

In 1962, Guaraldi released Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus, interpreting music from the 1959 Brazilian film. To fill out a short album, he wrote a tune that was packaged as the B-side of a single. (About the same time, he grew a handlebar mustache, which became his signature look.) That throwaway tune was Cast Your Fate, which caught on with listeners and went on to sell 500,000 copies. It reached No. 22 on the pop charts -- one of the last instrumental jazz tunes to be a crossover hit -- and earned Guaraldi a Grammy Award in 1963 for best original jazz composition.

Cast Your Fate had the qualities Mendelson was looking for -- "both adult and childlike" -- so he asked Guaraldi to write something for his Schulz documentary. Within two weeks, Guaraldi called back.

"He asked if he could play something over the phone," Mendelson recalls. "I told him I didn't want to hear it over the phone. He said if he didn't play it, he might forget it. He played the Linus and Lucy theme. It was so perfect. Somehow, in my soul, I knew this was going to have a deep impact on what we were going to do."

As it turned out, Mendelson's documentary never made it to television. (It's now on DVD.) But Guaraldi recorded an album originally called Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown, which came out in 1964 and, with its swinging whimsy, may be his true Peanuts masterpiece.

"He was really a genius," Mendelson says.

A Peanuts fan

In April 1965, CBS decided to do a Peanuts special for Christmas. Mendelson and Schulz worked out the story line in one day, and Guaraldi was brought in for the music.

He reprised the Linus and Lucy theme, rearranged some familiar holiday tunes and added new compositions (Christmas Time Is Here, the buoyant jazz waltz Skating and the infectious dance number Christmas Is Coming). Mendelson wrote the lyrics for Christmas Time Is Here on the back of an envelope in 15 minutes.

Guaraldi was a short man, about 5 feet 6, with thick glasses and a sly, understated sense of humor. He had been a regular reader of Peanuts since its debut in the early 1950s, and it's fair to say he took the plight of the beleaguered Charlie Brown to heart. His compositions contained a palpable depth of feeling.

"I want to write standards, not just hits," he once said.

His accessible style, with its deceptively simple melodies, shifting rhythms and graceful improvised passages, proved ideal for the film's wistful tone.

"With the music, you're able to crawl inside the cartoon character," recalls David Guaraldi, who runs a Web site devoted to his father's career.

The musicians in Guaraldi's trio -- bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli -- sensed that something special was coming together, but no one knew what to expect from the overall project. CBS was lukewarm, and even the production team had doubts.

"We thought we ruined Charlie Brown," says Mendelson. "We thought it wasn't a good show."

An early screening for CBS execs was greeted with silence.

"Then one of the animators, who had had a few drinks, stood up in the back and said, `You guys are crazy,'" Mendelson recounts. "`This is going to be around for a hundred years.'"

`TV's greatest half-hour'

When the special aired on Dec. 9, 1965, it drew a 50 share, meaning half the TV audience was watching. Critics loved it, and the Peanuts franchise was launched. Four decades later, A Charlie Brown Christmas still scores high in the ratings and has entered our culture as the television-age equivalent of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. (ABC aired the special last month and will encore it at 7 tonight.) Cartoonist Robert Smigel has called it "the greatest half-hour American TV has ever produced."

Like the show, Guaraldi's music has taken on an extended life of its own. Since its debut in 1965, his Christmas album has become a holiday classic and has introduced two generations of Americans to jazz. Guaraldi's tunes have been recorded by, among others, David Benoit, Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, Vanessa Williams, Wynton Marsalis, George Winston, Patti Austin, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme and B.B. King.

With his Grammy Award in 1963 and the success of the Peanuts soundtracks, Guaraldi had a flash of fame in the mid-'60s. "He wasn't just doing Peanuts," says his son. "He was at the height of his career in '65 and '66. He was constantly busy all the time."

Mostly, he stayed close to home in Northern California, where he had two children and a steady series of Peanuts projects -- 16 in all. He kept working in jazz clubs and was appearing at a place called Butterfield's in Menlo Park, Calif., on the night of Feb. 6, 1976. The previous night, he'd been at Mendelson's house, discussing their next Peanuts project.

At Butterfield's, Guaraldi left the stage for a break between sets and never returned. He was dead of a heart attack at age 47.

Since then, even as younger generations have embraced his work, Guaraldi has receded into the past, something of a forgotten man. Still, after all these years, his music continues to exert a poignant appeal and -- like Charlie Brown himself, you might say -- remains eternally young and filled with hope.

[Teasing the Korean]

Quick review:

I listened to parts of the reiussue yesterday. Was listening in the car, and I'm not an audiophile anyway, so I can't really comment on the sonics. That said, it sounded like I heard a bit of room ambiance/delay on the percussion that I never really noticed on the original. (Maybe the stereo image has been spread differently). I didn't mind the alternate take of "Linus and Lucy," but I wouldn't have excluded the LP version either. The best bonus cut is the bossa version of "Greensleeves/What Child is This." Overall, I'd recommend this edition if you don't have any other, but I wouldn't say it's essential if you have an earlier version.

[7/4]

http://www.vinceguaraldi.com/

[Ron S]

David, thanks for that link. Here is the link for the forum thread on that site in which the Guaraldi "specialists" discuss this new reissue.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Well, I've listened to this new CD several times now, and I have to say, I don't know what is so "wrong" with it. Like others have said, the different take for "Linus & Lucy" is tough to get by. Why didn't they include the version we've all heard for the last 25 years? Even though not the LP version, it is the actual TV soundtrack version, as I verified this last night.

As for the sonics, I think this new version sounds great.

All in all, if you dig this music, get this new CD. If you always wanted to hear this music, get this CD. If you already have it and like it for a couple of plays a year, stick with your old version.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown,

Kevin

[shaft]

Yeah I got it also just now before Christmas. I do not have the old one or the LP. This edition sound kinda "modern" in the sound. Does not bother me in any case.

I love the packaging also.

Great CD which I would gladly recommend.

/Shaft

[Chalupa]

My son, who is 2.5 yrs. old, loves the "Linus & Lucy" song. Yesterday, I spoke w/ one of his teachers at his nursery school and she said he was dancing around the room playing "air piano" when she played the song for him. I had played the "Linus & Lucy" song for him last Christmas but I don't remember him having any kind of reaction to it so I was kind of surprised to hear that he had such a strong feeling about it now. Anyway, we played it for him last night after dinner and sure enough the kid went into whirling dervish mode. After it ended his face just lit up w/ the biggest smile and he said,"Again, Daddy, again." We wound up playing it about 10x in a row before we took him upstairs. It reminded me of how when I was a kid and heard some new song that I really liked that I had to hear it over and over and over again. He loves music and is always singing/humming a song but, this was the first time I've ever seen him get crazy over a piece of music. It made my Christmas. Thank goodness it wasn't something horrible like Britney, et al.

[Ron S]

Kirby, you should put on Schnabel playing the Waldstein and see how he reacts.

[John B]

from Concord's website:

“A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS CONUNDRUM!

Some of you may have noticed that the new remixed, remastered version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" had two mishaps -- these are as follows:

Track 4: Linus And Lucy -- the original LP version was an edit of two different takes, in the remix for the new CD we ran one of the takes in its entirety. New pressings of the CD will revert back to the original stereo mix -- if you want to replace your copy, please see the instructions at the end of this explanation.

Track 9: Christmas Is Coming -- the original LP version and the version on the new CD are entirely different takes. This is an unintentional mistake (those keeping close score will note that both versions are identical in length, thus confusion ensued during the final master assembly). Our sincere apologies, if you want to replace your copy, please see below.

The master has already been updated and versions hitting the stores from this point forward will be corrected.

For those of you who have noticed that some of the songs have things you've never heard before -- you're right! And these things are NOT mistakes:

Track 1: O Tannenbaum -- the original LP version had the introduction to the song cut off, on the new CD we reinstated the intro.

Track 5: Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) -- the original LP version fades out at the end of the song almost losing the last chord, on the new CD we intentionally left the last chord in.

Track 7: Skating -- the original LP version fades during the bass solo at the very end, on the new CD we intentionally let the song run to its conclusion adding about ten seconds to the track.

Finally, there has been great speculation and conjecture over whether or not any noise reduction was employed to generate the new CD. The new CD is remixed from the original three-track so the fact that you're not hearing that old familiar hiss is NOT due to the use of noise reduction, it is rather that the new mix is much quieter than the two-track stereo master. The only place a touch of noise reduction was utilized was on Track 10, "Fur Elise," as there is no three-track for that master -- it was originally recorded direct to two-track.

So, should you like to trade in your CD with the the two alternate takes (Linus And Lucy & Christmas Is Coming) for one with corrected masters, please send your disc (not the digipack, just the disc please) or a receipt for your original purchase (if you wish to keep the disc with the alternates) to:

Good Grief!

Concord Music Group, Inc.

100 N. Crescent Drive;

Suite 100

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

We will send you a replacement CD gladly in keeping with the spirit of the holiday. Please note that this replacement offer is only valid through March 1st, 2007. Thank you.

[JSngry]

It reminded me of how when I was a kid and heard some new song that I really liked that I had to hear it over and over and over again.

Some of us are still like that!

[chris olivarez]

It reminded me of how when I was a kid and heard some new song that I really liked that I had to hear it over and over and over again.

Some of us are still like that!

That's the kind of mindset that contributes to radio stations with extremely short playlists.

[JSngry]

Yeah, but the shit I do that with ain't on the radio.

[Dan Gould]

Good Grief!

Concord Music Group, Inc.

100 N. Crescent Drive;

Suite 100

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

At least Concord has a sense of humor about their screw-ups.

[ghost of miles]

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel today.

THE JAZZ BEHIND CHARLIE BROWN

Christmas special's now classic score considered risky at the time.

When the special aired on Dec. 9, 1965

Hey, that's the day I was born!

Thanks for posting that column, Brownie. Very interesting. I'd been thinking about picking up the new version, but I'll definitely hold onto the old one if I do.

Edited December 23, 2006 by ghost of miles

[Big Al]

Good Grief!

Concord Music Group, Inc.

100 N. Crescent Drive;

Suite 100

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

At least Concord has a sense of humor about their screw-ups.

Heck, I'm gonna go out and get the screwed-up version now!

[Big Al]

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel today.

THE JAZZ BEHIND CHARLIE BROWN

Christmas special's now classic score considered risky at the time.

When the special aired on Dec. 9, 1965

Hey, that's the day I was born!

Weren't you considered risky at the time as well?

Edited December 23, 2006 by Big Al

[BruceH]

I got this CD as a Christmas gift. I like it! But I'm rather glad I didn't pay for it.

[BruceH]

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel today.

THE JAZZ BEHIND CHARLIE BROWN

Christmas special's now classic score considered risky at the time.

When the special aired on Dec. 9, 1965

Hey, that's the day I was born!

Wow. It's also the day I was almost 4 and a half.

[sal]

from Concord's website:

“A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS CONUNDRUM!

Some of you may have noticed that the new remixed, remastered version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" had two mishaps -- these are as follows:

Track 4: Linus And Lucy -- the original LP version was an edit of two different takes, in the remix for the new CD we ran one of the takes in its entirety. New pressings of the CD will revert back to the original stereo mix -- if you want to replace your copy, please see the instructions at the end of this explanation.

Track 9: Christmas Is Coming -- the original LP version and the version on the new CD are entirely different takes. This is an unintentional mistake (those keeping close score will note that both versions are identical in length, thus confusion ensued during the final master assembly). Our sincere apologies, if you want to replace your copy, please see below.

The master has already been updated and versions hitting the stores from this point forward will be corrected.

For those of you who have noticed that some of the songs have things you've never heard before -- you're right! And these things are NOT mistakes:

Track 1: O Tannenbaum -- the original LP version had the introduction to the song cut off, on the new CD we reinstated the intro.

Track 5: Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) -- the original LP version fades out at the end of the song almost losing the last chord, on the new CD we intentionally left the last chord in.

Track 7: Skating -- the original LP version fades during the bass solo at the very end, on the new CD we intentionally let the song run to its conclusion adding about ten seconds to the track.

Finally, there has been great speculation and conjecture over whether or not any noise reduction was employed to generate the new CD. The new CD is remixed from the original three-track so the fact that you're not hearing that old familiar hiss is NOT due to the use of noise reduction, it is rather that the new mix is much quieter than the two-track stereo master. The only place a touch of noise reduction was utilized was on Track 10, "Fur Elise," as there is no three-track for that master -- it was originally recorded direct to two-track.

So, should you like to trade in your CD with the the two alternate takes (Linus And Lucy & Christmas Is Coming) for one with corrected masters, please send your disc (not the digipack, just the disc please) or a receipt for your original purchase (if you wish to keep the disc with the alternates) to:

Good Grief!

Concord Music Group, Inc.

100 N. Crescent Drive;

Suite 100

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

We will send you a replacement CD gladly in keeping with the spirit of the holiday. Please note that this replacement offer is only valid through March 1st, 2007. Thank you.

Was wondering if anybody took advantage of this offer by Concord to get a replacement disc? If so, how long did it take for them to get you the replacement?

[Dave Garrett]

So, should you like to trade in your CD with the the two alternate takes (Linus And Lucy & Christmas Is Coming) for one with corrected masters, please send your disc (not the digipack, just the disc please) or a receipt for your original purchase (if you wish to keep the disc with the alternates) to:

Good Grief!

Concord Music Group, Inc.

100 N. Crescent Drive;

Suite 100

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

We will send you a replacement CD gladly in keeping with the spirit of the holiday. Please note that this replacement offer is only valid through March 1st, 2007. Thank you.

Was wondering if anybody took advantage of this offer by Concord to get a replacement disc? If so, how long did it take for them to get you the replacement?

Not long - I think I got a replacement disc in the mail a couple of weeks after I mailed them a copy of my receipt. Maybe a bit longer than that, but I don't recall having to wait very long at all.

Given that tomorrow's March 1, I'd assume that the deadline only applies to them receiving any requests for replacement by then (or having the request letter postmarked before then), and they'll continue to fulfill outstanding replacement requests after that date.

[Ron S]

Was wondering if anybody took advantage of this offer by Concord to get a replacement disc? If so, how long did it take for them to get you the replacement?

I sent them a receipt at the end of December, hadn't heard anything, and called earlier this week. The fellow who's handling this (can't remember his name) told me that he usually sends the replacements out within a day of receiving a request, and said he suspects that either my request or the replacement disc was lost in the mail. He's sending me another replacement disc (and didn't even want another copy of my original receipt).

[sal]

Thanks guys.