Track Listing

1. Oh, Good Grief!
2. Pebble Beach
3. Happiness Is
4. Schroeder
5. Charlie Brown Theme
6. Linus and Lucy
7. Blue Charlie Brown
8. Baseball Theme
9. Freda (With the Naturally Curly Hair)
10. Fly Me to the Moon [*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68034 in Music
• Released on: 1989-11-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English

Amazon.com
The jazz trio recordings that made up most of West Coast pianist Vince Guaraldi's output often leaned more in the pop direction. Guaraldi had played with Cal Tjader and Woody Herman, scored a niche with Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus, and hit a commercial high point with his melodic melodrama "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," but he will forever be tied to his score for the cartoon A Boy Named Charlie Brown. These performances are memorable for the program they set out to accomplish. The bright little skirmish of "Linus and Lucy" is the perfect accompaniment to these mimetic characters. "Blue Charlie Brown" contains some catchy piano soloing from Guaraldi. "Baseball Theme" works perfectly, as does the samba "Pebble Beach" and the Chaplinesque rag, "Schroeder." --John Swenson

Customer Reviews

You already know it by heart
You never knew the name of that one song; you just watched the specials. It's called "Linus and Lucy", it's probably running through your head right this minute, and it's on this CD. And after one listen, you'll realize that everything else Guaraldi wrote for the Charlie Brown shows is equally brilliant. Indispensable.

It is what it is, flawlessly
I'm not sure why you're even reading this review. If you've seen the peanuts, you know that Schulz's animations - those lovable characters, and the wah-wah-wah voices of the off-screen adults - are accompanied by jazz that's both soothing and whimsical.

If (egads!) you *haven't* seen Peanuts animation, this collection certainly won't mean the same thing to you. It's still a fabulous collection of pleasantly whimsical jazz, great for Sunday morning reading of the paper or Wednesday evening separation from reality.... but if you check out the cartoons first, that same pleasant whimsy will be filled with remniscent joy.

A must have CD for the serious jazz head
Vince Guaraldi was one of the few very talented jazz musicians who could span the divide between so-called pop and serious jazz. I think when a musician can touch the neophyte and the afficianado alike the music is something special. "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" is one of those very hip jazz albums that fortunately found its way to the mass market's ears. The swinging good feeling of the tune "Linus and Lucy" is so infectious you can't help but smile. No jazz missionary should leave home without this CD!