Vince Guaraldi at the Piano
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About the Book
Although Vince Guaraldi’s playful jazz piano themes for the early Peanuts animated television specials are well known, the composer himself remains largely unheralded. More than merely “the Peanuts guy,” Guaraldi cut his jazz teeth as a member of combos fronted by Cal Tjader and Woody Herman, and garnered Top 40 fame with his Grammy Award–winning hit “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” This career study gives Guaraldi long-overdue recognition, chronicling his years as a sideman; his attraction to the emerging bossa nova sound of the late 1950s; his collaboration with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete; his development of the Grace Cathedral Jazz Mass; his selection as the fellow to put the jazz swing in Charlie Brown’s step; and his emergence as a respected veteran in the declining Northern California jazz club scene of the 1970s. Throughout, this welcome volume conveys the magic and legacy of one of jazz music’s overlooked treasures.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Derrick Bang
Foreword by Charles Gompertz
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 400
Bibliographic Info: 36 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, discography, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5902-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9074-5
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Charles Gompertz 1
Preface 3
Prologue: “The Sound of Surprise” 7
1. Family Ties: Growing Up Jazzy 11
2. Adante: Becoming One of Tjader’s Raiders 20
3. i on the Future: Security as a House Band 29
4. Galloping with the Herd: On the Road with Woody Herman 46
5. Tjader Redux: Seduced by Bossa Nova 55
6. Adagio: A Heaping Helping of Vince on the Side 79
7. Allegro Molto: “Fate” Steps In 101
8. Sittin’ in with Sete: Bola Joins the Band 124
9. A Year of Grace: Performing in the “Big House” 141
10. Presto: Putting the Swing in Charlie Brown’s Step 158
11. Calling His Own Shots 192
12. You’re a Movie Star, Charlie Brown: Big-Screen Glory 221
13. Intermezzo: The Good Life 250
14. Lento: Done Too Soon 279
15. Postlude: The Slow but Steady Road to Immortality 297
Epilogue: A Windy Evening in Sausalito 325
Appendix A: Remembering Dr. Funk: The Sidemen Speak 329
Appendix B: Discography 332
Appendix C: Filmography 352
Notes 355
Bibliography 377
Index 379
Book Reviews & Awards
- “A phenomenal gift from the author to us: it is a loving tribute to the man and his music, one that seeks to place Guaraldi at the musical shrine he so deserves…labor of scholarly love offers a supreme example of professional expertise and literary virtuosity. The value cannot be underestimated”—ARSC Journal
- “Career is exhaustively reconstructed…definitive biography”—All About Jazz.com
- “A rich and needed testimony to Guaraldi’s musical legacy”—New Books in Jazz