Cast Your Fate to the Wind: Album photo credit

I constantly marvel at the degree to which the Internet permits instant communication between like-minded individuals, often from different parts of the world. Such conversations do much (in this particular case) to help keep a book alive, and shed additional light on details that remained undiscovered at the point of publication.

Uwe, an avid Guaraldi fan from Germany, recently purchased my book; during the customary riffling of pages that often prefaces the act of sitting down and reading, he noticed that the credit for the image of the LP jacket cover to Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (page 117) reads "photographer not indentified." This tweaked Uwe's memory, and he immediately sent me a note and directed me to this page on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, which discusses the album cover and includes commentary by photographer Chas Weckler, who took the picture in question. Weckler even discusses what went into designing and obtaining the photo.


What a great coup! Another piece of information nailed down, and an engaging anecdote to go with it.


It should be noted, however, that Weckler is mistaken when he mentions that this LP cover -- aside from the Peanuts albums -- was the only one not to include a photo of Guaraldi himself. In the interests of generating some replies, props to the first person who correctly identifies the other Guaraldi albums -- released during his lifetime, on either the Fantasy or Warners label -- that don't feature Vince on the cover. I'll further specify that I mean albums starring Guaraldi as the leader of his own combo, as opposed to the many on which he performed as a sideman in somebody else's group.


I'm much obliged, Uwe. Do visit us again!