A Celebration of Jerry

Jazz drummer Jerry Granelli has been in the news of late, as a result of his December 8 performances of music from A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's nice to see that media outlets recognized the importance of the publicity hook: one of Vince Guaraldi's sidemen, from way back in the day, mounting a seasonal tribute concert to his long-ago trio leader. Jerry's a great guy — and an ace drummer — and he certainly deserves the fresh exposure.

I sent him a congratulatory note, and also expressed the hope that he'd consider reviving the concept in 2014, and possibly touring it a bit farther than his current home in Nova Scotia.

His reply:

Thanks ... it was a really wonderful four shows ... also fun to approach [these songs] as new pieces for the stage. People really seem to want it again, and out west as well. Ciao!

The pre- and post-concert coverage deserves to be shared, so I've gathered the best bits here, for your enjoyment.

• In and Out (CBC Radio, December 7)

• The Joy and Melancholy of A Charlie Brown Christmas (CBC Radio, December 11)

• Granelli Shines on Reissued A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack (CBC New Brunswick, December 11)

Unless you happened to live in or around Ottawa or Halifax, you'd not have been able to join the appreciative audiences at the four concerts. And — alas! — none of the shows was recorded (at least, not officially ... we'll see what pops up on YouTube!). We do, however, have a few clips available to enjoy, courtesy of CBC News:

• Jerry Granelli warms up (posted December 9)

• Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown (posted December 9)

Finally, if you'd like to watch a lengthy 2002 piece on Granelli, In the Moment, you'll find it posted here.

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Just by way of a late reminder: Quite a few Guaraldi/Charlie Brown Christmas tribute concerts have been added to this earlier post, since it first was published on November 8; check out the complete list here. If you live in New York, Southern California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Washington (state) or, yes, even Nova Scotia (again!), you still can have a very Merry Guaraldi Christmas!