A Jolly Guaraldi Holiday 2014

Good heavens; the holiday season approaches, and much too rapidly. That means it's time once again to investigate the many Guaraldi-themed concerts taking place, most of which (of course!) are tied in to his music from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

These events clearly have become a successful business model, with more groups getting on board each year, some of them expanding their schedules.

I traced the history and growth of this delightful tradition in 2012, in a blog entry which I encourage the curious to read. Meanwhile, this new post will serve as a clearinghouse for any and all late 2014 concerts that come to my attention. I'll add to this schedule as new information becomes available, so do check back on occasion.

As has been the case for several years now, the most ambitious tour news comes from Concord recording artist David Benoit, who once again is taking his Charlie Brown Christmas show on the road. This year's schedule kicks off November 29 in Brea, California, and concludes December 22 in Modesto, California, with stops along the way in Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, New Mexico and several other California venues. We caught the 2011 performance in Livermore, California, and I can report that it's a great show. It's also tremendously sweet, since Benoit and his team work with a children's choir that is local to each stop. Check his website for details.

For those wanting a bit more detail about Benoit's involvement with the Peanuts franchise, this short interview is worth a look.

Benoit may grab the lion's share of headlines in the States, but our Canadian friends are hosting this season's most historic booking. Drummer Jerry Granelli, who worked as a member of Guaraldi's trio in the 1960s, will headline performances of the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas with his own trio. They'll perform November 27 at Central United Church in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; then on November 29 and 30 at the Festival Hall, in Calgary, Alberta; then on December 4 at Dominion-Chalmers United Church, as part of the Ottawa Jazz Festival; and then again December 16 at the Arden Theater in St. Albert, also in Alberta. Granelli first presented this show a few times last year, and the results were quite popular (no surprise there). He'll again be joined by Simon Fisk (bass) and Chris Gestrin (piano).

The Eric Byrd Trio also has made a cottage industry of Guaraldi's Christmas music, going so far as to cover most of the album in a 2009 release. Byrd's combo has taken its Charlie Brown Christmas Show on the road during the past few years, but this time seems to be limiting activities to four shows in Westminster, Maryland, from December 19-21. Check his website for details.

The Heather Pierson Quartet — Pierson on piano, Joe Aliperti on sax, Shawn Nadeau on bass, and Matty Bowman on drums — has expanded its bookings, with a total of 10 shows devoted to A Charlie Brown Christmas. They kick off December 4 in Laconia, New Hampshire, and conclude December 21 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with stops in Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island. Check her website for details.

The Cartoon Christmas Trio doesn't concentrate solely on music from A Charlie Brown Christmas; they also pepper their performances with tunes from other animated holiday shows, such as Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (Their album is a kick; give it a listen.) They have five shows scheduled thus far, starting and concluding in Wilmington, Delaware (November 26 and December 21), with other shows in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Check their website for details.

The Ornaments, a jazz trio based in Nashville, Tennessee, also booked a busy week of shows, as has become their tradition. The combo — Jen Gunderman, piano; James Haggerty, bass; and Martin Lynds, drums — is doing a week's worth of gigs at The Family Wash in East Nashville, with shows each evening from Monday, December 15, through Saturday, December 20, with an additional Saturday matinee at the nearby Belcourt Theater. Details. (And if you haven't yet picked up their spiffy CD cover of Guaraldi's entire Charlie Brown Christmas album, what are you waiting for?)

Pianist Eric Mintel and his quartet — Nelson Hill, sax and flute; Jack Hegyi, electric bass; and Dave Mohn, drums — have a busy schedule of eight Charlie Brown Christmas & More concerts booked during December, starting in Flemington, New Jersey (December 3) and concluding in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania (December 20). Check his website for details.

The San Francisco Symphony is presenting nine performances of A Charlie Brown Christmas — Live between December 19 and 24 at Davies Symphony Hall, in downtown San Francisco, California. The concerts will feature the Symphony and Symphony Chorus, along with dancers, narration and animated backdrops. Check their website for details.

The John Milham Trio — Milham (drums), Chris Spies (piano) and Chris Servin (bass) — cut back a bit this year, with only two dates booked in their sixth annual series of Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas Concerts. The first is December 19 in Laurel, Mississippi; the second is December 20 in Mobile, Alabama. Check their website for details.

Other groups also have gotten into the act: 

• The Music of Charlie Brown and Peanuts, with the Donovan Johnson Quintet (Donovan Johnson, piano; Richie Williams, bass; Frank Prince, guitar; Bucky McCann, sax and flute; Carlos Figueroa, percussion; and Michael DeLuca, drums); Saturday, November 29, at the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. Details.


• A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, with Pat Fusco (piano), Neal Bowen (bass) and PeeWee Jackson (drums); Saturday, December 1, at Lafayett's Music Room in Memphis, Tennessee. Details.

• It's a Jazzy Christmas, with the Peanut Gallery Jazz Trio (David Gleason, Mike Lawrence and Pete Sweeney); Friday, December 5, at the Massry Center for the Arts, at The College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, with the Michelle Schumann Trio (Schumann, piano; Utah Hamrick, bass; and David Sierra, drums); Saturday, December 6, at the Stateside Theater in Austin, Texas. Details.

• The Music of Vince Guaraldi, with the JazzArts Initiative (Chad Lawson, Lovell Bradford, Gary Marcus, Ryan Hanseler and Charles Craig); Tuesday, December 9, at the Blumenthal Booth Playhouse, Charlotte, North Carolina. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Jose Gonzales Trio (Gonzales, piano; Michael Marcus, bass; and Lionel Kramer, drums); Thursday, December 11, at the Cornish Playhouse in Seattle, Washington. Details.

• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with Brent Jarvis (piano), Sean Drabitt (bass) and Jon Lee (drums); Saturday, December 13, at The Makehouse, in Victoria, British Columbia. Details.

• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with pianist Steve Schulte; Saturday, December 13, at the Howell Opera House, in Howell, Michigan. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, with Pat Fusco (piano), Neal Bowen (bass) and PeeWee Jackson (drums); Saturday, December 13, at Lafayett's Music Room in Memphis, Tennessee. Details.

• A Not So Silent Night Goes (Pea)Nuts, with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, led by Sean Jones; Saturday, December 13, at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. Details.

• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with Brent Jarvis (piano), Sean Drabitt (bass) and Jon Lee (drums); Sunday, December 14, at the First Unitarian Church, in Victoria, British Columbia. Details.

• Holiday Jazz Favorites, with Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Mark Noethen Trio (Noethen, piano and vocals; Lanny Webb, bass; and Gil Rodriquez, drums); Tuesday, December 16, at the McKinney Performing Arts Center in McKinney, Texas. Details.

• The Piano Starts Here: The Music of A Charlie Brown Christmas, with musicians Dawn Clement, Eric Verlinde and Nelda Swiggett; Tuesday, December 16, at the Royal Room, Seattle, Washington. Details.

• Jeffrey Butzer & T.T. Mahony Perform Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas; Thursday, December 18, at The Strand Theatre, Marietta, Georgia. Details.

• Jeffrey Butzer & T.T. Mahony Perform Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas; Friday, December 19, at The Earl, Atlanta, Georgia. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Jose Gonzales Trio (Gonzales, piano; Michael Marcus, bass; and Lionel Kramer, drums); Saturday, December 20, at the Blue Heron Gallery, Vashon Island, Washington. Details.

• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Jim Martinez Quartet; Saturday, December 20, at the Shepherd of the Sierra Presbyterian Church, in Loomis, California. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, with Pat Fusco (piano), Neal Bowen (bass) and PeeWee Jackson (drums); Saturday, December 20, at Lafayett's Music Room in Memphis, Tennessee. Details.

• Charlie Brown Christmas Special, with the John Lander Trio (John Lander, piano; Dear Torry, bass; and Feron Tillson, drums); Saturday, December 20, at Greenwich House Music, New York, New York. Details.

• Jeffrey Butzer & T.T. Mahony Perform Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas; Friday, December 20, at The Earl, Atlanta, Georgia. Details.

• The Charlie Brown Christmas Jazz Songbook, with the Dave Wild Trio; Saturday, December 20, at the Valley Mills Wineyards, Waco, Texas. Details.


• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Jim Martinez Trio and vocalist Laura Didier; Sunday, December 21, at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, in Fair Oaks, California. Details.

• The Piano Starts Here: The Music of A Charlie Brown Christmas, with musicians Ryan Burns, Chris McCarthy and Tim Kennedy; Sunday, December 21, at the Royal Room, Seattle, Washington. Details.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: Finding the True Meaning, with the Vancouver Chamber Choir; Sunday, December 21, at Ryerson United Church in Vancouver, British Columbia. Details.

• Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Christmas Score Live, with the Kevin Smith Trio; Monday, December 22, at The Drink in Brooklyn, New York. Details.

• Music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the Charlie Brown Trio (Andrew Boudreau, piano; Devon Henderson, bass; and Will Fisher, drums); Sunday, December 28, at Roadside Willies Smokehouse and Bar, Bible Hill (Truro), Nova Scotia, Canada. Details.