Dr. Funk’s fans have long awaited the wide release
of The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi,
ever since its debut as a work-in-progress at the 2009 Monterey Jazz Festival.
The completed Andrew Thomas/Toby Gleason documentary subsequently screened at
more than two dozen film and music festivals during 2010 and ’11, garnering
several awards along the way, while seeking a mainstream distributor: a
necessary next step which — sadly — never materialized.
Years passed, as Andy and Toby continued to pursue
every possible lead; Guaraldi’s fans began to despair. Many of them wrote me
impassioned notes, hoping I’d have an inside scoop on the situation. Alas, my
response always was the same: Nothing had changed.
Until now.
The final barrier was the need to expand
performance permissions — for the music used within the film — beyond the
“festival license” level, in order to obtain the legal right to distribute The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi via home
video and streaming platforms. That isn’t cheap, and Andy and Toby had
exhausted their own financial resources (hence the lengthy search for a
distribution company, which would have handled such requirements).
But there is another option these days, at a time
when crowd-funding has resulted in happy successes such as the creation and
release of a big-screen sequel to the cult TV hit, Veronica Mars. Andy and Toby have set up a Kickstarter campaign,
which went live on November 17. They have 31 days to reach a pledge goal of $61,000,
and they’re hoping that fan interest will push them over that hurdle.
You can read an official press release here, and
check out a 2-minute trailer here.
As with all Kickstarter campaigns, the various
levels of financial support are accompanied by inducements: from a 16-page
preview booklet, at the modest Jazz Cat
level; to a producer credit that will appear at the beginning of the film —
along with all the goodies promised at the levels in between — for those
willing to become an Angel-Headed Hipster.
Details are available here, and several of the promotional items will be
available for shipment in time for the holidays.
Check it out, and you’ll surely agree: A wide
release of The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi
would make a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Holiday-of-Choice gift ... not
only for yourself, but for the entire jazz community. So pledge early, and
pledge often ... and spread the word!
********
Jazz drummer Jerry Granelli, beloved in this blog
as one of Guaraldi’s former sidemen, just received a tremendous honor at the
annual Creative Nova Scotia Arts Awards gala, held November 5 at the Halifax
Central Library. He was presented with the Portia White Prize, which recognizes
cultural and artistic excellence in Nova Scotia — where Granelli has lived since
1988 — and those who have attained professional status and mastery in their
discipline.
Among other things, Granelli was a prime mover in
the establishment of the Halifax Jazz Festival, more than 30 years ago.
“When I recall ... how over the years you have
trusted me with teaching your children, and supported the Creative Music
Workshop as well as my performances, I feel such enormous gratitude,” Granelli
said, during his acceptance speech. “And now to be honored with [this] award
... all I can really say is thank you. I will not stop.”
Additional coverage of this event can be found in
the Halifax Chronicle Herald and the Nova Scotia Local Express ... although
both articles repeat a grotesque error that has long circulated in Canadian
newspapers, when discussing Granelli. Contrary to oft-published report, he is
neither an “original” member of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, nor the “only
surviving member” of the said trio: a claim that would be met with annoyance by
Eddie Duran, Dean Reilly and Colin Bailey, all of whom preceded Granelli at
Guaraldi’s side, and all of whom are still with us ... and, like Jerry, “not
stopping.” (Talk about sloppy fact-checking. Sheesh!)
None of which is Granelli’s fault, of course, nor
does it detract from the magnitude of his honor. Congrats and high-fives,
Jerry!
********
Finally, a small surprise: Basement Blues, the new album from the John Stowell/Michael Zilber
Quartet — Stowell (guitars), Zilber (sax and piano), John Shifflett (bass) and
Jason Lewis (drums) — includes a Zilber original called “Have Yourself a Vince
Guaraldi Xmas.” I’m hard-pressed to detect any obvious nods to Vince’s classic
score for A Charlie Brown Christmas —
although faint suggestions of “Christmas Time Is Here” hover throughout — but
the tribute itself is quite nice to see.
