It feels like these annual productions are multiplying exponentially.
Which means that it's time once again for this annual round-up of the many Guaraldi-themed concerts taking place between now and the end of the year, most of which (of course!) are tied in to his music from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Numerous bands and individuals across the United States —- and elsewhere! -- clearly have turned this into a cottage industry. Goodness, some of them even have expanded into Halloween- and Thanksgiving-themed concerts, featuring music from those respective Peanuts TV specials. High-fives to all of them, for keeping Guaraldi's musical torch aloft! I traced the history and growth of this delightful tradition back in 2012, with a modest schedule that now seems quaint. This year's post will serve as a clearinghouse for any and all 2019 concerts that come to my attention.
As always, I'll add to this schedule as new information becomes available, so you'll want to check back frequently.
As has become a tradition, the most ambitious tour comes from Concord recording artist David Benoit, who once again is taking his holiday show on the road. Many of the dates will find Benoit once again accompanied by vocalist Sara Gazarek. Their schedule kicks off November 29 in Rockport Massachusetts; and concludes December 22 in San Juan Capistrano, California, with stops along the way in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington and Florida. We caught Benoit's performance in 2011 and 2015, and I can report that it's a great show. It's also tremendously sweet, since he and his team work with a children's choir that is local to each stop. Check his web site for details.
Our Canadian neighbors once again can enjoy the return of the season's most historic booking. Drummer Jerry Granelli, who worked as a member of Guaraldi's trio in the 1960s, will headline Tales of A Charlie Brown Christmas with his own trio: Simon Fisk (bass) and Chris Gestrin (piano). He began this annual celebration with a few shows in 2013, and the results were quite popular (no surprise there). You can catch him this year on Thursday, November 28, at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse (details); Saturday, November 30, at Calgary's Bella Concert Hall (details); Thursday, December 5, at Ottawa's Dominion-Chalmers United Church (details); Wednesday and Thursday, December 11-12, at Burnaby, BC's James Cowan Theatre (details); and Sunday, December 15, at Halifax's Spatz Theatre (details).
The Eric Byrd Trio — Byrd, piano and vocals; Bhagwan Khalsa, acoustic bass; Alphonso Young Jr., drums and percussion — 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 previous years, and has an impressively busy schedule this year, from November 29 through December 22, with performances in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. Check his web site for details, and you'll also want to listen to his recent radio chat about this annual show, on Washington D.C.'s WTOP.
Pianist Eric Mintel and his quartet — Nelson Hill, sax and flute; Jack Hegyi, bass; and Dave Mohn, drums — always have a busy schedule, and this year is no different. They're presenting numerous Charlie Brown Christmas-themed shows through Sunday, December 22, with stops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Delaware. The band has numerous gigs in between, as you can see by checking Mintel's web site; unfortunately, he doesn't always specify which are Charlie Brown Christmas shows. You'll have to investigate dates in your area.
The Heather Pierson Trio — Pierson on piano; Shawn Nadeau on bass; Craig Bryan on drums — has scheduled a tour of (thus far) 10 shows devoted to A Charlie Brown Christmas. All the shows are in New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont; they run December 6-21. Check her web site for details.
Pianist Chris White and his trio — Sean Jacobi, bass; Ryan Jacobi, drums — have a busy schedule planned, with their Tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas kicking off Wednesday, November 27, and continuing through Sunday, December 22, at several Illinois venues. Check his web site for details.
The Cartoon Christmas Trio — Jeff Knoettner, piano; Rob Swanson, bass; Jimmy Coleman, drums — performs music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and 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 a busy schedule of shows in Delaware and Pennsylvania through Saturday, December 21. Check their web site for details.
Keyboardist David Ellington and his "Peanut Gallery" are holding court during December, with five Charlie Brown Christmas dates — December 12, 15, 19, 21, 22 and 23 — at Venkman's, in Atlanta, Georgia. This appears to be a dinner theater-type arrangement; check the venue for details.
Other groups are doing a smaller number of shows:
• The Ed Croft Trio — Croft, bass; Dave Braham, piano; and John Clay, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, November 30, at the BeanRunner Cafe, Peekskill, New York. Details.
• The Ron LeGault Jazz Trio will present Charlie Brown Goes to The Nutcracker, with music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, on November 30, December 7, 14 and 21, at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa, Boulder, Colorado. Details.
• The Doc Watson Trio — Watson, piano; Brandon Guerra, drums; and Mike Porter, bass — will play songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with other holiday classics, on November 30, December 7, 14 and 21, at JazzTX, San Antonio, Texas. Details.
• The Duck Soup Trio will play the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with other Guaraldi classics, on Sunday, December 1, at the Los Altos United Methodist Church, Long Beach, California. Details.
• The Travis Anderson Trio — Anderson, keyboards; Steve Pikal, bass; Nathan Norman, drums — will celebrate the music of Vince Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday and Tuesday, December 2-3, at The Dakota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Details.
• The Peter Roberts Band will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday, December 3, at Noce, Des Moines, Iowa. Details.
• The R4ND4ZZO Big Band will present Holiday Jazz: A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi on Tuesday, December 3, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. Details. And be sure to check out the live-to-album recording of their sold-out 2017 performance of this show, available from BandCamp. (And you gotta love the song titles!)
• Piano prodigy Brandon Goldberg and his trio — Ben Wolfe, bass; Donald Edwards, drums — will join the Wooster Symphony Orchestra for a tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 5, at the McGaw Chapel, Wooster, Ohio. Details.
• The Ed Croft Trio — Croft, bass; Jake Malone-Brancato, piano; and Candice Simone Thomas, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 5, at the Kenan Center Taylor Theater, Lockport, New York. Details.
• Uli Geissendoerfer and his Septet — Toscha Comeaux, Gary Fowler, Charles McNeal, Julian Tanaka, Steve Flora and Angelo Stokes — will present a tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 5, at The Smith Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Details.
• The Joe Cool Trio — Chris Spies, piano; Chris Severin, bass; and John Milham, drums — will present its 11th annual Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas Show on Friday, December 6, at the Laurel Little Theater, Laurel, Mississippi. Details.
• The Ron LeGault Jazz Trio will present Charlie Brown Goes to The Nutcracker, with music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, on Friday, December 6, at Everyday Joe's Coffee House, Fort Collins, Colorado. Details.
• The Cyrus Chestnut Quartet — Chestnut, piano; Steve Carrington, sax; Eric Wheeler, bass; Chris Beck, drums — will present Vince Guaraldi's score from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 7, at Columbia University School of the Arts' Miller Theater, New York, NY. Details. And if you don't yet have Chestnut's tasty 2000 cover of Guaraldi's holiday album, get it now!
• The Mick Archer Trio will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 7, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Details.
• The Jim Martinez Jazz Quartet will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 7, at the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, Newark, California. Details.
• Jeffrey Butzer, T.T. Mahoney and Mike Beshera will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 14, at Kavarna, Decatur, Georgia. Details.
• The Ed Croft Duo — Croft, bass; Jake-Malone Brancato, keyboards — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 7, at the Hollow Bistro and Brew, Clarance, New York. Details.
• The Michelle Schumann Trio — Schumann, piano; Utah Hamrick, bass; and Scott Laningham, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas (along with numerous other Guaraldi compositions) on Saturday, December 7, at Stateside at the Paramount, Austin, Texas. Details.
• The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and other seasonal favorites, on Saturday and Sunday, December 7-8, at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Details.
• The Jose Gonzales Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 8, at the Cornish Playhouse, Seattle, Washington. Details. (And do pick up Gonzales' terrific Guaraldi-themed album, Linus and Juicy!)
• The Alex Murphy Jazz Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 8, at the Vero Voce School of Music, St. Charles, Illinois. Details.
• The Patrick Lamb Quartet — Lamb, piano; Dan Balmer, guitar; Ed Bennet, bass; and Tim Rapp, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 8, at The Old Church in Portland, Oregon. Details.
• The Rich Malloy Trio will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, followed by screenings of that TV special and its sequel, It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, on Sunday, December 8, at the Grand Berry Theater, Fort Worth, Texas. Details.
• The Tim Stine Quartet — Stine, guitar; Nick Mazzarella, alto sax; Matt Ulery, bass; and Quinlan Kirchner, drums — will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 9, at Headquarters Beercade, Chicago, Illinois. Details.
• The Good Grief Trio — Greg Hankins, piano; Luca Lombardi, bass; Seth Hendershot, drums — accompanied by Check the Signs, will present Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown on Wednesday, December 11, at Hendershot's Coffee Bar, Athens, Georgia. Details.
• The Good Grief Trio — Greg Hankins, piano; Luca Lombardi, bass; Seth Hendershot, drums — accompanied by the Whitehall Jazz Collective, will present Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown on Thursday, December 12, at Hendershot's Coffee Bar, Athens, Georgia. Details.
• The Commercialists — Anthony Deutsch, piano; Clay Schaub, bass; and Patrick Morrow, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 12, at The Jazz Estate, Milwaukee Wisconsin. Details.
• The Ocie Davis Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 12, at The Sunset Theater, Asheboro, North Carolina. Details.
• Five regional pianists — John Chin, Simon George, Paul Longstreth, Ariel Pocock and Frederick Sanders; accompanied by Lynn Grissett, trumpet; Andrew Snapp, sax; Butler Knowless, bass; and Dave Potter, drums — will trade off performing the music of Vince Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 13, at the McGlohon Theater, Charlotte, North Carolina. Details.
• The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and other seasonal favorites, on Friday, December 13, at the Carman Collegiate Theater, Carman, Manitoba, Canada. Details.
• The Good Grief Trio — Greg Hankins, piano; Luca Lombardi, bass; Seth Hendershot, drums — and Friends will present Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown on Friday, December 13, at Hendershot's Coffee Bar, Athens, Georgia. Details.
• The Rick Hirsch Quartet — Hirsch, sax; Kirk Reese, piano; Bob Hart, bass; and Kevin Lowe, drums — will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 13, at the State Theater, Stage College, Pennsylvania. Details.
• The Commercialists — Anthony Deutsch, piano; Clay Schaub, bass; and Patrick Morrow, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 13, at The Jazz Estate, Milwaukee Wisconsin. Details.
• Pianist Donovan Johnson and Friends will perform the music of Vince Guaraldi and Peanuts on Friday, December 13, at the Corning Opera House, Corning, Iowa. Details.
• The Chris von Staats Band will present Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 13, at The Skinny Pancake, Hanover, Vermont. Details.
• The Glen Pearson Trio — Pearson, piano; Ruth Davies, bass; Lorca Hart, drums — will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, with an assist from Pete Fallico's "hipster holiday poetry," Friday through Sunday, December 13-15, as a Stanford Jazz Workshop presentation at the Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford, California. Details.
• The CHILL Dancers, backed by a jazz quartet, will perform choreographed routines to the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas Friday through Sunday, December 13-15, at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul, Minnesota. Details.
• The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and other seasonal favorites, on Saturday, December 14, at [venue unknown], Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. Details.
• The Ed Croft Trio — Croft, bass; Dave Braham, piano; and John Clay, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 14, at the West Falls Center for the Arts, West Falls, New York. Details.
• The Aidan Scrimgeour Trio — Scrimgeour, piano; Matt Estabrook, bass; P.J. Holaday, drums — will present the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 14, at Studio FOLI, Salem, Massachusetts. Details.
• The John Viviani Quintet — Viviani, guitar; Alan Murphy, keyboards; Michael Edwards, sax; Kyle Vock, bass; Chase Ellison, drums — will present The Music of Charlie Brown: A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi, on Saturday, December 14, at Bop Shop Records, Rochester, New York. Details.
• The Ed Croft Trio — Croft, bass; Jake Malone-Brancato, piano; and Candice Simone Thomas, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 14, at the West Falls Center for the Arts, West Falls, New York. Details.
• The Jason Frederick Cinematic Trio — Frederick, piano; Scott Wheeler, double bass; Dan Mullins, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with additional Guaraldi tunes and Guaraldi-esque Christmas songs, on Saturday, December 14, at the Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester, UK. Details.
• The Michael Shirey Trio — Shirey, guitar; Nick Fane, bass; and Ben Dacoba, drums — will present the holiday-themed Guitar for Guaraldi on Sunday, December 15, at the Montrose Saloon, Chicago, Illinois. Details.
• The Jim Connerley Trio will perform "the magical music of Vince Guaraldi, from A Charlie Brown Christmas," on Sunday, December 15, at the Mansion Hill Sanctuary, Newport, Kentucky. Details.
• The Jose Gonzales Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 15, at the Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater, Snohomish, Washington. Details. (And do pick up Gonzales' terrific Guaraldi-themed album, Linus and Juicy!)
• The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and other seasonal favorites, on Sunday, December 15, at the Souris Community Hall, Souris, Manitoba, Canada. Details.
• The Malcolm Granger Trio — Granger, piano; Rich Hill, bass; and Michael Dunford, drums — will present A Charlie Brown Christmas Album Live! on Sunday, December 15, at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit, Massachusetts. Details.
• The Alan Zemaitis Trio — Zemaitis, piano; Jesse Boxer-Meyrowitz, bass; and Kyle Sullivan, drums — will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 15, at The Relish Bar & Grill, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Details.• The Ed Vezinho/Jim Ward Big Band, with special guest Cathy Rocco, will present the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 16, at the Great Bay Country Club, Somers Point, New Jersey. Details.
• Pianists Ryan Burns, Evan Captain and Tim Kennedy will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 16, at The Royal Room, Seattle, Washington. Details.
• The Aidan Scrimgeour Trio — Scrimgeour, piano; Matt Estabrook, bass; P.J. Holaday, drums — will present the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 16, at Tufts University's Distler Performance Hall, Medford, Massachusetts. Details.
• The Peter Roberts Band will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday, December 17, at Noce, Des Moines, Iowa. Details.
• Jeffrey Butzer, T.T. Mahoney and Mike Beshera, along with a small chorus of guest singers, will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday, December 17, at The MadLife Stage and Studios, Woodstock, Georgia. Details.
• The Jose Gonzales Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Wednesday, December 18, at the Camano Center, Camano Island, Washington. Details. (And do pick up Gonzales' terrific Guaraldi-themed album, Linus and Juicy!)
• The Michael Grady Trio — Grady, piano; Jake Reber, bass; JC Denison, drums — along with "special guests" will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Wednesday, December 18, at The Merryweather, Louisville, Kentucky. Details.
• The Michael Shirey Trio — Shirey, guitar; Nick Fane, bass; and Ben Dacoba, drums — will present the holiday-themed Guitar for Guaraldi on Wednesday, December 18, at The Whistler, Chicago, Illinois. Details.
• The Pete Peterson Trio — Peterson, piano; Danny Kiely, bass; and Bruce Morrow, drums — will take patrons through the Charlie Brown Christmas album Wednesday through Saturday, December 18-21, at Jimmy Can't Dance (that's a club), Louisville, Kentucky. Details.
• The Tim Stine Quartet — Stine, guitar; Nick Mazzarella, alto sax; Matt Ulery, bass; and Quinlan Kirchner, drums — will perform music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Thursday, December 19, at the California Clipper, Chicago, Illinois. Details.
• The Sean Drabitt Trio — Drabitt, bass; Tony Foster, piano; and Joe Poole, drums — will present Charlie Brown's Christmas on Thursday and Friday, December 19-20, at Hermann's Jazz Club, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Details.
• The Dave Wild Band will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with other seasonal favorites, on Friday, December 20, at the Klassy Glass Wine Bar & Bistro, Waco, Texas. Details.
• The Andrew Jossa Trio — Jossa, piano; Sean Robson, bass; Norman Glowach, drums — and vocalist Margo Nightingale will present A Charlie Brown Christmas Concert on Friday, December 20, at the Top Knight, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Details.
• Jeffrey Butzer, T.T. Mahoney and Mike Beshera, along with a small chorus of guest singers, will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas Friday-Sunday, December 20-22, at The Earl, Atlanta, Georgia. Details.
• The Derek Fairholm Trio with perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas alongside a presentation of the iconic television special, on Friday, December 20, at the WDNA Jazz Gallery, Miami, Florida. Details.
• The Christopher Azzara Trio — Azzara, piano; Mark Kellogg, trombone; and Danny Ziemann, bass — will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 20, at the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibition Center, Bradford, Pennsylvania. Details.
• The Jason Frederick Cinematic Trio — Frederick, piano; Scott Wheeler, double bass; Dan Mullins, drums — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with additional Guaraldi tunes and Guaraldi-esque Christmas songs, on Friday, December 20, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Details.
• The Joe Cool Trio — Chris Spies, piano; Chris Severin, bass; and John Milham, drums — will present its 11th annual Charlie Brown Jazz Christmas Show on Saturday, December 21, at the Saenger Theater, Mobile, Alabama. Details.
• The Tyler Stanley Trio — Stanley, keyboards; Rafael Keilt-Freyre, bass; Dave Henault, drums — will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 21, at Spire 29 on the Square, Gorham, Maine. Details.
• Pianists Alex Guilbert, Daniel Salka and Nelda Swiggett will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 21, at The Royal Room, Seattle, Washington. Details.
• The Reggie Sullivan Trio — Sullivan, bass; Sean Higgins, piano; Devin Fuller, drums — will present a Charlie Brown Christmas Jam on Saturday, December 21, at The White Mule, Columbia, South Carolina. Details.
• The Peter Shea Trio — Shea, piano; Clark Johnston, bass; and Terry Clarke, drums — will present The Music of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Saturday, December 21, at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Details.
• The Jose Gonzales Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 22, at the Pacific Room Alki, Seattle, Washington. Details. (And do pick up Gonzales' terrific Guaraldi-themed album, Linus and Juicy!)
• The R4ND4ZZO Big Band will present A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi on Sunday, December 22, at Fuzzy Cactus RVA, Richmond, Virginia. Details. And be sure to check out the live-to-album recording of their sold-out 2017 performance of this show, available from BandCamp. (And you gotta love the song titles!)
• The Sean Mason Trio — Mason, keyboards; Butler Knowles, bass; and Malcolm Charles, drums — will present classic jazz tunes from A Charlie Brown Christmas (and more) on Sunday, December 22, at Middle C Jazz, Charlotte, North Carolina. Details.
• The Jody Nardone Trio — Nardone, piano; Jerry Navarro, bass; Chris Brown, drums — will present a tribute to Vince Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 22, at the City Winery, Nashville, Tennessee. As a special bonus, it'll be an album release party for 2018's similar live performance. Details.
• Jeffrey Butzer, T.T. Mahoney and Mike Beshera, along with a small chorus of guest singers, will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 22, at The Earl, Atlanta, Georgia. Details.
• Pianist Jason Crosby, joined by Magic in the Other — Ezra Lipp, drums; Steve Adams, bass; and Roger Riedlbauer, guitar — will pay tribute to Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas on Sunday, December 22, at the Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley, California. Details.
• The Jose Gonzales Trio will perform the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 23, at the Pacific Room Alki, Seattle, Washington. Details. (And do pick up Gonzales' terrific Guaraldi-themed album, Linus and Juicy!)
• The Tannenbaum Trio — Patrick Stokes, piano; Matthew Hardy, bass; Liam Robbins, drums — will perform the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday, December 23, at The Black Sheep on George, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Details.
• Touring and session trumpeter Mike Lewis — along with plenty of friends — will present the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24-25, at Honolulu's Blue Note Hawaii. Details.
• Pianist Jim Martinez and his Quartet will join the Dayton Philharmonic for a holiday pops concert featuring the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, Saturday, December 28, at the Schuster Performing Arts Center, Dayton, Ohio. Details.
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