But let me first explain how it came about:
My wife and I joined the Peanuts Collector Club back in 1991 or so; it was refreshing to encounter so many like-minded folks who understood our passion for collecting (among other things) plush Snoopy dolls and all the many books that have featured Charles M. Schulz's famous characters. Additionally — and no surprise — many club members also share my fondness for Vince Guaraldi's music.
The club holds conventions, spaced at one-, two- or three-year intervals, and often in early July; they're called Beaglefests, which always raises a skeptical smile when we tell casual acquaintances what we're doing over the long Independence Day weekend.
"So, where are you going this weekend?"
"Santa Rosa, for a Beaglefest convention."
Long pause.
"No, seriously ... where are you going this weekend?"
Lest you think such activities are entirely frivolous, dedicated solely to passionate discussions about how many siblings Snoopy has, the group long ago selected Canine Companions for Independence as its "club charity." During the past two decades, we've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for this wonderful service dog organization; if you're unfamiliar with them, by all means visit their Web site ... and, if you're lucky enough to live close to one of their campuses, stop by there, as well.
You're probably wondering what this has to do with Guaraldi. Bear with me; I'm getting to it.
My expanding Internet visibility among Guaraldi fans, in the mid-1990s, led to lively correspondences and even strong friendships; one such acquaintance is George Winston, who over the years became a valuable resource whenever I wished to discuss Guaraldi's musicality from a technical standpoint ... as in, for example, What is it about Guaraldi's approach, that gives all his keyboard work such a distinctive, Vince-like sound? George can answer that question, both verbally and musically, explaining the harmonic elements while demonstrating them on a piano. He also happens to be the world's biggest Guaraldi fan, which will come as no surprise to fans who've purchased one or both of Winston's solo piano tributes to Dr. Funk's work.
