Impressions of Vince
Commentary, discussions and random thoughts about San Francisco-born jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, beloved by many — including those who recognize his music, but not his name — and affectionately known as Dr. Funk
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Vince on the Web: 2024 update
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
The campaign heats up!
Back in the spring and summer of 1972, as presidential contenders Richard Nixon and George McGovern jockeyed for advantage, an increasingly popular underdog candidate entered the fray. Hallmark kicked off that campaign with the lenticular button shown above.
Alas, Snoopy was defeated at the polls. We can only speculate how much better our country would be today, had he become The World-Famous President.
Another equally important election took place on October 29 that year, just nine days before Nixon galloped home with 60.7 percent of the popular vote. Linus Van Pelt and Russell Anderson faced off in You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, the eighth prime-time Peanuts special from the artistic dream team of Charles Schulz, Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez and Vince Guaraldi.
As previously mentioned in my July 10 post, Guaraldi’s soundtrack for this special debuts this Friday, September 6. Three physical releases will be available: a CD; a regular black vinyl LP, available at all retailers; and a “Woodstock Yellow” vinyl LP, excusive to independent record stores. The album also will be available via all streaming services, and as a digital download. Click here for purchase and streaming links to select stores and services (although the album also will be available from many other retailers and digital services).
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Looking ahead, fans of colored vinyl variants will be pleased to learn that last year’s soundtrack album for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be re-released in three new exclusive versions on October 18:
• A picture disc from Barnes & Noble, featuring two scenes from the special
• A “turkey tan” vinyl from Target, and
• A “purple jelly bean” vinyl available only from independent record stores.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
This Election features a different McCain!
Heath Holland, host of the pop-culture podcast Cereal at Midnight, has been delivering marvelously passionate shows about Lee Mendelson Film Productions’ recent, never-been-seen-before releases of Guaraldi’s scores for the vintage Peanuts TV specials, always with the equally enthusiastic participation of Sean and Jason Mendelson.
Check out the previous shows devoted to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (which also earned a second show).
Holland’s just-posted coverage of You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown finds the aforementioned individuals similarly excited — and excitable — but it’s also extra-special for an additional reason. Bassist Seward McCain, a former Guaraldi sideman, also participates in this super-sized episode; he’s on camera for most of the first half-hour. His memories, anecdotes and commentary are wonderful.
I don’t want to spoil the fun to be had while watching the entire show, but I couldn’t help extracting some of Seward’s choice remarks.
In his voice, then:
It was interesting to hear these [album] cuts, because it reminded me of how Vince worked. We would show up at the studio — usually a two-day session — and spend all day recording, from late morning to late hours at night. Vince was very purposeful; he knew what order he wanted to record everything. He didn’t want to write things out and make it sound mechanical; he liked it loose ... to play like we did on trio gigs.
Vince would bring in themes and ideas; he’d already been talking with John Scott Trotter or Lee [Mendelson], and he had a real plan. He’d bring in a storyboard on paper, and he knew the timings of everything; he was very well prepared every time. It could be improvised; he’d say, “Okay, we’ve got a cue here that’s about a minute and a half” or “This one is 17 seconds.” Sometimes Vince would say, “I dunno ... we need some mood music,” and he’d just start playing something! Of course, some of it was themes from other shows, and we’d do a new version of, say, “Linus and Lucy.”
[The music on the album] sounds fresher to me, because you don’t hear it in the show so much, because it’s designed to be a background; this way you can just listen to them. I’ve never had these tracks this way, and it’s so much fun.
I wonder where the time has gone, because I feel like the same person, particularly when I listen to this record. I just turned 80, but I have no sense of it (other than a doctor visit or two). This record pulls me back into the studio, with those players. They’re good, strong memories. You hear Vince’s voice in the studio. You hear him count it off, or say something, and that really makes you feel like you’re listening to tracks, and not a prepared album. That’s pretty fun.
I’d probably still be in the band, if Vince were still alive.
Like, wow.
I’d kill to be able to go back in time, and include that final line in my book.
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On a related note...
As I explain in my liner notes — and in an amusing example of history repeating itself — much the way It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown began life as It Is a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, this special originally was to be called You’re Elected, Charlie Brown ... until the very last second. Wiser heads pointed out that a) Charlie Brown never wins anything; and b) Linus is the person campaigning, not good ol’ Chuck. Last-minute adjustments were made in such haste that the chalkboard title, as this special begins, has an afterthought “Not” inserted with a caret, and — listen carefully — the kid chorus still sings “You’re Elected, Charlie Brown.”
How “last minute” was this change made? Late enough to prevent being able to modify this promotional ad, which ran in TV Guide on October 28, 1972!
Saturday, August 17, 2024
Vinyl madness: 2024
We all wondered, after last year’s sole new vinyl release of A Charlie Brown Christmas — a picture disc from Barnes & Noble — if the annual tsunami of variant LPs had come to an end.
After all, we got eight variants each, in 2021 and ’22 ... which, including last year’s single entry — and assuming my math is accurate — brings the total to 43 (!). I’m still waiting to hear from somebody who has purchased and displayed all of them, because that photo will get pride of place in a future blog entry.
Meanwhile, rumors of the program’s termination obviously were premature. As of now, I’m aware of four 2024 variants. On top of which, one of my many scouts in the field — a helpful chap named Wes (I have spies everywhere) — sent me the photo at left yesterday. Apparently his local Walmart already has its new variant on display, and for sale ... in mid-August.
Knowing how Charlie Brown frowned upon the commercialization of Christmas in the iconic 1965 TV special — and how Sally groused, when the gang visited a department store in 1974’s It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, about Christmas decorations being up so prematurely — I’m pretty sure the Peanuts gang would disapprove of Walmart’s move.
That aside, we can look forward to...
A metallic gold, with green-colored swirl, from Target...
A metallic iridescent green, from Urban Outfitters...
This nifty picture disc, from Barnes & Noble...
And the aforementioned “Tinseltown Colored Vinyl,” from Walmart.
Release dates of the other three are mid-September and mid-October.
Here's a quick link for ordering.
Will there be more?
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
A kinder, gentler Election
Hot on the heels of Guaraldi’s never-before-released score for It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the similarly never-before-released score for the eighth prime-time Peanuts TV special, You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, will debut on September 6 on CD, 12-inch BioVinyl and via digital download. Pre-orders are available now, at the usual outlets.
A Woodstock Yellow BioVinyl variant will be available as a Record Store Day Exclusive.
Check out the Lee Mendelson Film Productions press release here.
Guaraldi — on keyboards, vocals and guitar — is joined by Tom Harrell, trumpet; Pat O’Hara, trombone; Mel Martin, clarinet, soprano sax and piccolo; Seward McCain, bass and flute; and Glenn Cronkhite, drums. John Scott Trotter was music supervisor. This album is produced by Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson; remixed at Bones and Knives by Terry Carleton; and restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.
The album features the 16 studio recordings which became the TV special’s score, along with nine bonus/alternative tracks.
Show score:
1. "Incumbent Waltz"
2. "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown"
3. "Oh, Good Grief!"
4. "Cookin' Snoopy (Fast Piano Jazz)"
5. "Blue Charlie Brown"
6. "Incumbent Waltz (Reprise)"
7. "Linus and Lucy"/"Poor Charlie Brown"
8. "Joe Cool (Vocal)"
9. "Incumbent Waltz (Second Reprise)"
10. "Elect Linus (Dilemma)"/"Woodstock's Wake Up"
11. "Joe Cool (Unused Reprise)"
12. "Oh, Good Grief! (Reprise)"
13. "Deserted Charlie Brown"
14. "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (Reprise)"
15. "Linus and Lucy (Reprise)"
16. "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (Second Reprise: End Credits)"
Bonus Content
17. "Joe Cool (Alternate Take 1)"
18. "Joe Cool (Alternate Rehearsal Take)"
19. "Blue Charlie Brown (Alternate Take 1)"
20. "African Sleigh Ride (Bonus Track)"
21. "Cookin' Snoopy (Fast Piano Jazz; Alternate Takes 1, 2 and 3)"
22. "Incumbent Waltz (Second Reprise, Alternate Take 1)"
23. "Incumbent Waltz (Second Reprise, Alternate Take 3)"
24. "Incumbent Waltz (Unused Cue)"
25. "Linus and Lucy (Acoustic Piano Mix)"
Four tracks can be previewed here.
Music highlights include a terrific arrangement of "Joe Cool” — much longer than what is heard in the special — which boasts nifty flute and guitar touches. Other tasty treats include an unexpectedly peppy handling of “Blue Charlie Brown,” two delightful variations on “Linus and Lucy,” and McCain’s deft bass work on “Oh, Good Grief (Reprise).”
The LPs and CDs are eco-conscious. The LPs are made with BioVinyl, a new product that replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste, resulting in considerable CO2 savings compared to traditional PVC. Each record also comes in a reusable, compostable PLA bag made of 99% renewable material. The jacket, label and liner notes are made from sustainably forested trees, for minimum ecological harm. (None of these modifications sacrifices acoustic or optical quality.) The CDs also are made of recycled material, and their paper content comes from sustainably forested trees.
All physical copies feature extensive liner notes by my very own self, along with similarly detailed notes by Sean Mendelson, son of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson. The LP release also includes rare photographs and images from the original tape boxes: recent re-discoveries that led to this release.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Bits & bobs: late spring 2024
Friday, May 24, 2024
Insidious 1960s doings by the coffee industry
Although the final decade of Guaraldi’s composing career was dominated by the many original themes and cues he wrote for the first 15 Peanuts TV specials and 1969’s big-screen A Boy Named Charlie Brown, his live performances during this period — of necessity — were much more varied.
Guaraldi’s early albums also reflected this diversity. Like most jazz performers, he delivered his own arrangements of Great American Standards by — among numerous others — the Gershwins (“Fascinatin’ Rhythm”), Cole Porter (“It’s De-Lovely”), Ann Ronell (“Willow Weep for Me”) and Buddy Johnson (“Since I Fell for You”). Over time, Guaraldi expanded his repertoire to include tunes by Henry Mancini (“Moon River,” “The Days of Wine and Roses” and “Mr. Lucky”), Antonio Carlos Jobim (“The Girl from Ipanema”), Bobby Scott & Ric Marlow (“A Taste of Honey”) and many more.
As the 1960s wore on, acknowledging the explosion of pop and rock hits, Guaraldi’s albums and club gigs added songs by — to name just a few —The Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Donovan, Bob Dylan and Sonny Bono.
Point being, if you listen to Guaraldi’s albums, focusing on the songs he didn’t compose, you’re bound to recognize just about everything: the titles, the melodies, or both.
Except, perhaps, for a track on the sole album that he released on his own D&D label: 1967’s Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus.
Where the heck, most of today’s listeners must wonder, did “Think Drink” come from?
Therein lies quite a tale.
As recounted in John Kelly’s fascinating October 2022 Washington Post article, in 1966 the London-based International Coffee Organization (ICO) decided to go after the American youth market: specifically, 17-to-20-year-olds. At that point in time, coffee was viewed as an adult beverage; teens and early twentysomethings were an almost wholly untapped audience.
“We feel that the younger people are not drinking all the coffee they should,” intoned the executive secretary of the World Coffee Promotion Committee, in a New York Times interview that year. (One must chuckle at his pomposity.)
The ICO hired the American ad agency McCann-Erickson to mount a campaign that was quickly highlighted by newspaper ads and a 60-second TV commercial aimed at young adults. The message: that whenever they pondered a difficult decision, or had to study for a test, coffee would activate the brain cells and keep them focused.
The TV commercials — one of which can be viewed here — were backed by a catchy instrumental melody written by Richard S. Boyell, called “Music to Think By” — aka “Think Drink” — and performed by (I’m not making this up) “Mr. T and the Coffeehouse 5.” It was released as the 45 single shown above.
What’s fascinating, by today’s standards, is that the commercials don’t plug any particular brand of coffee ... just coffee itself!
McCann-Erickson also commissioned a 27-minute documentary film, Coffee House Rendezvous, which features groups of teenagers in Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts and Wisconsin banding together to create coffeehouses in churches, unused downtown offices and even family basements. Viewed today, this film is wincingly corny, with an emphasis on squeaky-clean teens: almost all white, of course, although I did spot fleeting glimpses of a Black young woman and, toward the end, a Black folk singer. During tight close-ups, many of these kids parrot their insistence that these spaces are great for hanging out and having fun.
Or, more precisely — in parallel commentary supplied by numerous parents — “somewhere to stay out of trouble.”
“A coffeehouse is a great idea for kids,” chirps one earnest girl. “You know, a place of our own, without a lot of parents staring down our back.”
“Kids come in here and meet new friends, talk to old friends, and play cards,” another girl chimes in, “or just sit around and talk, or just do absolutely nothing. It’s good for studying, if you have something to read, and wanna be a little bit alone.”
This laughable relic had its own lively title theme, written by Ted Steeg and Jordan Ramin, and performed by The Nitelighters ... and I suspect the average 1966 teen would have preferred root canal surgery, to being forced to watch the silly thing.
McCann-Erickson even commissioned the creation of a signature “Think Drink” coffee mug, shown at left, which one could obtain via mail order for the modest cost of 75 cents.
The campaign clearly was successful, and it’s probably no coincidence that the first Starbucks opened in Seattle just a few years later, on March 30, 1971. (Indeed, folks at the ICO and McCann-Erickson, back in the day, likely would be astonished by how successful they eventually were!)
Boyell’s tune was so popular that it was covered by numerous other performers, including The Harvey Averne Dozen, Mariano Moreno, 2+2, Morty Craft and His Orchestra, The Mighty Flea (aka Gene Conners), The New Swing Sextet, The Howard Roberts Quartet, Dick Boyell and His Orchestra, Benny Golson, Don Patterson (a marvelously funky version) and even Doc Severinsen. Not to be outdone, The American Breed did a vocal version!
You must remember that this was an era when instrumental TV commercial jingles could become pop hits, whether as original compositions — such as “Think Drink” and Grandville A. Burland’s “No Matter What Shape You’re Stomach’s In” (for Alka-Seltzer) — or when borrowed from other sources: most notably Elmer Bernstein’s title theme for The Magnificent Seven (Marlboro cigarettes) and Sid Ramen’s “Music to Watch Girls By” (Diet Pepsi).
It's therefore no surprise that Guaraldi, recording an album in 1967, would have included his own take on “Think Drink.”
And now you know why.