Vince Guaraldi – Oh, Good Grief!
I thought this one would be a little outside of my realm. Then I thought – these Peanuts/Charlie Brown program specials always had compelling piano music in it. So, I reneged. I’m a baby-boomer & I remember buying David Seville’s “The Chipmunk Song” way back when I was a kid. But what gripped my ears was not that major novelty hit for children. What penetrated my adolescent ears was David Seville’s jungle beat 45 flip. It was a jazzy, heavy piano piece called “Almost Good.” The pianist would play the piano faithfully & occasionally shout out in an enthusiastic voice, “Hey, that’s almost good!” It was. Clever to a child’s ears. I still play it today.
My point? This is what Vince Guaraldi, in essence, has done. He performed pieces of music that children wouldn’t necessarily seek out on their own, but incorporated into a cartoon like Charlie Brown/Peanuts. A captive audience of tykes — it worked & it educated.
There are 8 disciplined melodies by a real professional that decorate the remastered Oh, Good Grief! (Drops May 30/Omnivore Recordings/Warner Bros.-Seven Arts/28:04). Originally released in 1968, it was the 10th album released by Vince Guaraldi (piano/electric harpsichord). The music on this soundtrack was written, arranged & produced by Vince & recorded in San Francisco. This was one of a 3-record deal with Warners, which became the final sets released during Vince’s lifetime (1928-1976).
The melodies are not intimidating. They were played jazzy melodic on “friendly” keyboards, bossa nova as well (popular at the time), but well-written melodic light jazz — easily accessible & impressionable. The opening pieces “Linus & Lucy” & “You’re In Love, Charlie Brown” are captivating & engaging. What’s not to like?
A child would unsuspectingly appreciate these performances. And maybe your child asked for a Dave Brubeck or Lenny Tristano record for Christmas. If so, then Vince succeeded. Some kids who are in their 30s today probably do have Brubeck in their collection because of these early tunes that Guaraldi eased into their young ears through Charlie Brown. I’d like to hope so. The tunes had vibrancy, attractiveness & there were no wild off-kilter improvisations. The Improvs that Vince shaped were creative & well integrated into the Peanuts program. Vince knew who his potential audience was.
The album surprisingly hit #20 for two weeks on Billboard’s jazz charts. There are comprehensive liner notes on the inside spread by author Derrick Bang (“Vince Guaraldi At The Piano”).
Highlights – “Linus & Lucy,” “You’re In Love, Charlie Brown,” “Peppermint Patty,” “Oh, Good Grief,” & “Rain, Rain Go Away.”
Musicians – Carl Burnett (drums), Stanley Gilbert (double bass) & Eddie Duran (electric guitar).
B&W image courtesy of Press. CD @ Amazon + https://concord.com/artist/vince-guaraldi/