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Although Vince Guaraldi's playful jazz piano themes for the early Peanuts animated television specials are well known, the composer himself remains largely unheralded. More than merely "the Peanuts guy," Guaraldi cut his jazz teeth as a member of combos fronted by Cal Tjader and Woody Herman, and garnered Top 40 fame with his Grammy Award-winning hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind."
This career study, extensively updated, gives Guaraldi long-overdue recognition, chronicling his years as a sideman; his attraction to the emerging bossa nova sound of the late 1950s; his collaboration with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete; his development of the Grace Cathedral Jazz Mass; his selection as the fellow to put the jazz swing in Charlie Brown's step; and his emergence as a respected veteran in the declining Northern California jazz club scene of the 1970s. Ironically, his place in the jazz universe has grown exponentially since this book's initial 2012 publication, and this second edition acknowledges such honors and features a wealth of new material.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Foreword to the First Edition by Charles Gompertz
Foreword to the Second Edition by Michael Graves
Preface
Prologue: "The Sound of Surprise"
¿1.¿Family Ties: Growing Up Jazzy
¿2.¿Adante: Becoming One of Tjader's Raiders
¿3.¿i on the Future: Security as a House Band
¿4.¿Galloping with the Herd: On the Road with Woody Herman
¿5.¿Tjader Redux: Seduced by Bossa Nova
¿6.¿Adagio: A Heaping Helping of Vince on the Side
¿7.¿Allegro Molto: "Fate" Steps In
¿8.¿Sittin' in with Sete: Bola Joins the Band
¿9.¿A Year of Grace: Performing in the "Big House"
10.¿Presto: Putting the Swing in Charlie Brown's Step
11.¿Calling His Own Shots
12.¿You're a Movie Star, Charlie Brown: Big-Screen Glory
13.¿Intermezzo: The Good Life
14.¿Lento: Done Too Soon
15.¿Postlude: The Slow but Steady Road to Immortality
Epilogue 1: A Windy Evening in Sausalito
Epilogue 2: A Warm Afternoon in San Francisco
Epilogue 3: A Muggy Morning in Pennsylvania
Appendix A: Remembering Dr. Funk
Appendix B: Discography
Appendix C: Filmography
Appendix D: Guaraldi in Popular Culture
Appendix E: Honored by His Peers
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Derrick Bang has written film, television, music, and general entertainment commentary for magazines and local newspapers since 1974, and supplies regular columns and features to The Davis Enterprise. He lives in Davis, California.
