Posted on 12/09/2023 1:40:02 PM PST by Squawk 8888
On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on TV screens across America and instantly captured the hearts and ears of a generation. Bolstering the animated special, based on Charles M. Schulz’s immensely popular PEANUTS comic strip, was an engaging score from Bay Area jazz artist Vince Guaraldi, who brought characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy to life through his evocative cues.
Working primarily with bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli, Guaraldi paired inspired interpretations of traditional holiday fare (“O Tannenbaum,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” and “What Child Is This”) with original compositions, including the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy” theme, “Skating,” and “Christmas Time Is Here.” The latter song, available as both an instrumental and vocal track, featured young choral singers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael, CA.
More than five decades later, the Emmy® and Peabody®-winning animated classic has spawned more than two dozen subsequent PEANUTS specials. Guaraldi’s soundtrack, meanwhile, has since become one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and regularly ranks among America’s top-selling holiday albums every December.
Music video by Vince Guaraldi Trio performing Christmas Time Is Here. (C) 2012 Concord Music Group, Inc.
“I was privileged to see Guaraldi in person around a half dozen times; he was a terrific, lyrical musician.”
I also had the opportunity to see his Trio play, once.
It was at a assembly in my 2nd grade school...
They were introduced then played lots of songs — I was six and really did not have much of an ear formic at that time (likely as well as my school mates).
The final song was Linus and Lucy and the crowd went WILD!
A really good memory!
A Charlie Brown Christmas (2012 Remastered & Expanded Edition)
24-bit/192khz High Resolution download
2012 Remaster
3-bonus tracks
https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/5ef1a2d7765a856eebea861b
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.