by Shawn M. HaneyVince Guaraldi, the widely acclaimed jazz pianist best known for his cheerful, uplifting work with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang, got his start in the music biz with a record entitled Blues Groove by Woody Herman in 1956. It is here that his piano playing is clearly heard only on the final three tracks. Then, in November, he gained more valuable creative playing experience with Gus Mancuso, recording in San Francisco. Perhaps his first recorded performance that merits as stellar piano music and recommended listening is the composition A Hatful of Dandruff.Guaraldi ended 1956 by making a guest appearance on a poorer quality record headlined by Nina Simone. In January of 1957, Guaraldi made a great stride career wise, sitting in with the Cal Tjader Quartet, playing beautiful melodies like Thinking of You, another original composition, showing his ever-increasing potential and promise. At the end of the 50s, Guaraldi laid down some witty and intimate piano work with the likes of recording stars Frank Rosolino and Conte Candoli. Though Guaraldi received a wonderful chance to record with Stan Getz in February of 1958 with Cal Tjader and his sextet, his playing abilities were lost in the shuffle of Getzs Latin grooves and the sextets swinging sound. In December of 1959, Guaraldi crossed paths with percussionist Mongo Santamaria, but did not perform anything that was deemed magical. The pianist took more recording opportunities with Cal Tjader, including the album Black Orchid, which received somewhat of a warm welcome among jazz audiences. Finally, with his shining work on 1959s West Coast Jazz in Hi Fi, Guaraldi got more opportunities and more playing time, contributing an important role to the record with fervent and passionate piano phrasing. A rare and charming performance recorded in January of 1962 with Jimmy Witherspoon was perhaps the only dubbed song that featured Guaraldi playing along with a lead vocalist. Entitled Jazz Casual: Jimmy Witherspoon/Jimmy Rushing, it is here that listeners can feel the deep creativity and percussive brilliance of his trio bandmates Monty Budwig on bass and Colin Bailey on drums. During the late 50s and early 60s, Guaraldi spent countless gigs shaping and honing his craft, showing deep affection of his talents under the apprenticeship of Cal Tjader and Woody Herman. As a featured performer, Guaraldis first solo work appeared on the album, Modern Music from San Francisco, with help from his quartet: Jerry Dodgion on alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass, and John Markham on drums. Recorded in 1955, the record expresses his personality through style and form, with originals called Dr. Funk and Ginza. An April 1957 recording of A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing is a good chunk of some of the best of Guaraldis early work. With breathtaking meter and rhythm, Guaraldi and friends play classics such as Autumn Leaves, Yesterdays, and A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing. These three songs are featured on his 1964 breakthrough recording, Jazz Impressions. The reflective and witty recording Jazz Impression of Black Orpheus is a perfect recording where each song is performed with the highest sense of musical quality. It was his artistic and commercial breakthrough, featuring captivating, crafty material such as Samba de Orpheus, O Nosso Amor, Générique, and Manha de Carnaval. Each of these four songs were part of the score for the smash hit French/Portuguese film Black Orpheus, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. The success was perfect timing for Guaraldi and a crop of fine jazz musicians who were making the most of the recent Latin and bossa nova craze to hit America in the mid-60s. Original hit Cast Your Fate to the Wind went on to win a gold record award at the 1963 Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Jazz Composition. Guaraldi put together charming renditions of On Green Dolphin Street and Jitterbug Waltz for his 1962 release, In Person. A scintillating performance with guest saxophonist Paul Winter and guitarist Bola Sete put the piano composer into some candid company in early 1963 with his record Jazz Casual. In the following years, though the recording dates are unknown, Guaraldi brought with him his talents and playing experience to record a special tribute to the armed forces, this time on a well-praised record entitled The Navy Swings. The records title reflects a weekly 15-minute public radio broadcast that gave jazz musicians an opportunity to get their music heard in the 1960s. Made during the height of Guaraldis sessions with Sete, the time spent over the radio waves was splendid and magical to say the least. With the creation of the much-heralded A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Vince Guaraldi got his first chance to dive into the genius mind of Charles Schultz, composing music with great charm and grace. Although the special was not aired on network television, Guaraldi used his time to begin his magical quest to score some of his greatest music, all boosting Schultzs Peanuts gang to greater fame. It was the 1964s Linus and Lucy theme that propelled the pianist and cartoon artist into the stratosphere, later being released on future Peanuts collections, including the warm and reflective masterpiece A Charlie Brown Christmas, released and first broadcast to a national television audience on December 9, 1965. Peanuts fans and Americans alike were hooked to the insatiable and delightful tunes of Guaraldi. A Charlie Brown Christmas would go on to be respected as the most requested and the most heralded of all holiday jazz albums. With Fred Marshall on bass and Jerry Granelli on drums, the album unfolds in magical and radiant fashion. The trio prances through delightful gems such as Skating, a tune that captures the essence of falling snow with flair, and the energetic Christmas Is Coming. Thrown in for good measure are the uniquely paced Greensleeves and the soothing Christmas Song. Though much of his fame has been centered on his musical exposure with the Peanuts gang, Guaraldi continued to create breathtaking music on the ebony and ivory keys well into the mid-70s. An eclectic and beautifully arranged record, Alma-Ville was perhaps one of Guaraldis finest achievements as a pianist and composer. Given a five-star rating by critics and audiences alike, the Warner Bros. album was a strange and rare find, though the playing is deemed marvelous, with the artists ever-growing talent and shining potential ever so apparent. Along with some featured uptempo pieces and fast sambas, the cut The Masked Marvel is a must-listen. With such tremendous grace and majestic prowess, Vince Guaraldi will always live in the minds and hearts of jazz and music fans of all ages who dare to open their ears to such gracefully played music. He died on February 6, 1976, leaving behind his work in 15 Peanuts television specials and one full-length feature film. Despite his popularity during the time of the 60s, it is known that Guaraldi didnt release any records for a long while after 1969, giving listeners only three records to taste his life and his music. In 1998, Charlie Browns Holiday Hits was released on the Fantasy label, which gives the listener a great palette of Guaraldis original compositions, a cheerful jazz treat.