Vince Guaraldi

From Wind Repertory Project
Vince Guaraldi

Biography

Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi (17 July 1928, San Francisco, Calif. – 6 February 1976, Menlo Park, Calif.), born Vincent Anthony Dellaglio, was an American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip.

Vince graduated from Lincoln High School, attended San Francisco State University, and served as an Army cook in the Korean War. Guaraldi's first recording was made in November 1953 with Cal Tjader and came out early in 1954. By 1955, Guaraldi had his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly. He then reunited with Cal Tjader in June 1956 and was an integral part of two bands that the vibraphonist assembled.

Guaraldi left the group early in 1959 to pursue his own projects full-time. He probably would have remained a well-respected but minor jazz figure had he not written an original number to fill out his covers of Antonio Carlos Jobim/Luis Bonfá tunes on his 1962 album, Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus. Cast Your Fate to the Wind was gentle, likeable tune that stood out from everything else on the airwaves and became a grass-roots hit. It also won the Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition.

While searching for just the right music to accompany a planned Peanuts television documentary, Lee Mendelson (the producer of the special) heard a single version of Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Vince Guaraldi's trio on the radio. He proposed that Guaraldi score the upcoming Peanuts Christmas special and Guaraldi enthusiastically took the job, performing a version of what became Linus and Lucy over the phone two weeks later. The soundtrack was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, with drummer Jerry Granelli, and bassist Fred Marshall. Guaraldi went on to compose scores for seventeen Peanuts television specials, plus the feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown as well as the unaired television program of the same name.


Works for Winds

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

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