A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by the American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (later credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio). Coinciding with the television debut of the Christmas special of the same name, the album was released in the first week of December1965 by Fantasy Records.[1][a]
Guaraldi was contacted by television producer Lee Mendelson to compose music for a documentary on the comic strip Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Although the special went unaired, these selections were released in 1964 as Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Coca-Cola commissioned a Christmas special based on Peanuts in 1965 and Guaraldi returned to score the special.
Guaraldi composed most of the music, though he included versions of traditional carols such as "O Tannenbaum".[6] He recorded some of the score at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, then re-recorded some of it at Fantasy Records Studios in San Francisco with a children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in nearby San Rafael. The sessions ran late into the night, with the children rewarded with ice cream afterward.
In 1988, Fantasy Records re-released a CD of the 11 original tracks plus one bonus cut, "Greensleeves." A 16-track remastered edition, featuring "Greensleeves" and alternate takes of four other songs, was released in 2006, followed by a second remaster in 2012.
In 2022, Craft Recordings embarked on a major reissue campaign in a variety of expanded, deluxe editions. These sets feature a new stereo mix completed by Paul Blakemore, the original 1965 stereo mix, and up to 50 previously unreleased outtakes from five separate recording sessions. The three editions are a single LP vinyl edition, comprising the original 1965 stereo release offered in gold foil sleeved with embossing details (released September 22, 2022); two-disc LP vinyl and CD expanded editions, containing the 2022 stereo mix and 13 outtakes from the original recording sessions (released December 2, 2022); and
a five-disc super deluxe edition, which adds three CDs of complete Autumn 1965 recording sessions and a Blu-ray audio disc containing high-resolution audio and Dolby Atmos mixes (released December 2, 2022).[8]
By the early 1960s, Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts had become a sensation worldwide.[11] Television producer Lee Mendelson acknowledged the strip's cultural impression and produced a documentary on the subject, titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown.[12] Mendelson, a fan of jazz, heard Vince Guaraldi's song "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" on the radio not long after completion of his documentary, and contacted the musician to produce music for the special.[13] Guaraldi composed the music for the project, creating an entire piece, "Linus and Lucy", to serve as the theme.[14] Despite the popularity of the strip and acclaim from advertisers, networks were not interested in the special.[14]
By April 1965, Time featured Peanuts on its cover, highlighting its cultural impact.[11][14] That spring, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned the Christmas-themed special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Guaraldi, fresh from recording At Grace Cathedral with St. Paul's Church of San Rafael's 68-voice choir, returned to compose the score.[11][15]
Recording and production
The overall recording process for A Charlie Brown Christmas involved numerous sessions during late summer and early autumn of 1965. These sessions were characterized by blown takes, cross-chatter, and experimentation as Guaraldi and his musicians worked to perfect each track. Drummers and bassists were rotated frequently, contributing to the challenge of identifying which musicians were responsible for particular tracks. Despite Guaraldi’s habit of not keeping detailed records of his session players, it has been established that bassists Monty Budwig and Fred Marshall, along with drummers Colin Bailey and Jerry Granelli, were involved in various recording stages.[16][17] Nearly three decades later, in an effort to correct the matter, Fantasy surmised that the recordings with Budwig and Bailey were employed in the television special while Marshall and Granelli recorded the album. Despite this, other musicians have claimed to have recorded the special's music: bassists Eugene Firth and Al Obidinski and drummers Paul Distel and Benny Barth. Firth and Distil are noted as performers on a studio-session report Guaraldi filed for the American Federation of Musicians.[17]
The initial instrumentals were recorded by Guaraldi at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, on March 6, 1965.[18] Guaraldi incorporated "Linus and Lucy" as the central theme for the Peanuts franchise, a piece originally recorded on October 26, 1964, with Budwig and Bailey for the album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. This earlier version is featured on the soundtrack album. The version used in the television special (#4, Take 1) was subsequently recorded on September 17, 1965, with Marshall and Granelli. The bridge section of this rendition is notably highlighted during a scene where Snoopy exuberantly dances on Schroeder’s piano before halting mid-performance in embarrassment.[16]
In addition to revisiting "Linus and Lucy", Guaraldi composed two original pieces specifically for the special: "Skating" and "Christmas Time Is Here". This new music played a pivotal role in defining the tone of the production, with its instrumentation effectively conveying the whimsical yet introspective nature of the Peanuts characters and their world.[16]
The recording of "Skating" showcased the scrupulous nature of Guaraldi’s jazz compositions. The trio experienced difficulties in the initial session, particularly with the syncopation and characteristic keyboard "cascade effect." Several takes were needed to refine the structure and feel of the piece, with Guaraldi eventually guiding the group to the final version after numerous attempts. The take (#3, Take 7), noted for its subtle energy, was included in the soundtrack with a fade-out to conclude the track.[16]
The recording process for "Christmas Time Is Here," originally titled "Snow Waltz," was characterized by meticulous attention to detail as Guaraldi and his trio worked through multiple takes to achieve a balance between the song’s inherent melancholy and a warm, inviting tone. The final instrumental version (#6, Take 2), which lasted six minutes, was selected for the soundtrack album. Later, a choral rendition featuring lyrics hastily penned by producer Lee Mendelson in approximately 15 minutes was recorded by the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church choir.[19] This choir, under the direction of Barry Mineah, had previously collaborated with Guaraldi during his 1965 jazz mass performance at Grace Cathedral. The choir’s role in the special, which included performances of "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," was integral to the authenticity of the Peanuts universe.[16] The recording sessions, held at Fantasy Studios in late autumn 1965, spanned three sessions over two weeks and often extended late into the night, leading to the involvement of different children at each session due to some parents' refusal to allow their children to return. Mineah’s pursuit of perfection contrasted with Mendelson and Guaraldi’s desire for a more natural sound, resulting in the use of a slightly off-key version of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in the final cut. In addition to their musical contributions, the children recorded dialogue for the special’s closing scene, joyfully exclaiming, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!"[20] The children were compensated with five dollars each for their participation. One choir member, Candace Hackett Shively, later became an elementary school teacher and fondly recalled the recording sessions, including post-session ice cream outings, which she shared with her students every holiday season.[21][22]
The five-minute version of "O Tannenbaum" (#2, Take 1) is prominently featured during the scene where Charlie Brown and Linus shop for a Christmas tree, showcasing Guaraldi's jazz-inspired arrangement of the classic carol
Guaraldi’s ability to reinterpret traditional holiday music was evident in his treatment of "O Tannenbaum." A fresh arrangement of the classic German carol was composed during the second recording session. This version, approximately five minutes long (#2, Take 1), maintained the carol’s structure while allowing Guaraldi’s piano to explore its harmonic potential within a jazz framework. Several shorter takes were also recorded, including an up-tempo version that was ultimately set aside as it did not fit the mood of the television special. One of these brief interpretations (#2, Take 5) was used during a pivotal scene, adding emotional depth as Charlie Brown exits the school theater carrying his small Christmas tree. Guaraldi’s interpretation of "O Tannenbaum" has since been hailed as a definitive rendition, blending tradition with jazz in a manner that evokes both the season and the Peanuts characters.[16]
The recording of "Christmas Is Coming" posed unique challenges, with the trio making several attempts to capture the lively energy of the piece. During the first session, Guaraldi and his group encountered rhythm disruptions and issues with the keyboard bridge, resulting in multiple abandoned takes. However, by the end of the session, they produced a version that, while not perfect, showed promise. In a subsequent session, they refined the arrangement, eventually producing the final take used on the soundtrack. The bright, bossa nova-inflected track showcases Guaraldi’s ability to balance jazz improvisation with the structured demands of an animated special.[16]
Additional music was later added to the special, post-broadcast, including songs like "Charlie Brown Theme" and "Happiness Theme" from Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, as well as "Air Music" from Charlie Brown's All Stars!. These tracks were not included in the original soundtrack release. Furthermore, while tracks such as "What Child Is This" and "The Christmas Song" were recorded for the album, they were not featured in the special itself.[23]
On May 10, 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quintuple platinum for sales of 5 million copies,[10] making it the second-best-selling jazz album in history, behind Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (1959).[26]
A Charlie Brown Christmas first appeared on a Billboard magazine music sales chart on the week of December 19, 1987, when it debuted and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Christmas Albums sales chart.[27] The album charted on the Billboard Christmas Albums chart every Christmas/holiday season from 1988 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 8 in both 2001 and 2002.[27] The album also charted on the BillboardTop Pop Catalog Albums chart during the Christmas/holiday season every year from 1991 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 6 in 2001.[27] In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era.[9]
It became the first jazz soundtrack album to reach the Top 10 outside of a specialty album chart (i.e. Christmas Albums, Top Pop Catalog Albums, Kids Albums) when, in January 2021, it reached No. 10 in the Billboard 200 chart.[28] Derrick Bang, Guaraldi historian and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, noted the significance of such a "huge" accomplishment, with Guaraldi sharing top spots with Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Eminem.[29]
A Charlie Brown Christmas was also the 10th best-selling holiday album of 2011, a year that marked the sixth time since 2001 that the album had ranked among the year's top 10 Christmas albums.[30] It was also the ninth best-selling album of 2013.[31]
On November 18, 2021, it was ranked as the No. 1 Greatest Holiday 200 album of All Time by Billboard.[32]
Critical reception
Guaraldi showed how a piano, bass and drums can capture a feeling and character in living color, particularly if those feelings are complex, conflicted or even simply too beautiful for words. It's the kind of realization that, even unconsciously, opens the door for later discoveries in Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Robert Glasper and everything beyond, to say nothing of all the other sounds and ensembles waiting to be heard with jazz at its pulse.
Allmusic reviewer Shawn M. Haney called it "joyous and festive meditation for the holiday season"[6] writing, "Guaraldi strings together elegant, enticing arrangements that reflect the spirit and mood of Schulz's work."[6] Dominique Leone at Pitchfork called the songs "small, observant miracles...If there's a muted quality to a lot of this music, it's smiling nonetheless."[24]
The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas has been considered "one of the most beloved holiday albums recorded."[33] Chris Barton of the Los Angeles Times asserts that the soundtrack introduced jazz to an entirely new generation, having been heard by more individuals than the work of the genre's most influential players, including Miles Davis and John Coltrane.[33] The score influenced dozens of young aspiring musicians, among them David Benoit[34] and George Winston.[1] Haney wrote that the record "introduce[d] contemporary jazz to youngsters with grace, charm, and creativity."[6] In 2019, it was ranked the fourth greatest Christmas album of all time by Rolling Stone.[35]
Colin Bailey – drums ("Linus and Lucy", "Greensleeves")
Children's chorus for the songs "Christmas Time Is Here", "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" and when the kids all shout "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" was the Children's choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California. Several months before the making of Charlie Brown Christmas this choir was featured on the recording Vince Guaraldi at Grace Cathedral.
^ abDerrick Bang writes the album was released in the first week of December1965, so as to coincide with the special's television debut,[1] but an advertisement in the November26 issue of The Sacramento Bee indicates the album may have already been on sale.[2]
March 2015 radio interview (KDRT program "Davisville") with David Willat, who as a child sang in the A Charlie Brown Christmas chorus, and Guaraldi author Derrick Bang
November 2022 radio interview (KDRT program "Davisville") with Jason and Sean Mendelson, and Derrick Bang, about the extended deluxe versions of A Charlie Brown Christmas released in late 2022
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