Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi

by

George Winston

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What a beautiful musical tribute to the late Vince Guaraldi by George Winston! You're sure to love this cd if you are a fan of Guaraldi or Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanut's gang. The songs range in mood from light & lively to soft & serene. You'll find music from many of the different Charles Schulz cartoons...."It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "You're In Love, Charlie Brown, "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown," and more. Probably the most infamous Peanuts song on this cd is "Linus and Lucy." You know.....Da,da,dat, da,da,dat, daaaaa, daaaaa.....

Also on the cd are such Guaraldi hits as, "Cast Your Fate to The Wind," "Monterey," "Remembrance," and "Theme to Grace/Lament." Most of which are from the 1960's. Most people are very familiar with the Charlie Brown tunes, but may not be aware of who wrote and played them. Winston does Vince Guaraldi good in his musical tribute to him. It's a great cd if you enjoy Winston, Guaraldi, The Peanuts Gang, or all three. I love this cd for all three of those reasons! Would be a great addition to your cd collection.

Also of interest are the liner notes in the cd cover. There's a brief bio on George Winston and Vince Guaraldi, as well as how Winston came to admire and play the music of Guaraldi. He also writes a brief overview of each song. Very interesting.

George Winston is a good pianist. I particularly like his seasonal works. I also admire his desire to pay tribute to Vince Guaraldi, who immortalized himself by composing music for the early Peanuts TV specials. Winston's album is good in that it expands beyond the Peanuts faire to some of the other sides of Guaraldi's music. That much being said, this is not Vince Guaraldi, and anyone wanting Vince Guaraldi should not look here to find it. Winston obviously tries very hard to do justice to the jazz great, but doesn't quite make par. One of the problems is that most of Guaraldi's compositions were composed for the jazz trio (piano, bass, and drums). Some of the special qualities of his music is lost on solo piano. This isn't a put-down to Winston, but a testament to the brilliance of he to whom he is paying homage. I think this CD is a great tribute album and is enjoyable to listen to, but it does not bring back the magic of Guaraldi, nor does it rank among Winston's better works.