Grammy Award Winning Pianist George Winston has released a new CD of solo piano music in a tribute to Vince Guaraldi: Love Will Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2. Vince Guaraldi will always be associated with the “Charlie Brown” television specials and the “Peanuts” characters conceived by Charles M. Schulz. He created the sounds of “Charlie Brown” that remain indelible in our minds. But, Guaraldi was also a successful jazz musician. He was part of the early Cal Tjader Trio and also had a hit of his own with “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” Winston honors both facets of Vince Guaraldi with this new CD which is the follow-on to his first Guaraldi tribute recording in 1996, Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi.
Appropriately, more than half of the 16 tracks (9) are from “Charlie Brown” episodes. The remainder is from Guaraldi’s jazz work. It’s appropriate that so many songs are from the TV series due to its immense popularity and because it is inextricable linked with Guaraldi’s music. The commercial success of the series does not detract from the quality and enjoyment of the music. Many artists struggle for years to gain exposure to a wide audience and Guaraldi’s good fortune was well-deserved. It can be a huge challenge to cover such familiar and beloved material and Winston does an admirable job.
Guaraldi’s unique style of composition is readily recognizable: strong bass lines, frequent cyclical modulations, chords featuring major 9ths (often in place of the 7th typically used in jazz harmonies) and pentatonic scales. The first track is “Time for Love” from the “There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown” episode. As with many of Guaraldi’s compositions it sets up a steady-state tempo and rarely strays from it. Winston maintains the flow and adds interest with dynamic variations. Also from the TV series, the second track, “It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown,” is immediately familiar and comfortable. The next cut, “Macedonia/Little David,” is from Guaraldi’s non-“Peanuts” work. These other pieces generally contrast with the “Peanuts” selections by their slower tempo, minor key settings and pensive mood. Winston interjects these lesser known jazz compositions as strategic punctuations in the flow of the more well-known music. “Fenwyck’s Farfel/Calling Dr. Funk,” track five, is a standout as a somber blues in almost a New Orleans jazz funeral style. “Pebble Beach/Dolores Park” is another atypical selection. It is modern jazz with harmonic progressions reminiscent of Gary Burton’s early work. The title track, “Love Will Come,” is again from “Charlie Brown” and paints an image of the character’s thoughtful reflective nature. It is reprised in variation for the final track, “Love Will Come 2.”
Winston faces two challenges on this CD. First, the compositions are all by a single composer and are extremely familiar from their original context. Second, the entire recording is of solo piano. Given these tight constraints this is a good piece of work. Many of us have an immediate strong and pleasurable nostalgic response to Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown” sounds. Combine that with Winston’s fine interpretations of some of Guaraldi’s other interesting jazz compositions and you have two compelling reasons to enjoy Love Will Come.
February 3, 2010
