HENDRICKS sez…
“Vince is what you call a piano player. That’s different from a pianist. A pianist can play anything that you can put in front of him. A piano player can play anything BEFORE you can put it in front of him.”
Who the hell is Dr. Vince Funk? OH — GOOD GRIEF!
Why — It’s VINCE GUARALI — with a D!
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE! THAT Vince Guaraldi?
I have such fond Xmas memories of The Chipmunks! But, I digress.
We’re talkin’ ‘bout none other than the man who laid down the grooooove for Joe Cooool — Snoooopy! Linus and Lucy! Charlie and the whole Peanuts Gang! Christmas classic jazz piano player Vince Guaraldi. Yeah. Wynton, Brubeck, Benoit and “Wyndham” Winston among others have offered their versions of this holiday gift that keeps an epinephrine fueled frenetic celebration in a pretty low key for a half hour every holiday season – BUT – Dr. Funk put it DOWN! So — Peanuts and bolts — Guaraldi is THE man responsible for the free form choreography of Charles Schulz’s little ids and egos a learnin’ on the appreciation of the true meaning of a non-commercialized holi-day winter wonderland to a wunnerful, wunnerful theme song. Without Guaraldi — would Schroeder be the heartthrob he is? Would Lucy be more Machiavellian? Could Charlie be even more of a nihilist? Would Coca Cola’ve resorted to pyrotechnics? Hallmark sold less tchotchkes? Dolly Madison been known only as a White House hostess cupcake instead of a Hostess Twinkie or Ding Dong — creamy center notwithstanding?
Right on 1 of those first 12 notes and kickin’ counterpoint I find myself with arms outstretched-parallel doin’ the sleepwalk! The pony-head-flip-side-to-side! And the ubiquitous heel-clickin’-shoulder-shirk with the rest of the punkin’ headed kids! YAY! It’s Christmas and…
EVERYTHING I TOUCH GETS RUINE!!! (Must I explain the joke?) I remember now why I lament Xmas — of all the Charlie Browns in the world I happen to be the Charlie Browniest! Aggggggghhhh! (OH! WHY must I be reminded of it each and every year?)
(Sniff) Vince Guaraldi cast his fate to the wind with that surprise breakthrough B side hit with the mellow bossa nova beat that won a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition and grabbed the attention of “Peanuts” TV show producer Lee Mendelson while he was riding in a taxi and it came back and hit us all in the solstice plexus in the form of a “Charlie Brown Christmas” — and ever since — we blockheads have a lot to be thankful for with that little bit of non-commercialized peace on earth. “WAH WAH WAH WAM WAH WAM WAH WAH WAH”] WHAT? Why, it’s the disembodied voice of adulthood! A piece of what, you say? Oh! NOT “peace ON earth”, but — PIECE OF earth. (Phew! Could’ve been a lot worse.) Dang. I SCHIST YOU NOT — no matter the matter, I ALWAYS get a rock (ncy live and recordid at that). Aaaaahhhgggghhhh!
The “everyone-gather-round-the-flat-screen-to-watch-the-round-headed-kinder-sing to-the-bent-but-not-broken-bare-branched-conifer-transformed-by-love-and-care-into-a-yuletide-tannenbaum” VINCE GUARALDI! Ooooh Ooooh oooh ooh ooh. Ooooh ooooh ooh ooh ooh.