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Carlo Lo Raso
You’re a Good Sport, Charlie BrownI’ve previously mentioned how, in my childhood, my formative impressions of Classical music were shaped from watching scads of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes, and my intro to Jazz came courtesy of all those Peanuts specials I absorbed. Lee Mendelson Film Productions, no doubt with support from Charles Schulz’s family, has been doing yeoman’s work discovering, remastering, and releasing (in many cases for the first time) all of Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts-based work these last few years.
As a slightly wistful middle-aged grown-up (subject to debate, I am told), it has been great to relive the sounds of these beloved primetime specials. I used to impatiently wait for them every year, sitting in front of our family’s old black & white TV to watch (along with the classic rotating “CBS Special” logo and the requisite Dolly Madison dessert pie commercials). They were immensely entertaining and deeply special to me and millions of other fans out there. Years later, I made sure I shared many of these specials with my own kids via home video (and thankfully in color), passing their specialness on to another generation.
But listening to these carefully curated releases now, I repeatedly get struck with the realization that these beautifully composed themes and cues aren’t simply filler material to move an animated cartoon along; they more than stand on their own as wonderful music. Such was the skill and underappreciated genius of Vince Guaraldi.
The music on “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown” is interesting in that it, compared to previous outings, relies the most heavily on synthesized or electric instruments on Guaraldi’s part. His use of the clavinet and the ARP String Ensemble in particular gives the music that distinct ’70s generational feel. The opening track, “Motocross,” has a funky, infectious groove to it that finds its way throughout the album in several other cues. Seward McCain’s bassline has a great “meaty” sound to it that adds a beautiful foundation and sets the tone for everything as it contrasts with Guaraldi’s smoothly cool phrasing on the electric piano. Same goes for the “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (Centercourt)” track, but with Guaraldi switching to a regular piano there. Mark Rosengarten’s drum work also deserves mention, as there is some very complex and tasteful playing happening throughout. Not something I was entirely expecting, but again, just sitting and enjoying this all as real music, I more than a few times found myself thinking “Wow, there is some exceptionally tasty stuff going on there!”
The equally unexpected and frankly weird thing I found when listening to the cues for “Fanfare, Hospital Scene” and “Bass Blues” was that the ARP Strings constantly playing through the background combined with the sound of the clavinet, indirectly reminded me of some of Vangelis’ work years later on the Blade Runner soundtrack. Obviously, we’re talking about very different themes here, but those similar sounds and tempos were unmistakable to me. A little inspirational precursor of things to come? Who knows, but I found it intriguing!
Side B has alternate cues of “Motocross” with differing arrangements or tempos that would continue the musical theme across the whole special and an unused opening cue of “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown” that should have gone with the opening credits but for some reason didn’t. It’s all a great look at how different takes of the same pieces can extend an overarching musical theme.
There are also bonus tracks included from a Lee Mendelson-produced industrial film about bicycling called “Bicycles Are Beautiful,” which Guaraldi also scored. The overall vibe is still very Peanuts in feel, and it thematically fits the whole motocross backstory and the established sound of “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown,” so it’s fitting that they were added here.
The original sessions were recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco in September of 1975, with the “Bicycles Are Beautiful” material recorded a year earlier.
You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown Picture Disc
The overall sound quality of this 45 RPM LP is outstanding. Pressed on a heavyweight bio-friendly-process vinyl, the album had almost no surface noise or undue clicks and pops. This pressing also features printed bands of character images on both sides of the album that are designed to appear as little animated snippets when the record is spinning and viewed through the photo app of your smartphone.
Listening on a pair of ATC SCM50ASL active monitors that I had in-house for review, the clarity and imaging of all the instruments were exceptional, with a wide soundstage and significant image depth and detail. It almost felt like it was recorded yesterday; it sounded so clean and full. From the results, you can tell that the tape restoration, 24-bit 192 kHz digital transfer, and mastering were handled with great care.
In a nutshell, the music is stylish, enveloping, and truly delightful to listen to. Another lovely addition to the Vince Guaraldi/Peanuts musical legacy.
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Suspended In TimeI’m ashamed to say I’ve never heard of Fred Hersch, which in and of itself only means that I have a lot of good music and great performers still to discover out there. And if “Suspended In Time” is any indication, I seriously need to explore his collaborations and back catalog because the man has obviously been around, is deeply well-regarded in jazz circles (with 17 Grammy nominations), and plays piano wonderfully.
On this album, Hersch collaborates with lyricist Rondi Charleston on songs that were inspired by poems and personal writings Rondi put together during the COVID-19 pandemic. These songs cover the gamut of all the concerns, frustrations, grief, expectation, and ultimately hope that no doubt were universally experienced during those very trying times. From a compositional standpoint, Fred Hersch took Charleston’s words and expertly crafted a complete sonic story from beginning to end, adding emotional melodic afterburners to Charleston’s poignant words. It very much feels like the chronological entries from a personal diary put to music. The fact that the carrier music for this sort of subject matter is very good jazz is, in itself, unique and beautiful. These days, in lesser hands, this material could have easily crossed into the potentially tasteless realm of show tunes, which has been blessedly avoided here.
Tracks mainly feature Hersch on piano with vocals performed ably by either Kate McGary or Gabrielle Stravelli. Rondi Charleston contributes a spoken word performance on the last track of Side A, “Fever Dreams.” Other tracks have percussion, drums, bass, string, and woodwind incorporated at various points. The album is bookended by the tracks “Suspended In Time” at the beginning and “Here We Are” at the end, which are thematically and sonically similar, with their message of both the hope and uncertainty of the future. The slightly different arrangements and different vocalists in each track are a nice touch, leaving the impression of the passage of time and personal growth. “Sea of Eyes” is a somewhat eerie and compelling track with an almost folk/medieval feel to it, referencing the new normal of a sea of people wearing masks for protection, wondering if they are actually safe and if a cure will ever come.
Sonically, the entire album is superb. The recordings, laid down at The Power Station in NYC, sound flawless, with a full and rich presentation. The pressing quality of the vinyl itself is excellent, with the vocalists perfectly centered in space, their voices having beautiful clarity and weight, and the supporting instrumentation spread out in a wide soundstage extending beyond the boundaries of my speakers. Fred Hersch’s piano is nicely captured, exhibiting a lovely warmth and dimension to the instrument along with the ring and decay of the notes sounding just right. The gentlest of percussion and cymbal details have also been successfully caught and relayed, which is also telling of a great recording/mastering, and pressing chain. Very little surface noise is apparent on the actual vinyl, and it arrived completely flat and with no clicks or pops during playback.
Reading the liner notes, I was initially concerned that this album might be heavy-handed in pushing a message, but I was pleasantly rewarded with wonderfully composed music that told an emotional story. A very enjoyable and beautiful listen.
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Blues & BalladsIn another of Craft Recordings’ re-releases from the Prestige/Bluesville catalog comes this 1960s gem that features two great classic blues artists, Lonnie Johnson and Elmer Snowden. Originally recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in his New Jersey studio, this album features 10 tracks (some instrumentals) of two consummate folk/blues masters casually and unpretentiously laying down some fantastic music. It helped both Johnson and Snowden receive some renewed interest in their work as part of the overall Folk/Blues revival of the time.
The personnel consists of Johnson on vocals and electric guitar, Elmer Snowden accompanies on acoustic guitar, and Wendell Marshell covers the bass. While the recording itself may be sparse, personnel-wise, it very nicely captures the intimate atmosphere of these three guys jamming together.
Opening up with “Haunted House,” we get the trio performing a rock-solid traditional Blues number with Johnson’s singing being suitably dire and plaintive. Tracks like “Memories of You” and “I Found a Dream” have Johnson crooning in an almost classic country/cowboy ballad style. At the age of 60, his voice is slightly worn, dripping with worldly experience and character, and yet he delivers this track so sweetly and melodically, it’s just beautiful emotional stuff. Electric and acoustic guitars are relayed distinctly and completely. It is easy to follow either performer along with the bassline. I particularly like the instrumentals like “Blues for Chris” and “Elmer’s Blues” that just have the trio jamming robustly with Snowden getting to stretch out on acoustic guitar, and includes casual banter from Lonnie Johnson directing and joking with Elmer Snowden and bassist Wendell Marshall.
“St. Louis Blues” is a classic jumping Blues track that has Lonnie Johnson cutting loose on electric guitar with fantastically limber single-note picking solo runs. The album closes with “Jelly Roll Baker,” a popular tune for Johnson, having recorded it a few times over his career. Like a lot of great Blues tunes, it’s provocative, loaded with double-meanings, and ultimately is a song that has little to do with patisserie, in the conventional sense.
The overall sound quality of the album is once again superb. No doubt a testament to Van Gelder’s original recording practices and the analog remastering done for this release by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab at Blue Heaven Studios. The album’s sound is warm and inviting, with excellent detail and atmosphere throughout. The album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl by QRP in conjunction with Acoustic Sounds. The vinyl arrived perfectly flat and played with no undue surface noise, clicks, or pops.
If you are a lover of traditional Folk/Blues, then “Blues & Ballads” absolutely deserves your attention. Highly recommended!