Monday, December 22, 2014

A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack on CD)

A Charlie Brown Christmas
by Vince Guaraldi [various call numbers]

This soundtrack album is essential holiday listening for me - in fact, if prompted to complete one of those "what music would you want to have with you if trapped on a desert island?" quizzes, this would be one of my choices. Having grown up watching the A Charlie Brown Christmas special on television, Vince Guaraldi's jazzy, light-hearted yet sentimental riffs perfectly capture the Christmas season for me. Of course, the "Linus and Lucy" track is probably the best-known, and carried over thematically to the many other Peanuts television specials. But the soft, thoughtful, vaguely plaintive "Christmastime is Here", in either instrumental only, or even better with vocals, snaps me back to my childhood, being comforted by family gatherings, festive decorations and smells, and a general sense of seasonal well-being. The only other album that does that is John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together. If you're a Peanuts fan, you probably already own this CD. If it is not already part of your holiday music rotation, consider checking it out...it will most likely bring back a lot of memories! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Scott's Reviewer Profile and more of his reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the actual DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas -- the music is also available in various printed sheet-music collections for various instrumentations.]

[ Bibliography of Vince Guaraldi music ] | [ official Vince Guaraldi web site ]


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