Analogue Productions - AAPJ 8431 - 200 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

AAA 100% Analogue - Mastered by Kevin Gray  - Limited Edition -  Pressed at QRP 

 

Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original stereo analog master tapes

 

200-gram vinyl, plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings

 

This album is great Jazz and great Christmas music all at the same time. It’s nice to have such a great new reissue of the classic LP. It’s pressed at Quality Record Pressings on very nice, flat 200g vinyl and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original stereo analog master tapes. It simply sounds great. If you want to enjoy some great Christmas jazz just play this LP.  Dagogo Review

 

Peanuts comic creator Charles M. Schulz called on pianist extraordinaire Vince Guaraldi and his trio to compose and perform music that would reflect the humor, charm and innocence of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the entire Peanut gang for their 1965 Christmas TV special. It was a perfect match.

 

When Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas album was inducted into the Library of Congress, the Library's media release noted, "A Charlie Brown Christmas introduced jazz to millions of listeners." According to annotator and Guaraldi biographer Bang, "The importance of [that] sentence can not be overstated." Children all over the world who had resisted jazz as the music of their parents were given an introduction.

 

The album's centerpiece track, today as it was in 1965, is "Christmas Time Is Here," the soulful instrumental version that clocks in at just over six minutes

 

Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz called on pianist extraordinaire Vince Guaraldi and his trio to compose and perform music that would reflect the humor, charm, and innocence of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang for their 1965 Christmas TV special. It was a perfect match: Guaraldi strings together elegant, enticing arrangements that reflect the spirit and mood of Schulz's work and introduce contemporary jazz to youngsters with grace, charm, and creativity. "What Child Is This" touches on cool jazz's richly textured percussive nuances, while "The Christmas Song" reflects Christmas' relaxing, mellow moments.

 

The renowned "Linus and Lucy" gives the Peanuts characters a fresh, energetic feel with its tantalizing meter changes, brilliant percussion, and dashing, humorous piano lines. "Christmastime Is Here," perhaps the album's most endearing and eloquent moment, is six minutes of soft, lullaby-like melodic and percussive flavors. This collection of soul-soothing melodies would not be complete without the romantic gem "Skating," which blends musical references to falling snowflakes with the dashing feel of swing. Finally, the uplifting, emotionally stirring swing tune "Christmas Is Coming" really brings the listener into the joyous light of the Christmas spirit.

 

Fred Marshall's alluring walking basslines and drummer Jerry Granelli's hauntingly beautiful brush work give most of the album a warm foundation, while Monty Budwig and Colin Bailey shine through with eminent dexterity on bass and drums on "Greensleeves." As for Guaraldi, his penetrating improvisational phrases paint pictures of the first winter snowfall, myriad glistening trees, and powdery white landscapes.

 

With its blend of contemporary jazz and lyrical mannerisms, A Charlie Brown Christmas is a joyous and festive meditation for the holiday season.

 

 

2.   What Child Is This?

3.   My Little Drum

4.   Linus And Lucy

5.   Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental)

6.   Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)

7.   Skating

8.   Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

9.   Christmas Is Coming

10.   Fur Elise

11.   The Christmas Song