Pianist Vince Guaraldi was probably the most widely heard jazz artist in the 1960s, thanks to his music for the perennially popular Charlie Brown TV specials. Some of it can be heard on this two-disc survey of recordings from the ’50s and ’60s (including a couple of unreleased tracks). Accompanied by small combos, Guaraldi’s understated, cool-school artistry never lost touch with jazz’s earthy roots, yet he refined his sources into a sonic dry martini, lightly shaken and never stirred. Guaraldi’s talent on piano is apparent in his way of improvising funky but always superbly cool moments around the melody.
Vince Guaraldi
The Definitive Vince Guaraldi (Concord)
