I was surprised to see this one voted as the all-time best Christmas album in a seasonal feature by Mojo Magazine, while the perennial Phil Spector Christmas Gift LP took only third place. So when I chanced upon a cheap CD copy at my neighborhood record shop, I decided to add it to my collection. I bought it blindly, not knowing if it contained instrumental music or songs, Muppet Show-like. As it turns out, this is a jazz piano album, containing both original compositions and jazz arrangements of traditional Christmas tunes. The music was commissioned for a 1965 Holiday Special based on the Peanuts comic strip. Next to pianist Vince Guaraldi who wrote the original songs and arranged the covers, the trio also consists of bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli. The opening "O Tannenbaum" is a great slice of cool jazz, playful but relaxed, while "What Child Is This" is completely subdued. "My Little Drum" is a semi-cover of "Little Drummer Boy" with unobtrusive vocals humming the familiar melody. "Linus and Lucy" is a lively tune before the original ballad "Christmas Time Is Here", delivered both in instrumental and in vocal version featuring a children's choir, which also appears on traditional carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". The composer used on purpose a slightly off-key take instead of a perfect one, because he wanted the children to sound like kids, rather than professional singers. "Skating" and "Christmas Is Coming" are a couple of cheerful jazz piano pieces, followed by a short detour through Beetoven's "Für Elise" and a slow instrumental version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". This 2012 CD reissue adds 3 tracks featuring Guaraldi fronting a different band augmented with trumpet and trombone: the traditional "Greensleeves" and two originals referencing other holidays: "Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Thanksgiving Theme". The album exceeded expectations by transcending its creation as TV soundtrack to become both a popular holiday listen and an influential jazz recording thanks to the lively and emotive playing achieved by the piano, bass and drums combination. The general feel of the album is one of laid back contentedness rather than the extreme cheerfulness of most holiday albums. Ideal background music for decorating the tree or stuffing the Christmas turkey, or just to put a smile upon your face.
***** for O Tannenbaum
**** for What Child Is This, My Little Drum, Linus and Lucy,Christmas Time Is Here (Instr.), Christmas Is Coming, Für Elise, Greensleeves
*** for Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal), Skating, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, The Christmas Song, Great Pumpkin Waltz, Thanksgiving Theme
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