Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown TV Specials

Though best known for his Yuletide compositions accompanying 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, there was much more that Vince Guaraldi contributed to the Charlie Brown TV specials — enough to build a box set with — but until that comes to fruition, Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown TV Specials is a great place to dig into some of those old-school childhood tunes. It starts off with the soulful and jazzy “Little Birdie” from 1973’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving where Guaraldi’s singing voice sounds somewhat inspired by Jack Sheldon who sang on many of the Schoolhouse Rock! educational shorts of the same era. Another standout is the funk-fusion of “Motocross” from 1975’s You’re A Good Sport, Charlie Brown. Proto-feminist upstart Peppermint Patty even gets her own grove on a namesake tune that jams heavy on a Fender Rhodes for just over a minute and a half. Predictably (but in a good way), the coolest tune here is “Joe Cool,” replete with clavinet, a solid bass groove and one of Guaraldi’s best vocal takes ever.