Essential Standards

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (13 ratings)
Essential Standards album cover
Album Information

Total Tracks: 12   Total Length: 54:33

eMusic Features

0

Charlie Brown Christmas: The Story Behind the Classic

By Michael Azerrad, eMusic Contributor

When you're a kid, you don't have much of a frame of reference - whatever happens, you just think, well, this must be the way the world is. So I didn't give too much thought to the fact that jazz as exquisitely tasteful as Vince Guaraldi's adorned the great Peanuts specials of the '60s. Maybe it's because Guaraldi's contemplative, even autumnal tunes tapped straight into Charlie Brown's downbeat mien. That might seem odd in music… more »

0

Baseball Music

By Dan Epstein, eMusic Contributor

Baseball and music are the twin obsessions of my life, but beyond drunken 7th inning renditions of "Take Me out to the Ballgame," I've always been fairly dubious about the wisdom of combining the two. Having grown up in an era where the only music heard at the ballpark came from a ghostly-sounding organ perched behind the press box, I find something extraordinarily distasteful about players running out onto the field to tune of '80s… more »

They Say All Music Guide

As part of the Essential Standards series from OJC, pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi is spotlighted on 12 tracks recorded for Fantasy in the ’50s and ’60s. While this compilation contains great performances (several are from Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus and Cast Your Fate to the Wind), it may not be the best place for the casual fan to start. None of Guaraldi’s songs associated with the Charlie Brown television cartoon are included, with the exception of the original master take of “Greensleeves.” This set would, however, make a fine companion to Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits. – Al Campbell