Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus

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Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus
Studio album by
Vince Guaraldi
ReleasedDecember 1967
RecordedLate summer-early autumn 1967
GenreJazz
Length27:46 (original 1967 release)
34:05 (CD release)
LabelD&D
ProducerVince Guaraldi
Vince Guaraldi chronology
Live at El Matador
(1966) 		Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus
(1967) 		Oh Good Grief!
(1968)
Singles from Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus
  1. "Eleanor Rigby"
    Released: October 1967
  2. "Blowin' in the Wind"
    Released: December 1967
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
Five Cents Please[2]

Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus is an album collaboration between American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi and the San Francisco Boys Chorus released in December 1967. It was Guaraldi's ninth studio album and the first to be released on his D&D record label (the only one during his lifetime), named for the first initials of his two children, David and Dia.[2]

Background[edit]

Unable to secure new recording contracts with other labels due to an ongoing legal dispute with Fantasy Records dating back to early 1966, Guaraldi opted to create his own record label, titled D&D Records (named after his children, David and Dia). The debut single, a cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", was backed by a complete version of "Peppermint Patty" which had been featured in the most recent Peanuts television special, You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967). The latter song was purposely chosen by Guaraldi, as he understood that the popularity of his Peanuts compositions would help sell D&D's inaugural release.[3]

Guaraldi then proceeded to record additional tracks for what would become Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus. A conscious decision was made to divide the songs evenly between traditional jazz combos and collaborations with the San Francisco Boys Chorus.[3]

“I dig working with kids,” Guaraldi acknowledged earlier that year, when he began working with the Boys Chorus. “They have a sound — a timbre — that’s really better than adults doing the same stuff. It’s the simplicity that counts. No filigree."[4]

Due to the great expense of producing and pressing the album, Guaraldi opted to record the album in mono as a cost-saving measure, despite the music industry's ongoing transition to stereo format.[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang noted that the album "has something of an identity crisis; although all eight cuts are presented in the breezy shuffle style that made [Guaraldi] famous, half the tracks employ the San Francisco Boys Chorus for background coloring, while the others are conventional instrumentals with various quartets."[2]

Track listing[edit]

Original 1967 vinyl release[edit]

All tracks are written by Vince Guaraldi, except where noted[5]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Blowin' in the Wind"Bob Dylan 3:23
2."Think Drink[2]"Richard Boyell 2:52
3."Theme to Grace" original version on At Grace Cathedral (1965)3:31
4."Spice Island Theme[6]"  2:51
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
5."Monterey"  3:06
6."Eleanor Rigby"
 3:43
7."My Little Drum" original version on A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)3:57
8."Newport Theme"  4:23
Total length:27:46

2005 CD release[edit]

Bonus tracks
No.TitleNotesLength
9."Peppermint Patty"B-side of "Eleanor Rigby" single; featured in the Peanuts television special You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967)2:25
10."Newport Theme" (alternate take)previously unreleased3:54
Total length:34:05

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from 2005 CD liner notes.

  • Vince Guaraldi – piano
  • Eddie Duran – guitar (Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
  • Tom Beeson – double bass (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7)
  • Kelly Bryan – double bass (Tracks 4, 6, 8, 10)
  • Roland Haynes – double bass (Track 2)
  • Lee Charlton – drums (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7)
  • John Rae – drums (Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
  • San Francisco Boys Chorus – vocals (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7)
Vince Guaraldi Consort (aka The Vince Guaraldi Sextet)
  • Vince Guaraldi – piano (Track 9)
  • John Gray – guitar (Track 9)
  • Frank Rosolino – trombone (Track 9)
  • Ronald Lang – woodwinds (Track 9)
  • Monty Budwig – double bass (Track 9)
  • John Rae – drums (Track 9)
  • John Scott Trotter – arranger and conductor (Track 9)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rickert, David (August 29, 2005). "Review: Vince Guaraldi And The San Francisco Boys' Chorus". All About Jazz. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi on LP and CD: Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Bang, Derrick (2012). Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. Jefferson, North Carolina (U.S.): McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5902-5. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  4. ^ Carroll, Jon (July 23, 1967). "Experiment in Jazz — with the Under 14". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 25.
  5. ^ Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  6. ^ Bang, Derrick (January 25, 2014). "Missing in Action". impressionsofvince.blogspot.com. Derrick Bang. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

External links[edit]

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