In honor of the holiday season I decided that this week’s album would be A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Having spend winters in Iowa and Baltimore I realize that this album is the closest I’m going to get to getting that holiday vibe here in Las Vegas.
What sucks about holiday albums…
Wait, why am I saying “holiday”? The lack of “holiday” music is actually something that I’ve written about. I guess I’m just so used to living in a politically correct world that I’ve been conditioned, but the only really “holiday” albums are Christmas albums.
Anyway, what sucks about Christmas albums that you’ve got that limited window when they’re relevant. You can’t really play them until after Thanksgiving, so that’s only like a month when they’re viable. It’s a wonder why Christmas albums seem to do so well.
But A Charlie Brown Christmas rocks on a few levels. Part of it’s pure nostalgia. I grew up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, so hearing those songs again takes me back and reminds me of when December was a magical time of year.
But also as a guy who’s grown to appreciate music, especially jazz, the album is a treat. Hearing jazzy arrangements on Christmas classics like “O Tannenbaum” and “Christmas Song” is refreshing, since most of the time you hear those songs they’re pretty traditional. Even the more religious songs like “What Child is This” really shine. They manage to remain true to both the jazz aesthetic as well as setting the Christmas vibe. It’s pretty impressive.
I’m so glad that I copped this when I saw it at Starbucks for half off.
