Vince Guaraldi - Greatest Hits - [CD]

The inventive jazz pianist know for composing the Charlie Brown Suite had a unique flair for combining improvisation with memorable melodies. Here's a chance to hear his 1980 LP featuring famous tunes Cast Your Fate to the Wind; Linus and Lucy; Christmas Time Is Here; Mr. Lucky; Treat Street, and more. He's best known, and deservedly so, for the jazzy music he wrote for Charles M. Schulz's "Peanuts" characters, but San Francisco-based Vince Guaraldi was also a highly regarded trio and ensemble pianist whose laid-back grooves are still a treat to hear. Greatest Hits samples his various stages, from big hits "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and "Samba de Orpheus" to his work with Latin guitarist Bola Sete ("Days of Wine and Roses") to, yes, his beloved "Peanuts" compositions ("Good Grief," "Linus and Lucy," "Christmastime Is Here"). --David Horiuchi