Press Release from Lee Mendelson Film:
We are proud to announce, for the first time ever, the release of the complete soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the celebrated animated holiday television special, written and created by Charles Schulz, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman and produced by Melendez and Lee Mendelson, this is the complete Vince Guaraldi score along with never-before-heard bonus material.
Newly re-discovered in our vaults, the original recording sessions for Vince Guaraldi's beloved soundtrack have been remixed and remastered for audiophiles and Peanuts® fans everywhere. Includes many previously unreleased tracks, several never heard since the Vince Guaraldi Quintet laid them down for the recording session in 1973. All remastered from the original 2" 16 track source tapes.
This soundtrack from the 1973 holiday classic includes Guaraldi hits from the original sources like the funky brass filled "Linus and Lucy," "Thanksgiving Theme," and the soulful "Little Birdie." You will hear timbres from instruments that were previously buried in the show mix. Furthermore, there are bonus tracks for "Thanksgiving Interlude" demonstrating how Guaraldi crafted his score for the special; an additional keyboard on "Linus and Lucy;" and Guaraldi whistling the melody for "Is It James or Charlie?"
Beyond the composer's piano playing, the quintet is made up of Mike Clark on drums; Seward McCain (longest touring bassist with Guaraldi - holding down the electric bass at Guaraldi's request); Tom Harrell on trumpet to class up the album; and Chuck Bennett on Trombone. This is some of the funkiest Guaraldi you'll hear as his quintet leaned into the East Bay Sound, a type of funk that Mike Clark helped pioneer in the early '70s. Guaraldi even lends his bluesy voice to introduce Woodstock with "Little Birdie." The album was remix engineered by Terry Carleton, restored and mastered by Vinson Hudson, and produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson.
