Vince Guaraldi at the piano

401 Pages·2012·10.815 MB·English

by  Guaraldi, Vince;Bang, Derrick

VINCE GUARALDI
AT THE PIANO
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V G
INCE UARALDI
P
AT THE IANO
Derrick Bang
Foreword by Charles Gompertz
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Bang, Derrick.
Vince Guaraldi at the piano / Derrick Bang ;
foreword by Charles Gompertz.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-5902-5
softcover : acid free paper
1. Guaraldi, Vince. 2. Pianists—United States—
Biography. 3. Jazz musicians—United States—
Biography. I. Title.
ML417.G78B36 2012 786.2'165092—dc23 [B] 2012007047
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2012 Derrick Bang. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: insetVince Guaraldi (photograph courtesy
Lee Mendelson); background© 2012 Shutterstock
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Charles Gompertz 1
Preface 3
Prologue: “The Sound of Surprise” 7
1. Family Ties: Growing Up Jazzy 11
2. Adante: Becoming One of Tjader’s Raiders 20
3. i on the Future: Security as a House Band 29
4. Galloping with the Herd: On the Road with Woody Herman 46
5. Tjader Redux: Seduced by Bossa Nova 55
6. Adagio: A Heaping Helping of Vince on the Side 79
7. Allegro Molto: “Fate” Steps In 101
8. Sittin’ in with Sete: Bola Joins the Band 124
9. A Year of Grace: Performing in the “Big House” 141
10. Presto: Putting the Swing in Charlie Brown’s Step 158
11. Calling His Own Shots 192
12. You’re a Movie Star, Charlie Brown: Big-Screen Glory 221
13. Intermezzo: The Good Life 250
14. Lento: Done Too Soon 279
15. Postlude: The Slow but Steady Road to Immortality 297
Epilogue: A Windy Evening in Sausalito 325
Appendix A: Remembering Dr. Funk: The Sidemen Speak 329
Appendix B: Discography 332
Appendix C: Filmography 352
Notes 355
Bibliography 377
Index 379
v
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Acknowledgments
No man is an island; no biographer is a one-person operation. Many, many people
have been extraordinarily charitable with their time, expertise, memories and mementos. I
owe them all debts that never can be repaid; I hope they’ll accept the last three years of my
life—pretty much what it took, to complete this book—as a token of my dedication, and
the respect with which I’ve accorded their trust.
First, I must acknowledge Vince Guaraldi himself, for his fertile creativity, performance
showmanship and all-around talent, and for having brought me such joy for so many years.
I’m also profoundly indebted to David and Dia Guaraldi, who so generously shared
family clippings, photos, posters and various other fascinating items from their father’s
career. Without their help, this book never could have existed.
Next, and of equal importance, I’m grateful to all the musicians who shared their expe-
riences with—and often droll anecdotes about—Vince Guaraldi. All these individuals were
patient with my often arcane questions, and reached deep into their memories to recall
events that were (in some cases) half a century old. Some of these guys have become friends;
all have become soul mates. I share their frustration at the absence of venues that allow
them to perform, on a regular basis, the music they love so much. Gentlemen, take a bow:
Colin Bailey, Benny Barth, Tom Beeson, Kelly Bryan, Lee Charlton, Mike Clark, Eddie
Cole man, Al Coster, Glenn Cronkhite, Paul Distel, Eddie Duran, Jerry Granelli, John
Handy, Tom Hart, Fritz Kasten, Koji Kataoka, Vince Lateano, Seward McCain, Ron
McClure, Peter Marshall, Al Obidinski, Dean Reilly, Don Rendell, Mark Rosengarden, Al
Torre, Benny Velarde, Larry Vuckovich, Paul Warburton, Eliot Zigmund and Jim Zimmer-
man.
My interviews weren’t confined to Guaraldi’s former band mates, of course; I also owe
a debt to numerous other individuals who consented to chat, bare their souls and strip-
mine their memories. They include: Richard Barry, Bill Belmont, Dan Bernhard, Pete Doug-
las, Toby Gleason, Charles Gompertz, Dennie Mehocich, Lee Mendelson, Doug Rams ey,
Steve Rubardt, Anne Sete, Lynn Shurtleff, Janis Thibault, David Willat and Faith Win -
throp.
A tip of the hat, as well, to the contemporary musical talents who’ve helped to keep
Guaraldi a household name: David Benoit and George Winston (and George, you’re truly
a cool dude).
Thanks also to David Rogant and Tom Cummings, who shared video interviews they
vii
viii Acknowledgments
recorded for an earlier Vince Guaraldi project that—alas—never saw the light of day. With-
out their help, I’d have no comments from Gretchen Katamay or Bill Melendez, both of
whom had died before I began this book.
Beyond the essential folks above, I also owe debts of gratitude to the following indi-
viduals, for the reasons cited.
Scott McGuire, for general research assistance with numerous details.
Doug Anderson, for efforts way above and beyond the call of duty; for acting as my
eyes while watching Salute to Songat the Library of Congress in D.C.; and also for parlaying
a casual correspondence into an invaluable professional relationship (nay, friendship!) high-
lighted by his damn impressive talents as a finder of various treasures.
Toby Gleason and Andrew Thomas, both collectively, for sharing so much of the
research that went into their documentary, The Anatomy of Vince Guaraldi; and individually,
for answering my numerous questions and providing copies of various treasures found in
various attics.
Charles Gompertz, for his heartfelt foreword, his constant willingness to share his
knowledge, and for inviting me to lunch at one of the most beautiful, scenic and isolated
homes I’ve ever seen.
Duncan Reid, fellow writer and author of a soon-to-be-released biography of Cal
Tjader, for liberally sharing much of his research, and pointing me toward a few Guaraldi
LP appearances of which I was unaware.
Michael Graves, Grammy Award–winning sound engineer and restorer par excellence,
for helping with all sorts of song- and music cue-related questions, and for shared experiences
that he and I will carry, quietly, to our graves.
Lee Riggs, of UC Davis’ Shields Library, for research assistance, for door-to-door book
check-out service, and for tracking down an elusive 16mm copy of Bicycles Are Beautiful.
Jim Lane, for having a 16mm film projector.
Steve Parry, former head of Sunset Films, for tracking down a copy of ’67 West.
The staff at Davis Community Network, for digitizing ’67 West.
Stephen Parr, of the San Francisco Media Archive, for tracking down and digitizing a
copy of Bay of Gold.
Corry Arnold, for doing his best to help with the mystery revolving around Guaraldi,
Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, and for providing a copy of a live set that paired Gua -
raldi with Van Morrison.
Gordon Carmadelle, of the Professional Musicians Local 47, for providing access to
several of Guaraldi’s contracts for the Peanuts TV specials and first big-screen film.
Gretchen Elliott, of the Musicians Union Local 6, also for providing access to several
of Guaraldi’s contracts for the Peanuts TV specials, big-screen film and a few other odds
and ends.
Michael Randolph, executor to the estate of professional photographer William “PoPsie”
Randolph, for providing a superb photograph of Guaraldi under generous terms.
Cynthia Sesso, of CTSImages, for providing some of professional photographer Ray
Avery’s photographs of Guaraldi, under equally generous terms.
William Jouniaux, for providing copies of the unreleased Woody Herman/Guaraldi
tracks from Mosaic’s Complete Woody Herman six-CD set.
Bruce and Mary Lee Templeton, for outstanding assists with information and recordings
relating to the Santa Clara Chorale.
Hans Boepple, for digging into the Santa Clara University music department archives.
Acknowledgments ix
Lisa Monhoff, of the Charles M. Schulz Museum, for always responding (and quickly!)
to my sometimes weird and just plain unusual questions.
Jeannie Schulz, for fast-tracking my request to use some of Charles M. Schulz’s artwork,
and for being an all-around magnanimous soul.
David Meyers, first for arranging a particularly fruitful trip to San Francisco, and later
for a comprehensive, top-to-bottom “reader’s edit,” and the enthusiastic response to same,
which encouraged me to believe that maybe some folks will enjoy this book.
Sharyn Orris, for superb classical music spotting.
And last—but certainly not least—to my wife, Gayna, both for her patient and tireless
proofreading, and also for putting up with my increasingly agitated behavior as various
deadlines loomed. Writers—indeed, artists of any kind—who embrace labors of love cannot
do so without the love and support (and steady paychecks!) of tolerant companions. As the
song goes, Baby, you’re the best!