Before the Vince Guaraldi Trio became synonymous with holiday nostalgia and the sound of childhood reflection, they were already sketching the emotional world of Peanuts. Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, recorded in 1964 to accompany an abandoned Schulz documentary, isn’t just a precursor to A Charlie Brown Christmas—it’s a complete artistic statement in its own right, and perhaps the most exploratory album in Guaraldi’s catalog. For Record Store Day, Craft Recordings is releasing both a 2-CD set with these early takes and a second disk with alternate takes as well as a vinyl release of the Alternate Takes. The vinyl edition is pressed on Sky-Blue vinyl and mixed and mastered by GRAMMY award-winning engineer Paul Blakemore from lacquers cut at Cohearent Audio.
The original album (heard on the CD version) showcases Guaraldi’s ability to sketch characters through chord voicings alone. “Linus and Lucy,” which would go on to become the unofficial Peanuts anthem, arrives here not as a polished hit but as a pulsing, joyful piece with an almost gospel-like drive. Its percussive piano riff still sounds fresh, but on this earlier recording, there’s a slightly rawer edge that’s a little less polished. “Baseball Theme” swings with confident precision, painting scenes of missed catches and dusty diamonds with brushwork snare and kinetic basslines. Meanwhile, “Schroeder” (later distilled into a piano solo in subsequent specials) appears here in two trio arrangements, both swinging with a boppish energy that belies Schroeder’s Beethoven obsession and reveals him as something closer to a jazzman in miniature.
The alternate takes included in the reissue of Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown are more than historical curiosities, they’re windows into Vince Guaraldi’s creative process, showing how this music was sculpted in real time. They reveal a composer and pianist deeply engaged in experimentation, willing to stretch and reshape his themes until they felt just right. Take, for instance, “Oh, Good Grief” (Take 1). Where the final version is tight and buoyant, this early take is looser, with Guaraldi digging into longer improvised runs and playing more freely with rhythmic phrasing. There’s a sense of exploration like he’s still discovering what the piece wants to be. “Pebble Beach (Take 7)” might be the most introspective moment in the set. This alternate is more meditative than the final version, slower and dreamier, with Guaraldi allowing more space between notes. The brushes whisper, the bass strolls gently, and Guaraldi leans into a more impressionistic touch, almost Bill Evans-like. A particular highlight is the early “Linus and Lucy (Studio Test),” which lacks the bright punch of the final version but offers something more intimate. The groove is there, but it’s slightly restrained as if Guaraldi is still feeling out the edges of this soon-to-be-iconic riff. And finally, the two alternate trio versions of “Schroeder” offer a fascinating contrast to the spare solo that made it into later specials. These takes have more forward momentum, with lively bass and drums giving the piece a sense of motion and energy that contrasts with the more introspective solo version.
In short, these alternate takes do more than provide variety; they tell a story of artistic refinement. They capture Guaraldi and his trio not just performing, but thinking aloud in music, making decisions in the moment. Listening to them side-by-side with the final cuts is like watching the sketches beneath an oil painting: giving a glimpse of the framework and the revisions. The vinyl release here is particularly exciting, as it is such a great-sounding pressing that every note and beat is discernible. These releases are essential listening for any fan of Peanuts or great jazz.
