Smile Politely

Now Hear This! Vince Guaraldi Trio — “Little Birdie” (1972)

With the holiday season officially in full swing, and Christmas music and Muzak being played from every speaker system in earshot, I thought it might be worth sharing this tune that I rediscovered over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I love Peanuts as much as the next person; it’s as American as it gets and generally filled with decent tales or morality and humorous asides. The season calls for at least one, if not multiple, viewings of the famous A Charlie Brown Christmas, but I hadn’t watched the lesser known Thanksgiving special in perhaps a decade.

My nephew, like any 23 month old, was smitten by it. As a result, we watched it four times in a row while digestion was settling in. And each time, this old Vince Guaraldi gem sounded more and more sensational to my sleepy head.

While he is mainly known for the classic album that accompanied the Christmas special, and especially the now-ubiquitous song “Linus and Lucy,” it’s worth noting that Guaraldi was quite respected by his jazz peers. And with a ‘stache like that, you can understand why.

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