Search - Vince Guaraldi :: Jazz Impressions Vince Guaraldi

Rainy day music

09/18/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This isn't the flashy upbeat Peanuts music that most people think of when they think of Vince Guaraldi. Rather, this is very mellow, and at times melancholy, music. It is perfect to pop in your car's CD player on a rainy day, or any other time when you want to escape the hassles of the world."

Before the Magic

Steven R. Seim | Beaver Dam, WI United States | 07/19/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Though largely ignored by critics, Vince Guaraldi developed one of the most distinctive, original, and joyous sounds in jazz piano. (Perhaps only Thelonious Monk is as instantly recognizable.)However, Guaraldi did not really find his "voice" on the instrument until 1962's "Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus." His prior recordings, "Vince Guaraldi Trio," "Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," and "Jazz Impressions" (which is really just a sampler of the two former works) are simply unexceptional West Coast jazz. The lightness of mood on these three early albums is further accentuated by the absence of a drummer.Vince Guaraldi has often been labelled "easy listening." For the most part, that characterization is unfair, and reflects the accessibility of his work rather than its artistic merit. On these first three albums, however, the characterization is very apt."