When it came to the world of jazz music, the late pianist Vince Guaraldi was one-of-a-kind. His relaxed style of playing put the listener at ease as they would listen to him—which naturally made him the perfect fit for the series of Charlie Brown television specials he provided music for.

But hidden behind that laissez-faire style of playing was a complexity that dozens of musicians have struggled to capture over the years. Some have failed miserably; others have come close, but never fully unlocked the Rosetta Stone that was Guaraldi's style.

The And So On Trio—composed of pianist Bam, bassist Keanu Finesse and drummer Elgran Kraktaube—come so, so close to hitting the mark with Music Of Vince Guaraldi, nine selections pulled from a variety of the Peanuts specials. They still fall short at times—but they’ve come closer to the bullseye than any other artist I’ve heard.

For the most part, the trio stays fairly close to the original arrangements, though some changes have to naturally be made. The opening track “Little Birdie” contains none of the vocals (which had been provided by Guaraldi himself on the original recording), but the arrangement doesn’t leave you pining for them. If anything, Bam’s piano work more than adequately fills in as a vocalist without words, if you will.

Staying close to the original arrangements while leaving enough room for each instrumentalist to add their own unique touch to the songs helps push these tracks into the stratosphere. “Thanksgiving Theme” actually sounds right without the expanded instrumentation that highlights the original; I could easily see this playing in the background while the special was on our television. Similarly, some of the lesser-known Peanuts songs like “Pebble Beach” and “Peppermint Patty” get a chance to step into the spotlight as the trio lovingly tackles the performances.

There are but two missteps on Music Of Vince Guaraldi that I noticed. First, “Christmas Time Is Here” sounds as if the trio is trying too hard to match Guaraldi’s original arrangement—and, by doing this, the relaxed feel of the original tune is completely lost. This one is pretty, don’t get me wrong, but it sounds a bit forced.

And then, there’s “Linus And Lucy.” This song is so ingrained in people’s minds that any change—however slight—to the arrangement makes it sound wrong. While I have no issue with The And So On Trio putting their own spin on Guaraldi’s work, this is one I would have really strained to have matched as closely as possible. Is it good? Yes, but the differences are clearly heard.

The only other suggestion I could offer that would have made Music Of Vince Guaraldi an even better album would have been to have moved away from the cartoon soundtracks and seen the musicians tackle other works by Guaraldi and his trio. I guess “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” would have been an obvious choice (and, again, one that could be undone by straying too far from the original, though Sounds Unlimited successfully did it in the ’60s), but there is so much of Guaraldi’s recorded output that they could have pulled from to make this a more rounded tribute.

Still, Music Of Vince Guaraldi honestly surpassed my expectations for the collection. The And So On Trio quickly and repeatedly proves their level of talent is enough to not only tackle works of artists like Guaraldi, but makes me curious what they could come up with on their own. Available only via digital download from the label, this is one that is well worth the investment.

Rating: B+

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