Day 8: "A Guaraldi Holiday" Isaiah J. Thompson
The perfect way to get into the holiday spirit
Note: This post is part of a series where I listen to an album each day in December. Past posts can be found on my substack. All hyperlinked songs go to Spotify links, Youtube links can be found at the end of the post.
Listening to Christmas music year-round is one of my guilty pleasures. A Guaraldi Holiday, Isaiah J. Thompson’s latest release from Outside in Music won’t make quitting any easier.
His fourth album as a leader shows more than his undeniable talent, it also cements his selflessness as a musician and ability to work as a unit with the members of his band. Thompson’s debut album was a tribute to the music of Buddy Montgomery, his second was a celebration of composers of color, and this album is a timely reimagination of Vince Guaraldi’s music. Of course, in jazz, it is customary to play standards across recordings, but Thompson’s dedication to honoring the legacy of the musicians before him is incredibly sincere.
Generations of fans have fond memories associated with the music of Vince Guaraldi due to its notorious features in the Peanuts franchise. Many listeners are accustomed to the original arrangements and instrumentation. Thompson manages to invigorate the compositions with lively new arrangements, while also tapping into the nostalgia and cozy Christmas feeling that makes listeners come back year after year.
The record features a band of young heavy hitters including Julian Lee on tenor, Anthony Hervey on trumpet, Alexa Tarantino on alto, Philip Norris on bass, and Kyle Poole on drums. The album also features one of Thompson’s mentors, John Pizzarelli, on guitar and vocalists Tyreek McDole and Robbie Lee. I wish I could talk about each track in-depth, but for now, I’ll focus on the ones that stood out to me most.
The record opens with a quartet playing “The Great Pumpkin Waltz,” one of the singles I had on repeat before the entire record debuted. Tenor Saxophonist Julian Lee manages to encapsulate the cool autumnal feeling I’m so desperately missing right now through his interpretation of the melody originally played on piano. One of my fondest memories of Isaiah was seeing his quartet at Smoke when I first started college. The instrumentation of his quartet (tenor, piano, bass, drums) has consistently been an avenue for Thompson to show his talent, and this tune is a great continuation.
“Little Birdie,” featuring the most recent winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition Tyreek McDole, is an example of the contemporary energy Thompson brings to Guaraldi’s book. The band swings as a unit supporting the vocalist and maintaining high energy through the solos. Thompson plays well with vocalists, which any vocalist will tell you is a skill. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire),” is not a Guaraldi tune but an iconic Christmas song written by the multi-talented Mel Torme and made famous by Nat “King” Cole. With iconic vocalist shoes to fill, Robbie Lee fits the tune like a glove. He clearly has done the work of listening to the greats but brings his unique warm voice and styling to the duo performance.
“Christmas is Coming” and “O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)” establish the joy of Christmas sonically. The former quiet literally sounds like a Christmas party at the end with clapping and cheers that are greatly deserved. There is something about Thompson’s playing I can’t exactly describe in words, but his ability to inject joy and emotion into his music is why he is one of the most celebrated pianists of his generation. I always respond to it with a smile and an unwavering head nod, it’s something you need to hear to understand. “O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)” features trumpet player Anthony Hervey. He navigates the tune with a plunger mute, a reminder of what all of the adults in the Peanuts universe sound like. If the adults sounded half as good as Hervey does while soloing over this tune, I think we all would be interested in more adults talking in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to this record. I happened to be listening with a 6-year-old in earshot. She started dancing to the “Charlie Brown Theme” and said, “I love this song, can you turn it up?” I strongly believe in the objectivity of children, especially when it comes to music that sounds and feels good. If you won’t take my word on this album, consider hers and listen to what is a spectacular new addition to the Christmas music canon.
Until Tomorrow,
Emily x
Buy A Guaraldi Christmas on Bandcamp
Listen to A Guaraldi Christmas on Youtube