Wynton Marsalis takes a run at Vince Guaraldi? Taken at face value, this seems like an album I'd really like, but this isn't one of my favorite Marsalis albums. Father Ellis Marsalis' trio performs six of Guaraldi's classic Peanuts tunes while son Wynton and his septet cover one Guaraldi tune and seven originals. I'm guessing these originals were intended to be tributes to Guaraldi, but they sound like any other Wynton charts from that time period. I rue the day in the late '80s that Wynton added screeching clarinet and growling trombone to his timbre palette. The playing is all top-notch, but the production is very poor with discernible attempt at balance. Everyone seems to be playing at equal volume. A much better tribute album is George Winston's or, better yet, stick to Guaraldi originals.
Tracks: The Ellis Marsalis Trio contributions (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11) are all decent covers and worth checking out if you like Guaraldi's music. The Wynton originals are all okay, the best cuts being Little Red-Haired Girl and Joe Cool's Blues (Snoopy's Return). You'll want to skip Wright Brothers Rag.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
Two Men with the Blues (2008)
Uptown Ruler: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 2 (1991)
Crescent City Christmas Card (1989)
Baroque Music for Trumpets (1988)
J Mood (1986)
Trumpet Concertos (1983)
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