Two Charles Browns for Christmas

I'd take bets on the favorite Christmas music (and special) among all of my Gen X peers — it'd have to be "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the mournful, lovely, thoughtful music of The Vince Guraldi Trio. The best thing about the show is its slow pace, melancholy tone, and -- of course -- Linus, throwing down the true meaning of Christmas in a simple, perfect way. ("Lo, I bring you tidings of GREAT joy...") But even bigger than the show is the music. There's a pretty interesting back story about the music for the special. In fact, the music came first... Known as "Dr. Funk" by his musician buddies, Vince Guaraldi was a master of mood, timing and a gentle boogie. His music is recognized as the sound of Charlie Brown, but there's a lot more to it than that. His music has gained favor in recent years, though sadly, Vince died of a heart attack between sets in 1976 at only 46 years old. It's worth checking out "Joe Cool's Blues" in which Winton, Branford, Delfeayo and their pianist genius father Ellis Marsalis pay tribute, with the original Guaraldi tunes plus some new compositions in the same style. The amazing, queenly Germaine Bazzle, "New Orleans' First Lady of Jazz" sings on my favorite tune, "Little Birdie" with such humor and sass that I defy you not to smile. Now, moving on to another Charles Brown... One of my other treasured Christmas songs is Charles Brown singing "Merry Christmas, Baby" -- with and without Bonnie Raitt. His genial, crushed velvet voice is so warm you could wrap yourself up in it. His blues piano is so behind the beat and laidback you just feel your spine unkink. Yet, there's always something a little sad in his tone. I think I remember hearing he had a vicious heroin addiction at one point, so perhaps that's the source of his darkness. According to one bio, "He was a crucial influence on three of the greats of R&B: Ray Charles (whose early piano trios were attempts to imitate the Brown sound); Bobby "Blue" Bland (who had a huge hit with his version of Driftin' Blues) and Sam Cooke (whose Bring It On Home To Me is based on a Brown composition, I Want To Go Home)." You can certainly hear them all in his playing -- and all of them are favorites of mine, so it's natural that I love Mr. Brown. He's won a Gleason award, WC Handy award, and was one of the first recipients of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Late in life, when his fame had faded, Bonnie Raitt brought him back to prominence, touring and recording with him. Especially cool is a tune called "Someone to Love," which features a fabulous piano performance and keening, world-weary vocals from both singers. Awesome.