Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.
Movies, Television, Home Video
Founded 1963
330 Primrose Road, Suite 215 – Burlingame, CA 94010-4026
(650) 342-8284 Fax: (650) 342-6170
In Celebration of its 50
th
Anniversary, Lee Mendelson Film Productions
Announces the Limited Release of VINCE GUARALDI’s Soundtrack for
“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” for the first time ever
FEATURING MANY PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RECORDINGS FROM
THE VINCE GUARALDI QUINTET
Set for release October 20th and available to pre-order today
First single “Is It James or Charlie? (Bonus mix with Whistling)”
Preview on SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/Rv8gQ
LP, CD and Digital
“This is a very enjoyable and historic recording that is for anyone that likes jazz and Charlie Brown.”
-Jazz great David Benoit
“Avid Guaraldi fans have long selected this Emmy Award-winning TV special as their favorite, which is no surprise; the
show is wall-to-wall music, bouncing between acoustic and electric keyboards…”
-Derrick Bang author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano
“The score for “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” works to great effect due, in part, to the amalgamation of different Guaraldi
tricks, his interest in funkifying his jazz style, and that timeless new Thanksgiving Theme.” - (From the liner notes) by
Sean Mendelson, musician, and son of Peanuts® TV Producer Lee Mendelson
Burlingame, CA, August 2, 2023— Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the release - FOR THE
FIRST TIME EVER – of the complete Vince Guaraldi Soundtrack to “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” the timeless 10
th
animated PEANUTS® special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and Phil Roman and producers
Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing on November 20, 1973 on CBS-TV, the special has been broadcast or
streamed every year for the last 50 years, and is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.
The album includes the original recordings that comprise the thirteen song cues of the Special, plus another nine bonus
or alternative tracks that have never been released or heard before.
Guaraldi lovingly created the soundtrack for the eclectic, big meal and family gathering, while also bolstering the hijinks of
Snoopy and his new friend Woodstock as they “helped” Charlie Brown get ready for the party. The album also includes one
of the few songs where composer Guaraldi also sang the lyrics he wrote to Little Birdie.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.
Movies, Television, Home Video
Founded 1963
330 Primrose Road, Suite 215 – Burlingame, CA 94010-4026
(650) 342-8284 Fax: (650) 342-6170
The recording features Vince Guaraldi (piano, keyboards, vocals), Seward McCain (electric bass), Mike Clark (drums),
Tom Harrell (trumpet and brass arrangements), and Chuck Bennett (trombone). The soundtrack was produced by Sean
and Jason Mendelson, re-mixed by Terry Carleton at Bones and Knives, and restored and mastered/re-mastered by Vinson
Hudson.
There are three formats on which to hear this album: CD, vinyl, and digital. The CD has a 6-page insert. Both the LP and
CD will have liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by Sean Mendelson, musician, record producer and son of
Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson. Both versions have stills from the special and some images of the original track
assignments for each instrument.
[Click here to pre-order all formats.]
“Avid Guaraldi fans have long selected this Emmy® Award-winning TV special as their favorite, which is no surprise; the show is wall-
to-wall music, bouncing between acoustic and electric keyboards, going silent only during Linus’ gentle sermon about the first
Thanksgiving (a speech almost as eloquent as the one he delivers in Charlie Brown Christmas). That sequence aside, Guaraldi was
allowed to stretch and supply longer cues, each one starting as the previous one fades. The show boasts three new tunes, starting with
a lyrical title theme constructed from acoustic piano filigrees that evoke the keyboard cascades in Skating. An impudent cue titled Is It
James or Charlie? adds a bit of James Brown sass to the mix, and the standout newcomer is Guaraldi’s vocal on Little Birdie, played at
length when Snoopy — tasked with setting up the outdoor dining arrangements — wrestles with a basketball net, a garage door, a ping-
pong table and an impressively sentient folding chair. Returning cues include one of Guaraldi’s best arrangements of Linus and Lucy,
with brass adding a spirited counterpoint to the primary theme, and also shading a new four-chord climb at the end of each verse's
fourth measure: heard while Snoopy orchestrates the Thanksgiving “dinner” of buttered toast, popcorn, pretzels, jelly beans and ice
cream parfaits. The finger-snapping track pops up, here called Charlie Brown Blues. The final returning tune, Peppermint Patty, gets a
quiet, leisurely arrangement on electric keyboard: perfectly echoing the girl’s coquettish side, notably when she flirts with Charlie Brown
over the phone, while inviting herself — and Marcie and Franklin — to a party that doesn’t yet exist. The show’s final reprise of the title
theme introduces a sparkling brass counterpoint: a terrific conclusion to a half-hour of solid combo jazz. What’s not to love?”
— Derrick Bang
PEANUTS® historian and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland & Company)
"These great new, remastered recordings feature outtakes of Vince Guaraldi working out the piano voicings right on the spot in the
studio. It is fascinating to me to be a fly on the wall for these historic sessions featuring drummer Mike Clark (who played on Herbie
Hancock’s Thrust) and bassist Seward McCain on bass. It’s especially notable that Vince on this recording is making heavy use of The
Fender Rhodes electric piano thereby keeping up with the times. These tracks are also much funkier and groove oriented than their
predecessors which were more straight ahead. This is a very enjoyable and historic recording that is for anyone that likes jazz and
Charlie Brown.” — David Benoit
Grammy nominated jazz composer and recording artist (and Guaraldi torchbearer)
[For Extended Press Release and Information click here]
About Peanuts:
The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony
Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic
strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture.
In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of
consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital.
In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the
next generation of students.
About Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.:
Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is the Publisher of the Vince Guaraldi musical catalog associated with Peanuts. LMFP is also the producer of
the classic Peanuts television specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,
along with the Hollywood animation studio Bill Melendez Productions. LMFP also produced over 50 other network Peanuts specials, 12 prime time Garfield
specials, 121-program series “Garfield and Friends” and many other film and television animated, documentary and entertainment specials. Founded by
the late Lee Mendelson in 1963, Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., has received 11 Emmy Awards (from 45 nominations) and four Peabody Awards,
as well as Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
For press inquiries please contact Sean Mendelson • [email protected] • www.mendelsonproductions.com
For additional information, please contact Audrey Faine, VP Marketing/MVD Entertainment • audrey@mvd.cc
MVD Entertainment • 203 Windsor Road • Pottstown, PA 19464 • www.MVDb2b.com
