Editing Vince Guaraldi (section)

==Revival, rediscovery, and posthumous releases==
Despite Guaraldi's pivotal role in shaping ''Peanuts'' music, only three albums containing the music — ''Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown'', ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', and ''Oh Good Grief!'' (featuring reimagined versions of his compositions) — were released during his lifetime. The broader dissemination of his ''Peanuts'' work was hindered by the uncertain status of his original studio recordings, many of which were believed lost or misfiled after his passing, limiting commercial opportunities. Additionally, while ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was recorded in stereo for commercial distribution, the ''Peanuts'' television specials of the 1960s were produced in monaural sound, restricting their suitability for independent release.<ref name=sfcv>{{cite web |url= https://www.sfcv.org/articles/feature/finally-vince-guaraldi-gets-his-due |title= Finally, Vince Guaraldi Gets His Due |date= July 9, 2024 | accessdate = July 23, 2024 |work= [[San Francisco Classical Voice]] |last= Ginell |first=Richard S.}}</ref>

Interest in Guaraldi's oeuvre resurged in 1985 with [[David Benoit (musician)|David Benoit]]'s rendition of "Linus and Lucy" on ''[[This Side Up (David Benoit album)|This Side Up]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Benoit |first1=David |title=About |url=https://benoit.com/about-david/ |website=David Benoit website |access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/waiting-for-spring-mw0000202150 |title=Waiting for Spring – David Benoit |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=February 4, 2018}}</ref> reintroducing the distinctive sound of the ''Peanuts'' television specials to new audiences. This revival continued with tribute albums such as ''[[Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (album)|Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown!]]'' (1989), [[Wynton Marsalis]]'s ''[[Joe Cool's Blues]]'' (1995), and [[Cyrus Chestnut]] Christmas-themed recordings. By 1996, ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' had achieved double-platinum status, with sales increasing after [[Concord Records]] acquired Fantasy Records in 2004. 

New Age pianist [[George Winston]] further contributed to Guaraldi's resurgence with ''[[Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi]]'' (1996), a solo piano tribute that included previously unreleased ''Peanuts'' compositions.<ref name="pphtgua">{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w6lJAAAAIBAJ&pg=6164%2C1041315 |newspaper=Bangor Daily News |location=Maine |last=McGarrigle |first=Dale |title=Pianist pays homage to Guaraldi |date=October 19, 1996 |page=C1}}</ref> Winston, who cited Guaraldi as a key influence, stated, "I love his melodies and his chord progressions. He has a deeply personal way of voicing chords".<ref>{{Cite news |first=Tina |last=Maples |title=Music Just Happens To Winston |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=November 20, 1996}}</ref> He added, "His music is part of our culture, and we know it even if we don't know Vince. He had three bags: the Latin, the ''Peanuts'', and the impressionistic 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' stuff. And those three bags are all his."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://concord.com/artist/vince-guaraldi/|title=Vince Guaraldi|website=Concord}}</ref> The album's success led to a second volume, ''[[Love Will Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2]]'' (2010),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.georgewinston.com/recent-projects.php|title=Recent Projects at George Winston official website|website=Georgewinston.com|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205185344/http://georgewinston.com/recent-projects.php|archive-date=February 5, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and a planned third volume, ''Count the Ways: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 3'', unreleased following Winston's passing in June 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2021/02/valentines-day-treat.html|title=Impressions of Vince: Valentine's Day treat|first=Derrick|last=Bang|date=February 11, 2021}}</ref>

In response to renewed interest, Guaraldi's son, David Guaraldi, began licensing unreleased material from his father's personal reel-to-reel tapes.<ref name="Bang" /> This effort led to several archival releases, including ''[[The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites]]'' (2003), ''[[Oaxaca (album)|Oaxaca]]'' (2004), ''[[North Beach (album)|North Beach]]'' (2006), ''Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials'' (Volumes [[Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials|1]] and [[Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2|2]], 2007-2008), ''[[Live on the Air]]'' (2008) and ''[[An Afternoon with the Vince Guaraldi Quartet]]'' (2011).{{sfn|Bang|2012|pp=318, 349, 351}} These releases offered deeper insight into Guaraldi's extensive yet under-documented body of work. However, the absence of a formal recording contract and his limited engagement with the industry resulted in a fragmented catalog. His decision not to tour further diminished institutional interest in preserving his music. Additionally, while widely celebrated by audiences, his ''Peanuts'' compositions were often regarded by jazz purists as overly commercial, which contributed to the industry's lack of urgency in cataloging and promoting his television soundtracks.<ref name=sfcv/>

A significant breakthrough in archival efforts occurred in 2017 with the rediscovery of Guaraldi's original master recordings for the 1969 feature film ''[[A Boy Named Charlie Brown (soundtrack)#A Boy Named Charlie Brown: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|A Boy Named Charlie Brown]]''. This led to Concord's 2018 announcement of a long-awaited ''It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'' soundtrack. However, as the original master tapes remained missing, the album had to be sourced from television broadcast audio, leading to some disappointment.

During the [[COVID-19 lockdowns|COVID-19 lockdown]], following Lee Mendelson's passing in December 2019, his children discovered the original 1966 analog session reels, which contained nearly all of Guaraldi's original music cues and alternate takes. This discovery enabled a more complete 2022 re-release of ''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]'', followed by remastered soundtracks produced by Jason and Sean Mendelson for ''[[A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (soundtrack)|A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving]]'' (2023),<ref name=Indie>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-snoopy-b2433137.html |title= Music review: An expanded soundtrack marks 50th anniversary of 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'|date= 20 October 2023 | accessdate = December 27, 2023 |work= [[The Independent]] |last= Wine|first=Steven}}</ref> ''[[It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown]]'',<ref>[https://mendelsonproductions.com/It_Was_A_Short_Summer_Charlie_Brown_Soundtrack_Album.html ''It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown'' press release]</ref> ''[[You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown]]''<ref name=pressr>[https://mendelsonproductions.com/Youre_Not_Elected_Charlie_Brown_Soundtrack_Album.html ''You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown'' soundtrack press release]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= |first1= |title='You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown' Soundtrack Album to Be Released |date=2024 |publisher=Film Music Reporter|isbn= |access-date=24 August 2024 |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/07/08/youre-not-elected-charlie-brown-soundtrack-album-to-be-released/|pages=}}</ref> (both 2024), ''[[Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown]]'',<ref name=LMFPpressrelease>[https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Available-for-the-First-Time--Vince-Guaraldi-s-Soundtrack-to-the-1975-Animated-Classic---Be-My-Valentine--Charlie-Brown-.html?soid=1101403778563&aid=P6OSqxxkW8M Vince Guaraldi's "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Original Soundtrack Recording 50th Anniversary Extended Edition)" press release]</ref> and ''[[It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown]]'' (both 2025)<ref name=LMFPpressBeagle>{{cite web |url= https://mendelsonproductions.com/Its_the_Easter_Beagle_Charlie_Brown_Soundtrack_Album.html?lctg=155209918 |title= Vince Guaraldi's "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Original Soundtrack Recording - Peanuts 75th Anniversary Edition)" press release |date=February 2, 2025|work= [[Lee Mendelson Film Productions]] | access-date=February 8, 2025 }}</ref> under the [[Lee Mendelson Film Productions]] label. Additionally, ''[[You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (soundtrack)|You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown]]'' is slated for release in July 2025.<ref name=LMFPpr>{{Cite press release|url= https://www.mendelsonproductions.com/Extended_Good_Sport_Press_Release_5_5_25.pdf |title= Vince Guaraldi's "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown" Celebrating 75 years of Peanuts and the 50th Anniversary of the beloved Emmy winning Special - Press Release| website= Mendelson Productions}}</ref> The rediscovery of these materials marked a critical step in addressing the archival challenges that had historically impeded broader distribution of Guaraldi's work. Unlike his 1960s recordings, which were produced in mono for television, his ''Peanuts'' compositions from the 1970s were recorded in stereo, making them more suitable for remastering and commercial release.<ref name=sfcv/> 

Capitalizing on renewed interest in Guaraldi's music sparked by the Mendelsons' discovery of numerous ''Peanuts'' soundtrack recordings, Concord's Craft Recordings launched a series of deluxe reissues beginning in 2022. These included ''Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus'' and a five-disc edition of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', whose frequent vinyl reissues highlight its enduring appeal. An expanded edition of ''Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' was released in April 2025.<ref name=RecordStoreDay>{{cite web |url= https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/18847 |title= VINCE GUARALDI TRIO Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown (Alternate Takes)  |date=April 12, 2025|work= Record Store Day| access-date=February 25, 2025 }}</ref> 

===Recognition and cultural impact===
On November 18, 2021, ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was ranked as the No. 1 Greatest Holiday 200 Album of All Time by ''Billboard''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mariah-carey-charlie-brown-greatest-of-all-time-holiday-charts-1234999010/|title=Mariah Carey & 'Charlie Brown Christmas' Top Billboard's Greatest of All Time Holiday Charts|magazine=Billboard|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=November 18, 2021|access-date=December 31, 2021}}</ref> In May 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quintuple platinum, recognizing sales exceeding five million copies. This achievement established it as the second-best-selling jazz album of all time, surpassed only by Miles Davis's ''[[Kind of Blue]]'' (1959).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cherise |first=Constance |date= December 14, 2021|title=Vince Guaraldi's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' swaddles with holiday serenity, just like Linus' blanket |url=https://manchesterinklink.com/vince-guaraldis-a-charlie-brown-christmas-swaddles-with-holiday-serenity-just-like-linus-blanket/ |access-date= 28 May 2022 |website=manchesterinklink.com}}</ref>