There’s an innocent, childlike wonder inherent in the Christmas season that most of us are more than eager to recapture as adults. Maybe the best vehicle for jacking back in: the equally sweet and smart A Charlie Brown Christmas. One of the biggest reasons that special succeeds so thoroughly: the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s jazzy, playful soundtrack, a graceful and evocatively wintery complement to the Peanuts gang’s discovery of the true reason for the season.
Watching the special, for many of us, has become a holiday tradition. And for the past handful of years, Nashville musicians Jen Gunderman, James Haggerty and Martin Lynds have been taking that tradition further, performing Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas sounds live during a string of shows leading up to the big day.
This year, Gunderman, Haggerty and Lynds’ group, The Ornaments, will share the Charlie Brown spirit over a week of shows, kicking off Tuesday, Dec. 13 at East Nashville’s cozy Family Wash, with stops at the Mercy Lounge and the Belcourt Theatre along the way.
On stage, expect note-perfect renditions of Guaraldi’s jazzed-out holiday classics – “O Tannenbaum,” “What Child is This?” – and those iconic Guaraldi originals, including “Linus and Lucy” (the first melody that comes to most minds when Charlie Brown is evoked) and the slow and sensitive “Christmas Time is Here.”
Proof of the trio’s deft abilities with this stuff: The Ornaments’ recently released A Vince Guaraldi Christmas, Live at Middletree, recorded during last holiday season’s run and available via CDBaby.com. It shows off Haggerty and Lynds’ deft jazz rhythms and Gunderman’s remarkable ability to match expert keysman Guaraldi’s nimble and expressive tinkling.
That level of skill only grows out of lots of practice, of course, and The Ornaments’ members have had plenty: Gunderman’s played with The Jayhawks, Todd Snider and Warren Haynes, among many others: Haggerty’s resume includes time with Josh Rouse and Joe, Marc’s Brother; Lynds is known for work with the likes of Marah and Last Train Home. That they so deftly skip from rock, pop and Americana to Guaraldi’s holiday jazz underscores their individual and collective talent, and the kind of top-notch gifts our local music scene tends to provide, around the holidays and otherwise.
The Ornaments present A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi, featuring special guest soloists
Dec. 13: The Family Wash, 2038 Greenwood Ave., 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Dec. 14: The Family Wash, 2038 Greenwood Ave., 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Dec. 15: The Family Wash, 2038 Greenwood Ave., 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Dec. 16: The Mercy Lounge, 1 Cannery Row, 8 and 10:30 p.m.
Dec. 17: The Belcourt Theatre, 2102 Belcourt Ave., 10 a.m. children’s show; The Family Wash, 2038 Greenwood Ave., 7 and 9:30 p.m.
Admission: $7, reservations recommended at the Family Wash, 615-226-6070
