[.ca] From All Sides

From Amazon.com:
Though he remains best known for his music for the Peanuts television shows, Vince Guaraldi was an adept pianist in Latin jazz grooves, a strength that comes to the fore in this 1965 quartet session with the brilliant Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete. Both are melodists, but they're a study in contrasts, Guaraldi keeping his solos simple with pointed rhythmic force, while Sete's lyricism consists in a complex weave of details with an understated beat. The pairing works well, with bassists Fred Marshall and Monty Budwig and percussionist Jerry Granelli keeping the Latin beats percolating, from bossa nova to cha-cha. Jazz versions of "A Taste of Honey" once proliferated, and Sete gives this one a forceful, bluesy inflection. --Adam Rains

Vince Guaraldi's usual genius:
From All Sides: Vince Guaraldi (greatest jazz pianist ever), and Bola Sete, brazilian jazz and samba guitartist: Even better than I was expecting. Vince and Bola manage to avoid the harmonic overload that normally occurs when guitarists and pianists get together, simply by staying out of each other's way. Vince makes this album with his (dare I say it) perfect piano playing, and his compositions and covers are always innovative and interesting, from covers of Beethoven, to "Manino Pequeno da Bateria", the little drummer boy, of "Charlie Brown's Christmas Special" fame. So yeah, it's just another Vince Guaraldi level latin jazz album, which happens to also have a great guitarist along with his usual terrific rythm section. This is an absolutely amazing album for any fan of Vince, as well as for the lover of jazz.

VINCE GUARALDI / BOLA SETE- "FROM ALL SIDES":
This great album featuring Guaraldi and Sete, was until recently only issued in cassette format by Fantasy. I wrote to them around 1996 asking them to re-issue these great classic recording sessions by jazz piano virtuoso Guaraldi and by whom I have chosen to refer to as Brazil's samba and bossa-nova pioneer Bola Sete. From the afro-cuban music perspective I've also chosen to call Bola Sete, Brazil's "Nin~o Rivera". Fortunately Fantasy decided to re-issue this great classic in CD format and I'm happy to see that it is greatly enjoyed by fans everywhere. Bola Sete will no longer be "underappreciated", like some suggest he was, during his brilliant but virtually unknown international music career. Guaraldi and Bola Sete, a perfect combination which should have been recorded extensively.

Another Guaraldi Classic:
"From All Sides" is not generally regarded as one of Vince Guaraldi's better recordings. I must say that I don't know why. It actually swings harder than "Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete & Friends," and is very much the musical equal of his more esteemed efforts like "Black Orpheus" and "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." Don't pass this one by.

A Gem:
This is a wonderful collaborative effort between two great artists. Here is where you get to hear the latin influence in Vince G's stuff. He makes it work, unlike other artists whose attempts aren't quite so successful in the latin beat. Bola Sete isn't a mere fixture, but instead is a vital element in this body of work.

"From All Sides" is among the finest of Guaraldi's works.:
Some time ago, I went on a spree of buying Vince Guaraldi CD's. It was not until recently, however, when I bought a portable compact disc player that I truly appreciated the depth and beauty of this album. But this is NOT a Guaraldi album. The collaboration of a San Francisco Jazz pianist, and a Brazilian guitar virtuoso was unheard of at the time, but they managedto pull it off, and pull it off with amazing results. From the opening strains of the album, where Sete's guitar softly guides you to the genius of Guaraldi's piano styling, to the closing, with its forceful grace, "From All Sides," is an album that opens its listeners to some fantastic jazz. Sete's contributions to the album, Little Fishes, and Mambeando, are, for me, reminiscent of Sergio Mendes, from the "Best of Brazil '65" album. On a side note, for those who are only familiar with Mendes since 1966, I urge you to seek out this album. One of the biggest surprise on the album was the version of the Jobim-di Moraes classic, The Girl From Ipanema. I have several versions of this song, and the version on "From All Sides" is among the best. "From All Sides" provides the listener with four Guaraldi tunes. Some of the albums livelier tunes are Guaraldi's Choro, Ginza Samba, and Ballad of Pancho Villa. The fourth Guaraldi song is Menino Pequino da Bateria, a refreshing arrangement of My Little Drum from the A Charlie Brown Christmas. I heartily recommend that all fans of Jazz Trio, Samba, or Latin Guitar give this album a try. It would shock me if this CD was a disappointment.

• Choro
• Menino Pequeno da Bateria
• Ginza Samba
• Girl from Ipanema
• Taste of Honey
• Ballad of Pancho Villa
• Little Fishes
• Mambeando
• Choro