A Charlie Brown Christmas at Colchester Arts Centre Jazz Club

Following the success of last year's concert, we offer another opportunity to start the holidays with this extra special evening of Christmas music, along with some seasonal treats and multimedia, performed by film and TV animation composer Jason Frederick.

Anyone who watched the Peanuts TV series in the 60s and 70s will be familiar with the jazz soundtrack that always accompanied the classic cartoons. The pint-sized pianist that was Vince Guaraldi, who scored more than a dozen Peanuts TV specials, is probably most famous for pulling off the ultimate musical sleight of hand - he made parents and kids bob their heads and tap their feet along to jazz without knowing they were even listening to it....

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Following the success of last year's concert, we offer another opportunity to start the holidays with this extra special evening of Christmas music, along with some seasonal treats and multimedia, performed by film and TV animation composer Jason Frederick.

Anyone who watched the Peanuts TV series in the 60s and 70s will be familiar with the jazz soundtrack that always accompanied the classic cartoons. The pint-sized pianist that was Vince Guaraldi, who scored more than a dozen Peanuts TV specials, is probably most famous for pulling off the ultimate musical sleight of hand - he made parents and kids bob their heads and tap their feet along to jazz without knowing they were even listening to it.

On the night of its TV premiere, A Charlie Brown Christmas was seen by almost half of the American population - something like 15 million homes - on its way into the holiday canon. It also made Snoopy one of the most visible and beloved characters in American popular culture.

Paying homage to both the genius of composer Vince Guaraldi and creator Charles M. Schulz, the first half of the show features music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with the pianist's Grammy-winning Cast Your Fate To The Wind and The Great Pumpkin Waltz, plus two brief films about Vince and his Peanuts music.

The second half comprises Vince Guaraldi-style Christmas tunes and, to end the evening, a swinging singalong 12 Days Of Christmas (played to an accompanying film with synchronised words projected behind the band). Between sets, jazzy Christmas music will be played, along with projections.

An absolute must for jazz lovers and fans of Peanuts, no matter what your age!

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