In Person (also known as Vince Guaraldi "In Person") is a live performance album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. on June 10, 1963 on Fantasy Records. It was released as a follow-up to his album Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus which featured the surprise hit song "Cast Your Fate to the Wind".[2]
| In Person | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | June 10, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | December 4, 1962[1] | |||
| Venue | The Trident Jazz Club, Sausalito, California[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:21 | |||
| Label | Fantasy (U.S.) Vocalion (UK) | |||
| Vince Guaraldi chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In Person | ||||
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The concert was recorded live at The Trident Jazz Club in Sausalito, California, on December 4, 1962.[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Five Cents Please | [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [3] |
| Record Mirror | [4] |
Contemporary
editCashbox magazine cited the single "Zelao"/"Jitterbug Waltz" from In Person as a Best Bet: "Vince Guaraldi, who scored last time out with 'Cast Your Fate to the Winds' [sic], could duplicate that success with this top-flight bossa nova follow-up stanza. The tune is a contagious, easy-going lyrical ballad with a danceable, rapidly-changing beat."[5]
In the album's liner notes, Ralph J. Gleason praised Guaraldi's performance style, noting, "What Vince has got in his playing is feeling. This is a quality that money can't buy, practice cannot make perfect and technique tends to defeat rather than enhance. Vince sings when he plays. I don't mean he grunts or hums or even makes a noise at all. I mean his fingers sing, the music sings, and he writhes and twists on the piano stool like a balancing act in the circus."[6]
The DownBeat critic agreed: "In a period when there seems to be a plethora of bland, sound-alike jazz pianists, Guaraldi is a refreshing relief. [He] has an exceptional knack for catching and projecting the spirit of a tune, for finding the essence of the piece, and bringing strength and validity to his exposition of it. This is honest piano playing, with no phoney soul, no gimmicks, no pretense. It's a rare quality to find on a record these days."[7]
Retrospective
editAllMusic critic Richard S. Ginell called In Person "a defining album for Guaraldi in his natural habitat" (a jazz club setting), adding that the album captures the musician "at his most winning."[2]
Why It Matters blogger James Stafford cited In Person as capturing "the pianist in that brief moment when he was enjoying his first great national success with 'Cast Your Fate To the Wind' but hadn’t yet been transformed into a household name by Peanuts. It’s a beautiful record, filled with blues, bebop, and bossa nova, but for sheer plaster-a-smile-on-your-face delight nothing beats his take on the Mediterranean traditional song 'Misirlou'."[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Zelao" | Sérgio Ricardo | 4:30 |
| 2. | "On Green Dolphin Street" | 5:53 | |
| 3. | "Misirlou" |
| 4:30 |
| 4. | "Forgive Me If I'm Late" | 2:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Jitterbug Waltz" |
| 5:32 |
| 6. | "Outra Vez" ("Again") | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 2:53 |
| 7. | "Freeway" | Vince Guaraldi | 3:45 |
| 8. | "The Love of a Rose" |
| 2:43 |
| 9. | "Chora Tua Tristeza" ("Cry Your Blues Away") |
| 3:49 |
| Total length: | 36:21 | ||
Personnel
edit- Vince Guaraldi Quintet
- Vince Guaraldi – piano
- Eddie Duran – guitars
- Fred Marshall – double bass
- Colin Bailey – drums
- Benny Valarde – güiro
- Additional
- Ralph J. Gleason – liner notes
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1963 | Fantasy | Mono LP | 3352 |
| Stereo LP | 8352 | |||
| United Kingdom | 1963 | Vocalion | Mono LP | LAE-F 597 |
| United States | 1975 | Fantasy | Stereo LP | 8352 |
| United States | 1997 | Fantasy/Original Jazz Classics | Stereo CD | OJCCD-951-2, F-8352 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi on LP and CD: In Person". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Ginell, Richard S.. In Person at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 614. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (30 April 1966). "Vince Guaraldi: In Person" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 268. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Record Reviews: Best Bet" (PDF). Cashbox. June 8, 1963. p. 12. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Gleason, Ralph J.; Liner notes for In Person
- ^ "Album Review: Vince Guaraldi — In Person". DownBeat. September 12, 1963. p. 29.
- ^ Stafford, James (December 25, 2017). "From The Stacks: Vince Guaraldi, In Person". wimwords.com. Retrieved 3 June 2020.