Almost Hits: Vince Guaraldi Trio - Cast Your Fate To The Wind (1962)

The Vince Guaraldi Trio would probably be forgotten today if it wasn't for their much loved holiday album, A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was released in 1965 to accompany the television cartoon of the same name.

The importance of Guaraldi's 1962 single, "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" - and how it helped spawn his Christmas LP that probably wouldn't exist without his only non-holiday, top 40 entry - cannot be underestimated.

The instrumental peaked at #22 at a time when it was still possible for a jazz record to make an impact on the the Hot 100. It inspired TV producer Lee Mendelson - who liked what he heard on the radio - to commission the piano player to compose the soundtrack to A Boy Named Charlie Brown, a television special that was never aired because the producer couldn't find a sponsor.

However, a soundtrack album, Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, from the untelevised program was released and included a tune titled "Linus and Lucy." The album sold well, so the producer retained Guaraldi's services for the Christmas record that also included the famous tune that long ago became a seasonal standard even though it's not a Christmas song.

"Cast Your Fate To The Wind" became the radio hit off of a different album originally titled Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus. After it became popular subsequent copies of the LP were issued with that instrumental piece as the title track. It was originally intended as the B-side of a 45 rpm release sent to radio stations by Fantasy Records, but disc jockeys preferred it to the proposed A-side, "Samba de Orpheus," so they flipped it over.

The record isn't smooth jazz but it is mellow. It's also a unique composition that has become a piano jazz classic.

In addition to Guaraldi on the keys the trio on "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" included Monty Budwig on double bass and Colin Bailey on drums.

Below is a live version of the tune featuring some additional improvisation with an electric guitarist added to make the band a quartet that stretches it out to 8:10 from the original 3:09.
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Almost Hits is an occasional exploration into songs that failed to reach the top 20 on the American Billboard Hot 100. Many have become classics despite what their chart position may indicate.

Comments

  1. GinB2:50 PM, December 27, 2023

    Thank you so much for this deep dive, @CharlieRicci! I came to this article via your SPOUTIBLE account which is hilarious! Lovely “holiday gift” for me today, this article is. I was imagining that today was 12.27.2013 and that I was reading it to my mom, still alive, as we made leftover turkey sandwiches, her favorite, while listening to the VGTrio album—she ADORED Vince Guaraldi since she and my dad fell in love in North Beach in late 1960’s San Francisco, and I always had this album playing for her every Christmas. Thank you so much.

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