It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on July 5, 2024 in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions.

It is the soundtrack album to the summer camp-themed Peanuts television special of the same name first broadcast on the CBS network on September 27, 1969.

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, particularly in the years following Lee Mendelson's death, the Mendelsons located a number of previously unreleased analog session tapes recorded by Vince Guaraldi. Among these were tapes for It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, including music cues by Guaraldi, orchestrations by John Scott Trotter, and alternate takes.

Upon discovery, the session tapes were well preserved and included complete takes with detailed labeling. These materials, originally recorded in monaural (the final Peanuts television soundtrack to be recorded in this format), had long been presumed lost. The ¼-inch master tapes were digitized by Deluxe Entertainment Services, transferred at 192 kHz/24-bit resolution to preserve the integrity of the original recordings.

Recording The soundtrack for It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown was recorded over two days (September 11–12, 1969). The sessions occurred with Guaraldi's work on the Peanuts feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown and his final studio album Alma-Ville. Many of the same musicians contributed to all three projects, lending a stylistic consistency across Guaraldi's late-1960s output.

The Short Summer recordings were completed under a tight schedule, as the special was set to premiere that same month. Guaraldi's ensemble for the special consisted of ten musicians, an expansion from the smaller combos used in earlier Peanuts scores. This decet featured trumpeters Conte Candoli and Pete Candoli, trombonist Frank Rosolino, saxophonist Pete Christlieb, woodwind player William Hood, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Monty Budwig, drummer Jack Sperling, and percussionist Victor Feldman.

Conductor and arranger John Scott Trotter returned to oversee orchestration. His contributions provided cohesion across cues, particularly in elaborate arrangements needing brass and woodwind.

Musical structure The score combined established musical themes from earlier Peanuts specials with new compositions tailored to the story's summer camp setting. Familiar motifs such as "Linus and Lucy" were re-arranged to accommodate a larger ensemble, with notable dialogue between piano and guitar. Other recurring cues, including "Oh, Good Grief!," were expanded with additional brass instrumentation, contributing to a more layered harmonic palette.

Guaraldi's new material for the special displayed a broader use of orchestration and a role for ensemble players. For instance, the cue "Masked Marvel," written for Snoopy's wrestling persona, had continuous rhythms and featured piano, horns, and percussion. Another track, "Bus Blues," had "playful rhythms" and syncopation, matching with the scene's lighthearted tone.

Trotter's orchestration was evident on tracks such as "Love Will Come (Bossa Nova)," where added sections enhanced the scene's emotional nuance. The Mendelsons later cited this piece as an example of how orchestration shaped the score's expressive qualities.

Throughout the recording, Guaraldi's piano parts often served to support or complement brass and reed passages. Several cues featured extended solos by Christlieb and Hood.

Release It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording 55th Anniversary Edition debuted as a Record Store Day exclusive in 12-inch 45 RPM vinyl LP format on April 20, 2024. It was subsequently released to the general public on July 5, 2024, in CD and digital download formats. Additional "Camp Green" and "Summer Night Blue" vinyl color variants were also issued as Record Store Day Indie exclusives.Lee Mendelson Film Productions press release

The Mendelson brothers reported that fan enthusiasm exceeded expectations, with many stores selling out of the release quickly on Record Store Day. They also noted an appreciation for Guaraldi's work among jazz listeners, beyond the traditional Peanuts audience.

Critical reception

The soundtrack received positive reviews from both jazz critics and writers covering the broader legacy of Vince Guaraldi's work.

Writing for Jazzwise, Simon Spillett praised the opportunity to hear Guaraldi's Peanuts music performed by a larger ensemble, noting that the presence of prominent Hollywood studio musicians made the collection "quite a plateful of tiny treats". In Jazz Journal, Mark Youll described the release as "essential listening" for Guaraldi and Peanuts enthusiasts, highlighting the newly available session recordings and the expanded ensemble performances on tracks such as "Bus Blues", "Frieda", and "Bon Voyage". He also cited author Derrick Bang's assessment of the score as Guaraldi's "richest and swinging-est" soundtrack for a Peanuts television special.

The release was also discussed within the broader reassessment of Guaraldi's career. In a feature for the San Francisco Classical Voice, Richard Ginell cited Short Summer among the archival soundtrack releases that have helped draw renewed attention to Guaraldi's compositional range, noting the increasing recognition of his work beyond its long association with the Peanuts franchise.

Jason Mendelson commented that he was pleased to see critics and jazz fans increasingly acknowledge the sophistication of Guaraldi's writing, including the brief incidental cues composed for the Peanuts specials.

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from liner notes. Vince Guaraldi Decet Vince Guaraldi – acoustic piano Monty Budwig – double bass Herb Ellis – guitar Jack Sperling – drums Victor Feldman – percussion Frank Rosolino – trombone Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli – trumpet Peter Christlieb, William Hood – woodwinds Additional John Scott Trotter – orchestrator Production and release personnel Sean Mendelson – producer, liner notes Jason Mendelson – producer, liner notes Vinson Hudson – restoration and mastering Megan Rible – layout art Derrick Bang – liner notes Deluxe Entertainment Services Group – tape transfer

Charts Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown Chart (2024) Peak position US Kid Albums (Billboard) 1 UK Soundtracks Chart (Official Albums Charts) UK Jazz and Blues Chart (Official Albums Charts)

See also Lee Mendelson Bill Melendez Peanuts filmography Melendez Films It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (soundtrack) (1966) A Boy Named Charlie Brown (soundtrack) (1970)

References

External links Lee Mendelson Film Productions – Official Site Vince Guaraldi at Concord Records Sean's Music Factory , interview with producers Jason and Sean Mendelson on Cereal at Midnight , on WCB Jazz , on Cereal at Midnight