Podcast appearances and mentions of derrick bang

This fall's annual movie show with Derrick Bang arrives with a few extras. To note his 50 years as a movie critic, he reads — and critiques! — the first paragraph of the first movie review he wrote, in 1974 for the California Aggie at UC Davis. We also hear from a film director who worried Derrick might not like his film. Plus we get Derrick's usual take on movies to see and avoid this holiday film season, although he could only find a few, for reasons rooted in the current ambiguous state of filmmaking. Please, have a seat. We're pulling back the curtains. The photo, by Jim Mitchell, shows Derrick Bang at the California Aggie in April 1976.

“Vince is always pulling splinters from his fingers, driven in when he claws at the wooden baseboard, behind the keys,” wrote Bay Area music critic Ralph Gleason, as quoted in Davis author Derrick Bang's newly revised book Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. Splinters? They came from Guaraldi's intense playing, Bang says, nearly nonstop performing, and the worn quality of the pianos he played in clubs. Guaraldi, the Bay Area jazz musician known most for his Peanuts soundtracks and the song “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” died in 1976 but is arguably more popular than ever, Bang says. Two recent signs: This month's latest archival release of music from a Peanuts special, It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, and Bang's updated book, which he will talk about 6:30 p.m. July 11 at the Avid Reader in Davis. On today's Davisville we learn more about the music, new stories Bang heard while updating his book, and the baffling review Guaraldi received from the California Aggie the last time he played in Davis.  

Get yourself settled and turn off your phone, we're raising the curtain on our latest year-end movie show with Davis film critic Derrick Bang. We talk about the effects of this year's writers' and actors' strikes, streaming, some of the best and worst movies of 2023, and films he's looking forward to — or not — during the next several weeks. Derrick writes for the Davis Enterprise and his blog Derrick Bang on Film (the photo shows Derrick lurking behind a laptop displaying his blog).

All the baffling cliches you've seen in movies — idiot plots, hobbled assailants able to chase down a healthy person trying to escape, bloated tension-killing dialogue — these are all things Derrick Bang has endured over and over during his 49 years of writing movie reviews. He recently listed several of these cinematic headscratchers in an article for the Davis Enterprise, and on today's Davisville he enjoys going over a few of them with program host Bill Buchanan (the photo shows Derrick on the right, Bill on the left). We also get Derrick's suggestions for movies for the Halloween season, and his thoughts on the Chinese government's efforts to punish filmmakers for work it finds offensive, even when the movies in question aren't shown in China. Such pressure could help explain why so many mainstream Hollywood movies are superhero stories, he says. “It's not just because they're popular. They're safe.”

We explore a little-known jazz story: Vince Guaraldi composed and performed a mass! We talk with Derrick Bang, his biographer, about the creation of this music. It was presented at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, in May 1965. It's an extraordinary story and we're glad to tell it.Want to hear the mass? The highlights were recorded by Fantasy Records, and you can obtain that recording by clicking here. (The MP3 files are more readily available than the CD or LP.)To learn more about Derrick's connection to Vince Guaraldi, visit his page at  http://fivecentsplease.org/dpb/guaraldi.htmlWant to learn more about our 50th anniversary celebration at Grace Cathedral in 2015? Derrick has a lengthy series of accounts listed below:  http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/06/mass-appeal-chapter-2.html. http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/07/mass-appeal-chapter-3.htmlhttp://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/08/mass-appeal-chapter-4.htmlhttp://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-afternoon-of-grace.htmlhttp://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/08/mass-appeal-chapter-5.html http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/09/east-coast-grace.htmlAnd we suggest subscribing to blog of All Things Guaraldi at http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/You can get your own copy of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano by clicking here on Amazon or clicking here for the publisher's page. We have additional material of our conversation with Derrick which we will release as a bonus podcast in the future. Featured music:“Blues in F,” performed by Bill Carter with the Jim Martinez Trio at the 50th anniversary of the Guaraldi Mass, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, accompanied by the Jim Martinez trio. Music is unreleased. © Presbybop Music.Theme music: "All Thumbs" from Faith in a New Key, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI) Announcer: Chris Norton (c) Presbybop MusicSupport the Show.

“The only time we heard jazz on television when I was a kid,” says trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, “was when A Charlie Brown Christmas came to town.” Our guest for the next two episodes is Derrick Bang, music critic and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. As Guaraldi's biographer, he has a unique perspective on how the pianist's music became an integral part of the animated Charlie Brown specials. You can get your own copy of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano by clicking here on Amazon or clicking here for the publisher's page.Featured music:“Jamming on Three Chords,” an unreleased live recording, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI) “O Tannenbaum,” public domain, arranged by Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band. Unreleased live recording. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)Theme music: "All Thumbs" from Faith in a New Key, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet  Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI) Announcer: Chris Norton (c) Presbybop MusicSupport the Show.

Vince Guaraldi scholar Derrick Bang wrote the liner notes for the 2022 Super Deluxe edition of the soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas, and this week he talks about the 1965 cartoon, Guaraldi, and the soundtrack album sessions included in the digital and CD packages.  The digital version is out now and up on streaming platforms, and it includes the original 1965 mix, a new mix, and all of the sessions that have been found so far. The CD version also includes a Blu-Ray disc with the animated special, and it's due out December 2. The two-record vinyl version includes the album's original mix and a record with highlights from the sessions.  I've talked about Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas on 12 Songs with Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips, Kristin Chenoweth, George Winston, and The Ornaments, and I wrote about Guaraldi's impact last year for The New Orleans Advocate.  If you want to read more by Bang, you find his film writing at his Blogspot. 

KFOR's Dale Johnson talks with Derrick Bang, about his book "Vince Guarldi at the Piano"

KFOR's Dale JoOhnson continues his conversation with Derrick Bang, author of "Vince Guarldi at the Piano"

It’s another in Dennis Green’s occasional series of special music interviews. July 17 is the birthday of pianist Vince Guaraldi, and we celebrate with a conversation with his biographer Derrick Bang.  You’ll hear how a radio DJ made “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” a hit, and the story of how Guaraldi got his most … Continue reading The post Culture Crawl 581 “Happy Birthday, Vince Guaraldi!” appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

It’s another in Dennis Green’s occasional series of special music interviews. July 17 is the birthday of pianist Vince Guaraldi, and we celebrate with a conversation with his biographer Derrick Bang.  You’ll hear how a radio DJ made “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” a hit, and the story of how Guaraldi got his most … Continue reading The post Culture Crawl 581 “Happy Birthday, Vince Guaraldi!” appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Today's Guests: CapRadio environment reporter Ezra David Romero on Monday night’s unrest and protests in Sacramento  CapRadio PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols takes a closer look at vote-by-mail in the state Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg discusses the city’s curfew and how Sacramento is responding to nights of protest and unrest Davis Enterprise film critic Derrick Bang on his two new books on jazz music in crime, spy and action films and TV shows.  Classical Tahoe Festival & Music Institute executive director Karen Craig on the passing of Maestro Joel Revzen and his legacy fund Resources Johns Hopkins University's global COVID-19 case tracker COVID-19 live tracker California's Health Corps Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation

This month, we've got author/illustrator Jason Yungbluth talking about his post-apocalyptic take on adult versions of the Peanuts gang in "Weapon Brown". We've also got September 1985 the fifteenth episode of "The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show", which isn't apocalyptic, but does feature Charlie Brown in a pelican costume. So there's that. We've also got another "Random Strip of the Month" (make sure to send your submissions for this segment!) And we review another "Peanuts by Schulz" episode titled "Security". My thanks to Jason Yungbluth for giving us his time.  Here's a link to Derrick Bang's article about Charlie Brown's baseball team we talked about in the show. Thanks also to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Mining by Moonlight" and "Bass Walker".  Thanks to Henry Pope for the use of his "Linus & Lucy" remix. You can find much of his music on Soundcloud here.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - episodes, show notes, social media and more Atari Bytes - Hey! That's my other show! Please consider supporting the show on our It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown Patreon page here. It's the holiday season! Please check out my novel IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME, a sort of Santa Claus story for adults. Here's one place you can pick it up.  Wherever you purchase it, don't forget to leave  review!

Author Derrick Bang on the 50th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

In Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland Press, 2012),Derrick Bang chronicles San Francisco jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi’s sojourns into the world of jazz from the late 1940s to his untimely death in 1976. Guaraldi, known to most world-wide as the composer and pianist behind the Peanuts’ animated television specials featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy, also played in Woody Herman’s “Third Herd” big band; composed and recorded a revolutionary Jazz Mass which he performed live in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral in 1965; participated in some magical and memorable live and recorded collaborations with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete; and was a fixture in the bossa nova Latin jazz San Francisco club scene in the 1950s and 1960s. His “Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus,” based on the soundtrack to the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film in 1960, introduced countless people to jazz and the sensuous sounds of bossa nova. His single on the same album, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” won a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963 and was a successful cross-over song cover on the US Billboard pop chart. Though Vince Guaraldi died in 1976 at the age of only 47, his legacy was revived decades later by David Benoit and George Winston, both of whom recorded covers of his songs. Bang is circumspect about much of Guaraldi’s personal life and he qualifies up front that his book isn’t a traditional biography. Nonetheless, one gets a great feel for the varied and large body of work of this San Francisco-born musician who carved out a unique and enduring niche in the jazz world. Guaraldi had a wonderful sense of rhythm, and his improvisations were almost always melodic. He could swing and play anything from boogie-woogie to bossa nova but will perhaps most be remembered as a joyful player with a sense of playfulness and uplift. You feel good when you hear Vince Guaraldi’s music. With an extensive discography, filmography, and also a large collection of statements and observations by Guaraldi’s peers about his playing, his distinctive handlebar-mustachioed look, and his entertaining persona at the piano, Bang’s book, which represents a lifetime of listening and appreciation and more than four years of extensive research, is a rich and needed testimony to Guaraldi’s musical legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland Press, 2012),Derrick Bang chronicles San Francisco jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi’s sojourns into the world of jazz from the late 1940s to his untimely death in 1976. Guaraldi, known to most world-wide as the composer and pianist behind the Peanuts’ animated television specials featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy, also played in Woody Herman’s “Third Herd” big band; composed and recorded a revolutionary Jazz Mass which he performed live in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral in 1965; participated in some magical and memorable live and recorded collaborations with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete; and was a fixture in the bossa nova Latin jazz San Francisco club scene in the 1950s and 1960s. His “Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus,” based on the soundtrack to the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film in 1960, introduced countless people to jazz and the sensuous sounds of bossa nova. His single on the same album, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” won a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963 and was a successful cross-over song cover on the US Billboard pop chart. Though Vince Guaraldi died in 1976 at the age of only 47, his legacy was revived decades later by David Benoit and George Winston, both of whom recorded covers of his songs. Bang is circumspect about much of Guaraldi’s personal life and he qualifies up front that his book isn’t a traditional biography. Nonetheless, one gets a great feel for the varied and large body of work of this San Francisco-born musician who carved out a unique and enduring niche in the jazz world. Guaraldi had a wonderful sense of rhythm, and his improvisations were almost always melodic. He could swing and play anything from boogie-woogie to bossa nova but will perhaps most be remembered as a joyful player with a sense of playfulness and uplift. You feel good when you hear Vince Guaraldi’s music. With an extensive discography, filmography, and also a large collection of statements and observations by Guaraldi’s peers about his playing, his distinctive handlebar-mustachioed look, and his entertaining persona at the piano, Bang’s book, which represents a lifetime of listening and appreciation and more than four years of extensive research, is a rich and needed testimony to Guaraldi’s musical legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland Press, 2012),Derrick Bang chronicles San Francisco jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi’s sojourns into the world of jazz from the late 1940s to his untimely death in 1976. Guaraldi, known to most world-wide as the composer and pianist behind the Peanuts’ animated television specials featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy, also played in Woody Herman’s “Third Herd” big band; composed and recorded a revolutionary Jazz Mass which he performed live in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral in 1965; participated in some magical and memorable live and recorded collaborations with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete; and was a fixture in the bossa nova Latin jazz San Francisco club scene in the 1950s and 1960s. His “Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus,” based on the soundtrack to the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film in 1960, introduced countless people to jazz and the sensuous sounds of bossa nova. His single on the same album, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” won a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963 and was a successful cross-over song cover on the US Billboard pop chart. Though Vince Guaraldi died in 1976 at the age of only 47, his legacy was revived decades later by David Benoit and George Winston, both of whom recorded covers of his songs. Bang is circumspect about much of Guaraldi’s personal life and he qualifies up front that his book isn’t a traditional biography. Nonetheless, one gets a great feel for the varied and large body of work of this San Francisco-born musician who carved out a unique and enduring niche in the jazz world. Guaraldi had a wonderful sense of rhythm, and his improvisations were almost always melodic. He could swing and play anything from boogie-woogie to bossa nova but will perhaps most be remembered as a joyful player with a sense of playfulness and uplift. You feel good when you hear Vince Guaraldi’s music. With an extensive discography, filmography, and also a large collection of statements and observations by Guaraldi’s peers about his playing, his distinctive handlebar-mustachioed look, and his entertaining persona at the piano, Bang’s book, which represents a lifetime of listening and appreciation and more than four years of extensive research, is a rich and needed testimony to Guaraldi’s musical legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices