Vince Guaraldi Died Forty Years Ago Today

Vince Guaraldi and Friend

Vince Guaraldi died on February 6, 1976, forty years ago today.

I have written a lot about Vince.  See my pilgrimage to his last gig site and his grave site at this post.  Vince Guaraldi was a talented jazz pianist and head of the Vince Guaraldi Trio (sometimes a quartet).  His most famous tune was probably "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," a cross-over jazz hit in 1962.  It was jazz, but became a popular hit, and played much on radio stations.  For me, the song had a soft, haunting quality to it, a soothing acoustic balm for a harried soul.

Guaraldi became most famous, however, when Charles Schultz of "Peanuts" fame asked him to provide background music for Peanuts televised cartoons.  Vince wrote a bunch of new songs just for "Peanuts" productions:  Charlie Brown Theme, Linus and Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock, Joe Cool, Little Birdie, and others.  These tunes are smooth jazz.

Guaraldi's Christmas album, recorded in 1965, is still popular and you hear a lot of these songs during the Christmas season.  That's the time of year when more people find their way to this blog, looking for information about the man.

On the day he died, Vince's trio was playing at Butterfield's nightclub in Menlo Park, California, not far from Stanford University.  The band had just finished their first set, and Vince's last song was the Beatle hit, "Eleanor Rigby."  He then retired to his room at the Red Cottage Inn, just next door, to rest between sets.  While walking across the room towards the bathroom, he dropped dead.  The cause was a burst aortic aneurysm, not a heart attack, as so often been erroneously reported.

So every February 6, I think of Vince.  He died young, at age 47.  He had so much more to give, and that is the tragedy of his death, and that of all talented people whose lives are cut short.  His music lives on, however, and Vince is still an inspiration and role model to those of us who strive for musical achievement.

Dead Musicians and the Meaning of Life: Remembering the Jefferson Airplane

Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson

Back in the late 1960s, my father ran a music store in the Union Square shopping center in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose, California.  He sold many kinds of guitars, but chief among them was Rickenbacker.  By some fortunate twist of fate, the world's most popular band, the Beatles, had appeared on the scene, and John Lennon played a Rickenbacker.  Soon, George Harrison had one too, a red, butterfly shaped 12 string guitar that sounded a lot like a harpsichord.   Soon musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area wanted Rickenbackers, and they came to my dad to buy them.  Pop sold Ricks to Tom Fogerty and Stu Cook of the Creedence Clearwater Revival and 2 or 3 to the Chocolate Watchband, who appeared in the Sidney Poitier film, "the Slender Edge."

12 String Rickenbacker
Just Like One Pop Sold to
Jorma Kaukonen

Pop also sold a 12 string Rickenbacker to Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitar player of the Jefferson Airplane, a famous San Francisco band.  Jorma lived in San Francisco, and for a time he wrote songs with some female singer up there named Janis Joplin.  Neither of them were famous yet, this being 1966 -- 50 years ago.  However, their stars were rising.

Jorma was a very nice guy.  He taught guitar at another music store in San Jose, and would often come by after work to hang around and talk about guitars and music, and of course, to try out different guitars my dad had hanging as stock on the walls.

One day Jorma came by the store for something -- I don't remember what, perhaps it was to pick up his Rick 12 string.  However, most of the Jefferson Airplane came with him, in a kind of bus -- perhaps in transit from some performance.  I think the bus was some kind of Volkswagen, but not the usual hippie bus you might think of.  It was long and slender, with several seats on either side, each with its own window.  There were no peace symbols or hearts of other sixties graffiti on it, it was clean and well maintained.

So anyway, into our store walked Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Marty Balin and one other, I think it was bass player Jack Casady.  I can't remember.  Paul Kantner was the rhythm guitar player, and he used a six string Rickenbacker.  As they stood waiting for Jorma to finish his business with my father, I chatted with Paul Kantner.  We talked about how one could hook up a Rickenbacker to two different amplifiers simultaneously, and play stereo-style (Ricks have two input jacks for such a purpose).  That was high tech 1966.  You could do it, but I never could figure why anyone would want to.  Paul was a nice guy, easy-going and pleasant to talk to.  I remember he was dressed all in white -- white jeans and a white shirt (but not a dress shirt).

Soon after this meeting, my younger brother and I went to see the Airplane play at a club called "the Losers South," in San Jose -- where the Hawaiian Gardens is now.  Playing with them that night was Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company.  I brought along a Rickenbacker bass guitar for Jack Casady to try out, but he was too wedded to his Fender Precision bass to make the switch.  I think he slept with that Fender.  (As an aside, we heard Janis Joplin sing that night, up close and personal.  I told my younger brother that I thought she was terrible, and would never amount to a thing.  Her famous song "Bobby McGee" had not yet been recorded.)  Today I have both a Fender bass and a Rickenbacker bass, both great bass guitars.

The Airplane's singer was Signe Anderson, who just had a daughter, and I saw her holding her newborn between sets, looking lovingly into the baby's face.  Signe quit the Airplane in October of that year.  She decided she would rather be a mom than a rock singer.  She was replaced with Grace Slick, and the rest is rock history.  Several decades later, the Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Paul and Signe stayed in touch through the years, but no more.

A week ago, on Janiuary 28, 2016, both of them, Paul and Signe, died of natural causes, on the very same day! They were both 74 years old. I had seen them in person when they were only 24. Time passes. It is sad when one's personal heroes and role models die, and we are reminded of our mortality. No matter how glorious the springtime of youth, or how long the future seems to stretch before us, we ultimately come to the same place -- a grave.

The Seattle Times has the story and some great background at this link.

You can listen to the Airplane's most famous song, "White Rabbit," at this link.

The founder of Earth, Wind and Fire, another famous sixties group, also died this week.  He was Maurice White, also 74 years old.  So what's up with the age of 74??  I'm not liking this trend.

I'm not 74 yet, being a few years younger than these worthy musicians.  I'm not good enough to die yet, either, as I am still learning to be a bass player.  So to the Dark Angel I say, hold off a few years.  I have not yet finished my journey in this realm.  Then I can die.  If Paul, Signe, Maurice and Vince Guaraldi can die, so can I.  In the meantime, however, I'd better get my bass out and practice.

Speaking of dead musicians, tomorrow, February 6, 2016, is the 40th anniversary of the death of Vince Guaraldi, jazz pianist.

Sally's Blues and the Lost Cues (Music!) #vinceguaraldi #jazz

This is jazz, baby.

"Sally's Blues" is part of the "Lost Cues," songs and snippets that were recorded for "Peanuts" television specials, but some didn't make the cut and get into the final film.  Having never heard some of these songs before, I was very surprised to see (or hear) just how great and how timeless they are.

Have you ever heard of these Guaraldi tunes:  Play It Again Charlie Brown, Centercourt, African Sleigh Ride, There's No Time for Love Charlie Brown, Woodstock's Dream, or Pitkin County Blues?  This is jazz at its best.  I purchased both albums of The Lost Cues from iTunes.  They cost $9.99 each.

 They are often quite different from what you would expect for a Charlie Brown theme, but at the same time, very cool, very hip, very melodic, very inspiring to the musical part of your soul.

A Celebration of Vince Guaraldi's Sacred Concert of 1965 - Grace Cathedral #jazz #vinceguaraldi, #peanuts

As a Vince Guaraldi fan, I have met and made contacts with other fans through articles on this blog. I received an invitation from jazz pianist Jim Martinez to attend the 50th anniversary sacred concert of 1965. Jim's jazz quartet will be substituting for the Vince Guaraldi trio/quartet, as alas, the great Guaraldi is no longer with us. Vince Guaraldi was the jazz pianist whose jazz trio provided much of the theme music for Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" television specials.  Some of Vince's most famous hits include Oh Good Grief, Linus and Lucy, and Christmas Time Is Here.   His biggest hit, not related to "Peanuts," was undoubtedly Cast Your Fate to the Wind, a jazz piece that in 1963 became a cross-over hit in popular music.  I still love that song, and it remains one of my favorites of all time.

Vince Guaraldi died of an aortic aneurism (not a heart attack, as is so often wrongly reported) during a gig in Menlo Park, California, on February 6, 1976. He was only 47, and could have given so much more to American music. Every Christmas, the hits on this blog linking to Guaraldi increase dramatically. "Peanuts" Christmas themes are played on television, and many folks note that the music is attributed to someone named Vince Guaraldi. They google the name, and begin a search for who he was and how he died.

Among Vince's accomplishments is playing for a sacred concert in Grace Cathedral Church in San Francisco. His sacred concert took place on May 21, 1965.  A couple of years ago I drove by Grace Cathedral while doing some accounting work near it.  I thought about Vince's sacred concert, and felt sorrow that I had not been there and did not hear it.  Now, however, I can experience a worthy facsimile of it, by attending this celebratory concert on August 15, 2015.  So can you.

You can read more about it at the website All About Jazz.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, please come and hear this musical tribute to a very great musician.

O Tannebaum: My Favorite Vince Guaraldi Christmas Jazz (Video)

I love the music of Vince Guaraldi, and the Christmas season always makes people aware of him. He was the jazz pianist and composer who wrote and performed the musical scores for the "Charlie Brown" cartoon series, including "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which is played every Christmas season on television. It first appeared for Christmas in 1965. My favorite Guaraldi Christmas tune is "O Tannebaum," which is German for "O Christmas Tree," if I am not mistaken. Guaraldi's mellow jazz interpretation of this song is fantastic, and I particularly love it when the string bass and drums start several measures into the song.

Here it is:  enjoy!


 

Vince Guaraldi at the Piano: Derrick Bang's Book on a Great Pianist

I am reading Derrick Bang's recent book, "Vince Guaraldi at the Piano." I met Derrick online when he contacted me over my posts about Guaraldi, a personal hero of mine as well as Derrick's.

 Derrick's book is quite compelling, describing the exciting San Francisco jazz scene of the 1950's and Vince Guaraldi's place in it. Vince Guaraldi is well known for his hit tune "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" as well as his association with Charles Schultz and the comic cartoons of "Peanuts." Guaraldi supplied the original jazz accompaniment to "Peanuts" cartoons and television specials.

Vince was taken from us too soon when he died at the age of 47 from an aortic aneurysm, often incorrectly described as a heart attack. He had just played the last set of his life at Butterfield's nightclub in Menlo Park, California, when he took a break to relax in his nearby motel room. It was there that the aneurysm burst and Vince died instantly, without even a chance to have a last word or say goodbye. The date was February 6, 1976.

Intrigued by his music, I yearned to learn more about this enigmatic jazz musician. I visited his grave near San Francisco where he is buried in a common grave with his mother, Carmella. I visited the site of Butterfield's in Menlo Park and the motel next door where he died (the building that was Butterfield's was torn down some months after my visit).

Thanks to Derrick, I am learning a lot more about the life and career of Vince Guaraldi (known as "Dr Funk" among his fellow musicians). Derrick Bang's book "Vince Guaraldi at the Piano" was based on many interviews with the musicians with whom Vince played music, as well as access to newspaper clippings and other family records. He was allowed to peruse Carmella's diary and newspaper clippings of her son, and thus able to string together the disparate facts of Guaraldi's life and career. Derrick was also able to obtain photographs of Vince from throughout his life, from childhood on, from family members, singers and former band mates.

Vince Guaraldi at the Piano

There is a photograph of a young, clean-cut, tuxedoed Guaraldi with his lovely bride, Shirley, in 1953. Other photos show him performing with famous jazz musicians like Carl Tjader.

One of Guaraldi's former girlfriends told me that I have a "man-crush" on Vince Guaraldi, and she is no doubt right, but there is nothing gay about it. I love many men and women whom I never met and never will meet in this life. They inspire me with their creativity and passion for life, their courage, their heroism, their example.

Vince Guaraldi is one of them.    Not just because of his great music, but because he was a little guy with small hands and short fingers who should never have been a piano player, but who refused to quit.  Derrick Bang likens Vince to Charlie Brown, the Peanuts character who was one of life's perpetual losers.  Charlie never won a baseball game, never got the little red-haired girl he secretly loved, who only got rocks instead of candy in his Halloween sack, never received a card on Valentine's Day.

But Charlie never quit, never stopped trying.  Vince was like that.  He learned to use his small hands on the keyboard in highly effective ways and it worked.  He overcame many discouragements, firings and failures, determined to make an important mark on the music world.  He succeeded, and no doubt would have extended his fame and musical creations greatly but for his sudden death at a young age.

I feel that Vince's untimely death was a great cosmic injustice, and I feel like arguing his case before the Court of Heaven.  Then I remember it will do no good.  Heaven has its own ways and purposes and we can only accept what it decrees.  Still, there's a part of my mind that wants to fight about it.

Now I have to dislodge my kitty cat from my lap and get outside where I can light up a cigar and continue reading Derrick's great little book.  What can you do?  You can listen to the sampling of his music below and perhaps gain insight into my admiration for Vince Guaraldi.

The Last Song Played by Vince Guaraldi

Two years ago I made a pilgrimage to the site of Vince Guaraldi's last gig in Menlo Park, followed by a visit to his grave in Colma, California.  I posted an article about it here.  It was called "Searching For Answers:  the Death of Vince Guaraldi."  Vince was the famed jazz pianist who wrote and recorded the 1962 jazz hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," and whose trio provided the background music for Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" cartoons.  Vince's Christmas album is still popular and widely played every December.

Since posting that article, I have received notes, a previously unpublished photo and other information from various people who either knew Vince or loved his work.  One of them is writing a book about Vince Guaraldi.  See the above link to see all of the latest information.

Today I learned the names of the musicians who were with Vince on his last gig in Menlo Park.  The bass player was Seward McCain and the drummer was Jim Zimmerman.  Zimmerman was with Vince in his room at the Red Cottage Inn, between sets, when Vince collapsed and died suddenly of a burst aortic aneurysm.  Vince was walking towards the bathroom when he collapsed on the floor.  Zimmerman ran to get McCain and they tried to revive Guaraldi, but Vince had died.  The only good thing about it was that he didn't suffer; death was almost instantaneous.  His mother, Carmella, later told a magazine that she was glad, at least, that Vince died as he would have wished, i.e., while playing a musical performance.

That last gig started out well.  McCain reported that the nightclub, Butterfield's, was filled with customers and that the first set went well.  The last song that Vince Guaraldi ever played was "Eleanor Rigby," the Beatles' hit.  McCain stated that Vince had an exciting version of the song.

The day before, Vince had dinner at the home of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson.  He complained about some chest discomfort, like indigestion.  Vince had previously had an EKG and a doctor's examination to discover the cause of his discomfort.  The doctor told him he was probably getting ulcers and gave him a useless prescription of pills.  Vince's death, therefore, was not due to any personal negligence of his own.  He knew something was wrong and tried to get it diagnosed and treated.

After Vince died rumors spread that he had suffered some kind of drug overdose:  heroin, or maybe cocaine.  However, those rumors have proved to be untrue.

More information on Vince's last night can be found at the link above.

Vince Guaraldi's Last Gig Site (Butterfield's) Has Been Demolished

Site of Butterfield's Nightclub, in Better Days

The site of Butterfield's nightclub in Menlo Park, California, was the last place Vince Guaraldi played with his trio.  He died in the hotel next door during a set break on February 6, 1976, from an aneurysm near his heart.

I first visited the site on February 6, 2009, on the 33rd anniversay of Vince's death. I commented on the site and took photos of it; see Searching For Answers:  the Death of Vince Guaraldi.

The last time I saw the site was on March 3, 2010, when I noticed the building that was once Butterfield's nightclub had been boarded up.  See my post about it here.

Butterfield's has finally been demolished.  Reader JD works in Menlo Park and has regularly checked the site.  JD writes:

Found your post, "Vince Guaraldi's Last Gig Site (Butterfield's) All Boarded Up." Since I'm in Menlo Park quite a lot, I stopped by Wednesday to see if anything had changed. Oh, it has. Butterfield's is gone. Photo attached.

Had to shoot through the temporary construction fence. Looks like this is pretty fresh demolition, since the heavy gear is still on site.

And so it goes.

JD

Recently Excavated Site Where Butterfield's Once Stood

The Death of Vince Guaraldi, Famous Jazz Pianist: More Information from a Reader

I have previously sought information regarding the death of Vince Guaraldi, my biggest music hero, and wrote about it here.  I was later contacted by someone claiming to be a former girlfriend of Guaraldi, and then by an author who is writing a biography of Vince Guaraldi.

Today I was contacted by a jazz musician, Jim B., who has played at the Charles Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, and who has met Vince Guaraldi's son and grandson, as well as members of the Schulz family. The Guaraldi-Schultz connection was that Vince composed original jazz themes for Charles Schultz's television episodes based on the famous Charlie Brown cartoon series.

There have been rumors that drugs played a significant part in the death of Vince Guaraldi.  According to Jim B., those rumors appear to be untrue.  Jim writes:

Guaraldi died of an aneurysm that developed in a major blood vessel just next to his heart. He had been feeling unwell for at least a day before he died, and no one, including himself, knew he had an aneurysm. It could have been removed by surgery and he could have still been living today (he would be 81).

I know this from Guaraldi's son, who read the coroner's certificate.

The only person with him at the moment of his death was drummer Eliot Zigmund, who lives in NYC now. He was playing with Vince at Butterfield's that night.

When they took their set break, he and Vince went into the provided motel room to relax. Vince headed for the bathroom but never made it. The aneurysm burst mid-stride, VG fell to the floor, and since the blood flow was not reaching his brain he died instantly.

I have added Jim's narrative to my original post linked above.

Another commenter says that the drummer with Guaraldi was Jim Zimmerman, not Zigmund, and quotes a published source as support.  I believe that this other commenter is correct about Zimmerman.

Vince Guaraldi's Last Gig Site (Butterfield's) All Boarded Up

Since I am working in Menlo Park this week, I went by the site of Butterfield's Nightclub on the way home.  It's the club where the Vince Guaraldi Trio played its last gig on February 6, 1976.  Guaraldi died between sets in his room at the Red Cottage Inn, right next door to the club, ostensibly of a heart attack.

I visited the site a year ago and posted my thoughts at this link.  At that time, Gaylord's Indian Restaurant had just closed business at the site and the place was beginning to look shabby.  Today, however, I noticed that no other business has used the site in the past year:  Gaylord's sign is still on the awning, and now all the windows and doors have been boarded up.

I have added three pictures I took late this afternoon.  The boards over the windows and doors are pretty obvious.  This is not a good sign...will the old Butterfield's site be torn down?

With the terrible economy and California's extreme anti-business policies, it would be an uphill battle to get this old building renovated and back to productive use.  One can only hope.

UPDATE: You can view the site of Butterfield's Nightclub using Google Earth or Google Maps. Go to Google Maps and enter the address of Butterfield's, 1706 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA.  You can view Butterfield's (Gaylord's India Restaurant in its latest incarnation) from an aerial view or also from a street view.  The street view can be manipulated so you can see all sides of the building and how it relates to the Red Coach Inn.

Bottom photo:  This was the front entrance, under an awning, to Butterfield's.

UPDATE 2:  I googled the street address of the building and found mention of it at the Menlo Park website.  Apparently, the owners of the building intend to demolish it and replace it with a two-story medical office building.  Read it here.

UPDATE 3:  A reader writes to say the plan to demolish the building fell through for lack of financing:

I found your tribute to Vince Guaraldi. Good job! I work in the area, and as of today (7/7/2010), the building where Butterfield's nightclub was is still boarded up. I talked with the owner of the Red Cottage Inn, which is a totally separate property, and she said the building (formerly Gaylord India Restaurant) was planned to be replaced with a medical building, but the owner couldn't get the funds together, so the project was scrapped, and the bank owns the building now, and currently there are no plans for it.

Mark

UPDATE 4:  Butterfield's has been demolished (8/11/2010).  Reader JD works in Menlo Park and has regularly checked the site.  JD writes:

Found your post, "Vince Guaraldi's Last Gig Site (Butterfield's) All Boarded Up." Since I'm in Menlo Park quite a lot, I stopped by Wednesday to see if anything had changed. Oh, it has. Butterfield's is gone. Photo attached.

Had to shoot through the temporary construction fence. Looks like this is pretty fresh demolition, since the heavy gear is still on site.

And so it goes.

JD

In Memoriam: Vince Guaraldi Died 34 Years Ago Today

Vince Guaraldi (pic, right) was a famous jazz pianist from San Francisco.  He was well known for supplying theme music for Charles Schultz's "Peanuts."  You can read about his life here.  Today marks 34 years since his untimely death at age 47.   He died on February 6, 1976.

One year ago today, I undertook a trek to the site of Vince Guaraldi's last gig, formerly Butterfield's nightclub in Menlo Park, California.  From there I drove to Colma, near San Francisco, and visited his grave.

Vince died in his room in the Red Cottage Inn, a motel that was adjacent to Butterfield's.  I recently was in communication with someone who claimed to be a former girlfriend of Vince Guaraldi; I haven't been able to independently verify the accuracy of her statements.  However, she stated that she had discussed Vince's death with the band's drummer, who allegedly told her that Vince didn't die alone in his hotel room:  the other two band members were there with him.  According to this former girlfriend, Vince Guaraldi did not die of a heart attack as was widely reported, but from a drug overdose, i.e. cocaine.  The girlfriend stated that Vince's hard drug of choice was cocaine and that he never touched heroin.  Until someone makes Guaraldi's death certificate public, the girlfriend's story should be considered unproven and speculative.

It is highly probable that Vince Guaraldi did come into contact with drugs during his music career.  Living through the Beatnik era of the 1950's, the Hippies era of the 1960's and early 1970's, it would have been a miracle if Guaraldi never smoked a joint.  Drug usage appears common among professional musicians of the gigging variety, though not among orchestral musicians.  The "heart attack" explanation for his death is therefore unverified and even implausible.  He was only 47 years old.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the drive today to visit Vince in Colma.  I will be sitting in with a working band in a nightclub near my home.  I will honor Vince's memory by playing music, and playing as well as I can, doing what he did on the final day of his life.  Rest in peace, Vince.

Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" (Video)

I have been noticing a growing number of visitors looking for information on the late, great jazz pianist, Vince Guaraldi.  I have two previous posts on Guaraldi that honored him on the anniversary of his death, here and more importantly, here.  It seems the Christmas season revives interest in the Vince Guaraldi Trio, since the trio was famous for its music in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," recorded in 1965.

Below is a video (of music only) featuring Vince Guaraldi's instrumental version of "Christmas Time Is Here."

Vince Guaraldi, Famous Jazz Pianist: More Information Comes to Light

Back in February of this year I wrote a post about my trip to Menlo Park to find the site of Butterfield's Nightclub, where Vince Guaraldi (jazz musician whose trio added theme music to Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" cartoons) died on February 6, 1976.  I found what I believed to be the building that once housed Butterfield's.

Just today I discovered that someone who lives in Menlo Park read that post.  It turns out she was a patron of Butterfield's and often went there to listen to the Vince Guaraldi trio.  She confirmed that the building I identified was indeed the site of Butterfield's Nightclub, where Guaraldi played his last gig.  Further, she gives some fascinating descriptions of Butterfield's interior, which was pretty impressive.

I added her commentary to the article.  I wish I had seen it earlier.  Read it at this link if you are interested.

Remembering Charles Schultz and Charlie Brown

I didn't have much to do at work today so I drew this cartoon of Charlie Brown instead. It's a tribute to Charles Schultz, left and Vince Guaraldi, Right. Charlie's the guy in the middle.

Spring is on the way and with spring comes baseball. Kids will don their oversized baseball mitts and head out to the playing field in search of athletic glory.

Charlie Brown was the perpetual loser, never winning a single baseball game. Life gets discouraging at times and we all feel like Charlie Brown on occasion.

I miss him, his creator the great Charles Schulz, and Vince Guaraldi, the jazz artist who wrote so much of the cool music for the television cartoon series.  It sucks to know that there won't be any more Charlie Brown cartoons and there won't be any more Vince Guaraldi jazz.  What we have now is all we're going to get.

What has this got to do with politics and the current events of the day? Not a damn thing. Ain't it great? You'll have to excuse me, I'm a bit bored with it all and in a rather strange mood today.

Searching for Answers: the Death of Vince Guaraldi (Continually Updated for New Info)

Perhaps this political blog isn't the best place to discuss a deceased jazz musician who was the backup artist for Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy. But since I started this discussion, I need to finish it.

Yesterday, on the 33rd anniversary of Vince Guaraldi's death, I decided to visit the site where he died and then visit his grave. I accomplished all of my goals, in spite of a driving rain and hazardous road conditions.
I programmed my GPS system and started out on the road towards Menlo Park, California and the Red Cottage Inn. Guaraldi died in his room at the Red Cottage Inn, resting between sets at Butterfield's nightclub. I knew from my research that the Red Cottage Inn was still in existence, but that Butterfield's nightclub was not. However, I hoped to find the building that once housed Butterfield's. It appeared that Butterfield's must have been within easy walking distance of the Red Cottage Inn -- that would explain how Guaraldi could leave the nightclub to rest in his motel room during 15 minute breaks (bands generally take a 15 minute break after every hour of performing).
The drive north to Menlo Park took well over an hour and a half. I played Guaraldi music on my CD player all day long -- his most famous hits as well as songs from "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." Don't be fooled by the name of the CD -- these are not kiddy songs, but excellent mellow jazz.

I turned off of Highway 101 and found the El Camino Real, drove past Stanford University on my left (where Vince once performed at half time in a football game back in 1963). A couple of miles past Stanford I found the Red Cottage Inn on the right side of the road.

The only part of the Inn that was visible from El Camino Real was the red sign. The motel itself is set back from the road, down a long driveway, where it is somewhat secluded, surrounded on all sides by fences and shaded by tall trees. I parked my car a half block away and walked into the grounds of the Inn. The Red Cottage Inn was well maintained, clean, freshly painted and inviting. It showed pride of ownership. But what about Butterfied's nightclub?

Immediately to the left of the Red Cottage Inn's sign and the long driveway leading to the motel, I found an older building that in all probability was the site of Butterfield's nightclub 33 years ago. It was a one story building that currently houses an Indian restaurant, though the restaurant was closed -- perhaps for repairs, perhaps for good, I don't really know. If this is where Butterfield's was located [later confirmed], then Guaraldi's stay at the Red Cottage Inn makes a lot of sense. He could easily walk the few yards from the Inn to the nightclub between sets.

I took several pictures of the Red Cottage Inn, thinking that, behind one of those red doors is where Vince Guaraldi breathed his last.

The building and grounds of what was once Butterfield's is now in shabby condition. The shrubbery is badly overgrown and littered with discarded paper coffee cups, wrappers, pizza boxes and other debris. The shuttered windows were full of dead flies. On the far left side of the building was a large sign that declares "Psychic Readings." I captured it all with my digital camera and left for Colma to find Guaraldi's grave.

The Red Cottage Inn, Menlo Park, California

Colma is a town near San Francisco that has more dead residents than living ones. It is the site of large, old cemeteries where many famous people are buried. Guaraldi rests in Holy Cross Cemetery on Mission Boulevard. Holy Cross is where Joe DiMaggio is entombed and where Pat Brown, former governor of California (and father of moonbat Jerry Brown), is also buried. Abigail Folger rests in the mausoleum there. She was the coffee heiress who was murdered by the Charles Manson gang, along with Sharon Tate and several other people, on August 9, 1969. However, I wasn't there to visit these people. I was there to visit Vince Guaraldi.

I found Guaraldi's grave in the Star of the Sea section, Row 40, Grave 8, just where findagrave.com said it would be. He is buried there with his mother Carmela, who was only a few days shy of 91 when she died in 1999.

The rain had stopped, but I was the only one there. There were no flowers on his grave or anything else to indicate Guaraldi had any visitors but me on the anniversary of his death. That was kind of sad. Google Vince Guaraldi and dozens of articles and websites pop up. It's not as if he were an unknown personality, even three decades later. Again, I took several pictures of the grave site and surrounding grounds. I prayed for Vince Guaraldi and his mom before leaving, imploring God to "forget the harp, let him play his piano."

The Red Cottage Inn, Menlo Park, California

A better photo of the headstone, taken in drier weather, can be viewed at this link.

It was time to go home, but first a stop at my favorite tobacco shop in Morgan Hill where I had a bottle of authentic Bavarian wheat beer and a huge cigar that cost $11.50. After that, it was home and a nap.

It was a long day but well worth the trouble. I felt that I had solved the mystery of Butterfield's location and how it fit with the Red Cottage Inn. I had seen the actual sites and now Guaraldi's last day seemed real to me, and not just a misty myth from out of time.

Update:  I received this commentary from a reader, confirming that the Indian Restaurant was indeed the original site of Butterfield's nightclub.  Here it is:

You were at the right place for Butterfields Restaurant and Bar. I used to hear Vince with his trio there. For no cover charge you could hear one of America's top jazz pianists. I heard that he came to Menlo Park to perform because he was dating the daughter of the CEO of the Heublein liquor company who lived nearby and he would stay next door at the Red Cottage Inn.

The Grave of Vince Guaraldi, Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, California

Butterfield's had oriental rugs, Victorian furniture-sofas, and Tiffany lamps where you could sip on a drink and be thoroughly entertained. I lived locally so my friend Karen and I would go there. We got to know the bartenders. The bar had been bought by the owner from a Hollywod set. Carved oak with Victorian lamps. One night after closing following his performance I sat down at the Yamaha he used and played some improvisational music and a couple whom I didn't know was still there applauded me. I was very flattered. I hadn't played a Yamaha and didn't know how to play jazz but really liked the touch.

I moved back East for 3 years and during that time had heard that he had suddenly died. Wikipedia listed the cause of death as a heart attack but I had heard that it was a heroin overdose. In any case it was very sad. I feel so lucky to have heard him live for free!!

Butterfield Site:  View of the Interior

The building that Butterfields was in has changed hands numerous times over the years and as you say is not well maintained. If it opens again I might take a look and see if that oak bar remains.  --Lynn Huidekoper, Menlo Park, California

Thank you Lynn, for this invaluable commentary, for fleshing out the true story of Vince Guaraldi's last gig.  I envy you for having heard his trio live and in person.

Lynn Huidekoper directed me to this online photo of Gaylord's Restaurant, which was previously Butterfield's Nightclub, at 1706 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, California. The window has Tiffany glass and you can see the rich wood paneling inside. Gaylord's has ceased business and the site is vacant once again.

Vince Guaraldi and Girlfriend, 1975

Update:  I received a scanned photograph from someone claiming to be Vince Guaraldi's former girlfriend.  She said she worked at Butterfield's and met Vince there, and that they were together for a year.  She said the photo below was taken in January of 1975 in her apartment in Menlo Park.  She told me many other details and I may add them later.


UPDATE: You can view the site of Butterfield's using Google Earth or Google Maps. Go to Google Maps and enter the address of Butterfield's, 1706 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA.  You can view Butterfield's (Gaylord's India Restaurant in its latest incarnation) from an aerial view or also from a street view.  The street view can be manipulated so you can see all sides of the building.

UPDATE 6/30/2010:  Jim, who has spoken to Vince Guaraldi's son, sheds some important light on Vince's death.  He writes:

Guaraldi died of an aneurysm that developed in a major blood vessel just next to his heart. He had been feeling unwell for at least a day before he died, and no one, including himself, knew he had an aneurysm. It could have been removed by surgery and he could have still been living today (he would be 81).

I know this from Guaraldi's son, who read the coroner's certificate.

The only person with him at the moment of his death was drummer Eliot Zigmund, who lives in NYC now. He was playing with Vince at Butterfield's that night. When they took their set break, he and Vince went into the provided motel room to relax. Vince headed for the bathroom but never made it. The aneurysm burst mid-stride, VG fell to the floor, and since the blood flow was not reaching his brain he died instantly. JB

Update 4/18/2011:  I received the following comment from a reader at a related post.  He has a valuable correction to make:  the drummer with Vince when the latter died was not Eliot Zigmund, but Jim Zimmerman.  He writes:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for these pages, especially the Butterfields photos.

I think one of your facts is mistaken, though (about Eliot Zigmund being w/ VG when he died). This portion of the Wikipedia entry on Vince Guaraldi comports with the Guaraldi documentary "The Maestro of Menlo Park" that is included on the Peanuts 1960s Specials DVD set. It contains an interview w/ Jim Zimmerman, the drummer who was with Vince when he died:

"Guaraldi died at age 47 on February 6, 1976. The evening before, he had dined at Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson's home, and was reportedly not feeling well, complaining of indigestion-like chest discomfort that his doctor had told him was nothing to worry about. The following evening, after concluding the first set at Butterfield's Nightclub in Menlo Park, California, Guaraldi and drummer Jim Zimmerman returned to the room they were staying in that weekend at the attached Red Cottage Inn, to relax before the next set. In Zimmerman's words, 'He was walking across the room and just collapsed. That was it.' His cause of death has been variously described as a heart attack and/or an aortic aneurysm. Guaraldi had just finished recording the soundtrack for It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown earlier that afternoon."

Update 4/20/2011:  Reader Doug writes to supply another invaluable narrative on Guaraldi's death.  He writes:

One other find, from the July 1981 edition of Keyboard Magazine, which featured a VG profile and retrospective:

"[bassist Seward] McCain had played with Vince for about two years at a club in Menlo Park called Butterfield's when they began their last gig there on February 6, 1976. 'It was a Friday night, I think. We had just played to a pretty full house the first set, and it was quite good. The last song we played was Eleanor Rigby -- he had a nice, exciting version of that. Then he went back to his room with our drummer, Jim Zimmerman.'

'When Vince fell and hit the floor, Jim got me. We went back and tried to revive him, but it didn't work. He passed away.'

Few of Vince's associates suspected that he suffered any health problems. Only a few weeks before his death, he had had a physical check-up, including an EKG, and the results showed him to be in pretty good condition. 'I saw him about a week before he passed away,' George diQuattro says. 'Vince seemed really fine. The only thing I'd heard was that he had seen a doctor because he had stomach problems and was feeling ill and tired. The doctor told him it might just be ulcers, and prescribed him some dumb medecine and told him to forget about it. But it wasn't that. That's really a shame, man. That should never happen, not today.'

[The Rev. Charles] Gompertz sees Guaraldi's death in a different light, though. 'I think part of Vince's problem was that he never really took very good care of himself,' he ventures. 'He stayed out late, he smoked, and he did a whole lot of things. He tried everything. I mean, when skateboards first came out, he was the first kid on his block to get one, only as a kid he happened to be about 30. He pushed himself to the limit, whether musically or physically. He saw himself as a very youthful person, but he didn't do any of the phyisical things you have to do to prepare yourself to live like that.'

'When it happened down at Butterfield's, when the end finally came, he went the way he would have wanted to go, with the piano,' Carmella Guaraldi [Vince's mom] insists."

Update 8/11/2010:

Butterfield's has been demolished. Reader JD works in Menlo Park and has regularly checked the site. JD writes:

Found your post, "Vince Guaraldi's Last Gig Site (Butterfield's) All Boarded Up." Since I'm in Menlo Park quite a lot, I stopped by Wednesday to see if anything had changed. Oh, it has. Butterfield's is gone. Photo attached.

Had to shoot through the temporary construction fence. Looks like this is pretty fresh demolition, since the heavy gear is still on site.

And so it goes.

JD

Butterfield's is No More

Note on Comments to this Post:  Many heartfelt comments from Vince Guaraldi fans are no longer available for viewing.  In September 2010 I changed my commenting system back to the Blogger system.  I had previously been using the ECHO system, which managed to lose many of my comments in the change over.  I regret this as a great loss, because many of the comments were very touching.  I won't be using ECHO again in the future.  Feel free to post new comments on the more reliable blogger commenting system.

In Memoriam: Vince Guaraldi Died 33 Years Ago Today

One of my biggest music heroes is the famous jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Vince died 33 years ago today - on Friday, February 6, 1976. He was playing a gig at Butterfield's nightclub in Menlo Park, California. While relaxing between sets in a room at the Red Cottage Inn, he died of a sudden heart attack. He was 47 years old.

Guaraldi was born in San Francisco and was a Bay Area resident his whole life. He began recording with his jazz trio in the early 1950's and became famous in the 1960's for two reasons: (1) he wrote and recorded an all-time jazz super hit, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and (2) he was asked by cartoonist Charles Schultz to write and perform musical scores for television shows about Charlie Brown of "Peanuts" cartoon fame. Guaraldi went on to record such hits as "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," "Linus and Lucy" and others. On the morning of his death, he recorded the score to "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown," which is available for viewing on YouTube.

Snoopy sometimes played "Joe Cool" ("hangin' round the water fountain playin' the fool") wearing shades, but Vince Guaraldi was the real Joe Cool.

Vince's death was sudden and unexpected and cut short a great music career. No doubt he had much more to give the world had he lived his full life span.

I am off work today so plan to make a pilgrimage to Vince Guaraldi's grave near San Francisco, even though it's raining hard today. But first I will stop by the Red Cottage Inn in Menlo Park. The hotel still exists, though Butterfield's nightclub apparently does not. I will take some pictures.

It's something I feel I have to do. Maybe remembering Vince Guaraldi doesn't mean that much to Vince, who's trying to figure out how to tune harps to play jazz somewhere above the clouds. But it means that much to me.

God bless you Vince Guaraldi. I'll visit you later today.

Meanwhile, you can all listen to Vince Guaraldi play the Peanuts theme in the video below.