“Particularly with Vince Guaraldi and Peanuts, it makes the music very accessible, and jazz becomes within reach and easy to appreciate for everyone, coming through the lens of Charlie Brown and Peanuts,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
He said it is music people already know, feel comfortable with, and it brings back fond memories. It’s also a great introduction for community members who may have never been to a jazz concert.
The Phil DeGreg Trio is comprised of Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame Pianist Phil DeGreg, along with Aaron Jacobs and John Taylor. The Trio has performed countless jazz concerts at Xavier University, CCM, and Fountain Square as well as at other venues throughout the region, including at libraries and churches. The current line-up has been playing together for more than a decade.
“You’re going to get three of the finest musicians to grace the stage of the Fitton Center. They do an amazing show, they are fantastically talented, and they work incredibly well together, so it’s a great night out,” said MacKenzie-Thurley.
Guaraldi, an American jazz pianist, is best known for composing music for animated television shows of the Peanuts comic strip. His compositions for the series include the signature melody, “Linus and Lucy,” and the holiday classic, “Christmas Time Is Here.”
“Whenever you hear Vince Guaraldi, not the music he wrote for Peanuts, but you hear some of his original compositions, or other albums not related to Peanuts, you automatically hear Peanuts. He is that sound. He is iconically the sound of Charlie Brown and Peanuts,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
Audiences can expect to hear songs from Peanuts as well as some of Guaraldi’s other originals.
How to go
What: “Good Grief!” an evening of Vince Guaraldi and the Music of Peanuts with The Phil DeGreg Trio
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan 18
Where: The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton
Cost: Tickets are $39 for members; $48 for non-members.
More Info.: www.fittoncenter.org or (513) 863-8873 ext. 110. Cash bar available throughout the evening.
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