From All Sides

AMG Review of From All Sides

Jim Newsom
All Music Guide

Given Vince Guaraldi's affinity for Brazilian music, this pairing with Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete from the early '60s seems like a natural. On From All Sides, fans of the Peanuts TV specials will recognize Guaraldi's trademark pianistic style, with "Menino Pequeno da Bateria" being essentially the same tune used as "My Little Drum" on A Charlie Brown Christmas. The melody of "Ginza Samba" will also be familiar to the Charlie Brown TV audience. Sete contributes a pair of originals, with "Mambeando" being especially enjoyable. The group offers a tasty reading of "The Girl from Ipanema," and places "A Taste of Honey" into an interesting Latin groove. The interaction between the two principals here is generally quite good, though Sete's solo appears to be out of kilter rhythmically with Guaraldi's trio on "Menino Pequeno." That minor complaint aside, this is an enjoyable, easygoing outing.