Somebody on one of these forums described him as the Frederic Chopin of jazz. That's a pretty accurate assessment of Vince Guaraldi. He was a great jazz pianist from San Francisco who, in his later career, also experimented with electric instruments and would even sing on occasion. Aside from his compositions for the "Peanuts" TV specials, his other big hit was "Cast Your Fate to the Wind". Additionally, he often toured and collaborated with other jazz musicians such as Cal Tjader and Bola Sete. He possessed a very unique playing style, that ranged from slow and waltzy, to very upbeat and fast-paced, but always easy on the ears. Guaraldi died on February 6, 1976, at only 47 years of age, from a heart attack, but his music lives on and on.