National prominence was just around the corner. Thanks in no small part to the sound of surprise from the feisty Guaraldi, whose extended blues riffs literally had the crowd screaming for more, Tjader's quintet received an enthusiastic standing ovation. Not too much later, just after midnight during 1958's first annual Monterey Jazz Festival, some 6,000 rabid but by now quite tired jazz fans came to their feet when The Cal Tjader Quintet blew them away.

Aside from studio sessions with Conte Candoli (two albums), Frank Rosolino (one album), and Cal Tjader (at least ten albums), Guaraldi toured in 1956 with Woody Herman's third Thundering Herd, replacing Nat Pierce on piano for one season. The original Vince Guaraldi Trio, with Duran and Reilly, can be heard on two releases: The Vince Guaraldi Trio (1956) and ∺ Flower is a Lonesome Thing (1957) What soon came to be recognized as the Guaraldi sound, however, resulted from several recording sessions with his hungry i buddies. He also returned to studio work that year, making his recorded debut as group leader, although with different personnel: John Markham (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Jerry Dodgion (alto sax). In 1955 he put together his own trio - longtime friend Eddie Duran on guitar, Dean Reilly on bass - and tackled North Beach's bohemian hungry i club. Guaraldi then avoided studios for the next few years, preferring to further hone his talents in the often unforgiving atmosphere of San Francisco's beatnik club scene. Guaraldi's first recorded work can be heard on Vibratharpe, a 1953 release by the Cal Tjader. I came close to giving up the instrument, and I wouldn't have been the first after working with Tatum. It was more than scary, Guaraldi later recalled. His first serious booking came at the Black Hawk, when he worked as an intermission pianist.

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