It’s hard to believe that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has hit the half-century mark. The animated special, originally telecast Dec. 9, 1965, on CBS-TV, still has contemporary appeal due in large part to its jazz soundtrack.

The soundtrack to the beloved Christmas special composed by San Francisco jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi is recognizable to ears young and old and can be heard everywhere from shopping mall sound systems to frequent radio air play during the holiday season.

With the 50th anniversary of the special, renewed focus is being placed on the holiday favorite. Across the country, jazz musicians are performing the iconic pieces for audiences.

In the Lehigh Valley, fortunate listeners will experience the Eric Mintel Quartet’s interpretation of these now classic Christmas favorites, 8 p.m. Dec. 18, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. The concert is sold-out.

Although Guaraldi’s jazzy holiday favorites seem woven into the fabric of the season, the choice of music was considered controversial at the time. It was a daring move to pair Christmas and jazz.

Credit Lee Mendelson, producer of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” for making the bold musical decision. Mendelson, a jazz enthusiast heard the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Grammy Award-winning, “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” on the radio while in a taxicab and sought to contact the pianist to see if he would be interested in composing the score for the planned special.

Guaraldi accepted the offer and a 50-year holiday tradition was born.

The music for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio with Guaraldi on piano, Fred Marshall, bass, and Jerry Granelli, drums. The recording went on to become one of the highest charting and best-selling Christmas albums of all time.

As pervasive as “Linus And Lucy,” “Christmas Time Is Here” and Guardli’s arrangement of the classic, “O Tannenbaum,” is to listeners, the composer’s name has remained largely unknown by the general public.

The Eric Mintel Quartet’s performance in the Rodale Community Room at Miller Symphony Hall marks the final “Upstairs Jazz” concert of 2015. The monthly series has become a destination for jazz devotees to see and hear some of the finest musicians in an intimate listening room.

“We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Charlie Brown Christmas special. We are going to be celebrating the music that was written by Vince Guaraldi, so we are going to pay tribute to that,” says Mintel in a phone interview.

“We are going to be playing some new updated versions of some classic holiday songs that I’ve reworked and some original music and original holiday songs that I’ve written.”

The quartet will perform originals from a new live CD, copies of which will be available for purchase at the show. The CD was recorded during a 2013 performance at the COTA Jazz Festival held annually in Delaware Water Gap, Bushkill.

The quartet is: Mintel, piano; Nelson Hill, saxophone and flute; Jack Hegyi, electric bass, and Dave Mohn, drums.

“I’m proud to say that these guys have been with me now for a good ten years,” says Mintel about the accomplished musicians that round out the quartet. “I always like to say it’s a band of brothers.”

Of the concert, Mintel says, “We’re really looking forward to it. We’ve been up to Miller Symphony Hall before and we have played several concerts [there] over the years, but this one is really special because we are doing this 50th anniversary Christmas special.”

Mintel adds that he and Lucy Bloise, Vice President Marketing & Community Engagement for Miller Symphony Hall, have been discussing putting on a Christmas concert for three years.

“I’m so glad we put this on the books now,” he says.

In addition to the Miller Symphony Hall performance, the Eric Mintel Quartet is performing the holiday concert on a tour throughout the northeast.

“It’s going to be so much fun and we’re really looking forward to playing Miller Symphony Hall and the Rodale Room. It’s just such a great room to perform in. We love the audience there and they’re just always right there cheering us along and giving us that energy feedback, which we love.

“The audience is going to be treated to some really cool versions of some classic holiday tunes with some twists.”

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715