Best Version of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"

david axelrod in 1974 with a very slick rendition

Nice!
Also not listed above, the first version with lyrics, sung by Mel Tormé:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQuW1YsfM8M

have to give it to the original, but i have to wonder how it made Vince Guaraldi feel that a songwriter of Allen Toussaint's caliber decided to cover his tune, particularly since Toussaint almost never recorded covers. must have been such an honor

Sitarsploitation version at the end of this 1966 Chim Kothari album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twPiML5xXaY

Awesome!

With regards to the original version, even though I have listened to the Vince Guaraldi version quite often in recent years, yesterday I realized that the one I used to hear all the time, and first dug way back when, was the Sounds Orchestral version so I might have to vote for that.

It's essentially the same as the original except the middle is more of a groove than a jazzy piano solo afaict

Actually it is a solo but the groove is still going on loud and clear instead of dropping off a bit

Drums are much busier and the strings keep going to fill some of the space and the tempo doesn't seem to drop.

Wikipedia sez that the producer of *Peanuts* heard this on the radio which prompted him to hire Vince G for that notable gig.

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The half dozen I know are all contenders.

Odd that this song was a bit of a throwaway on the original Vince Guaraldi album, not expected to be a breakaway hit.

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