Modern Music from San Francisco was released as a fourteen track reissue, released on CD in 2001 by Fantasy under the name The Jazz Scene: San Francisco, adding several tracks by the Charlie Mariano Sextet.[2]
DownBeat gave the album a 3-star review, and highlighted Dr. Funk: "Guaraldi is a swinging two-hander who plays with a firm touch and good command."[3]
AllMusic critic Scott Yanow noted, "five originals and two standards are performed in fine cool jazz fashion. The music is not essential but is enjoyable and somewhat historical."[1] Derrick Bang, historian and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, cited the track "Ginza" as of great "significance," noting that it became "one of Guaraldi's first anthems: a 'personal standard' that quickly earned a spot in his ongoing repertoire." Bang added that it is "a sassy, fast-paced romp with echoes of Fats Waller's 'Jitterbug Waltz'." Bang also highlighted "Calling Dr. Funk", as "a loose, smoky, mildly dirty blues number that sounds like a theme song: probably not accidental, because the title referenced the nickname—Dr. Funk—by which Guaraldi already was coming to be known."[2]
