David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

. He is also music director for the Pacific Vision Youth Symphony (previously known as the Asia America Symphony Orchestra) and the Asia America Youth Orchestra. Furthermore, crediting

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this series includ ...

as an inspiration, Benoit has participated both as performer and music director for the later animated adaptations of the ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'' comic strip, such as the feature film, '' The Peanuts Movie'', restoring Guaraldi's musical signature to the franchise.

Early life

David Bryan Benoit was born in

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

, California, on August 18, 1953. He studied piano at age 13 with Marya Cressy Wright and continued his training with Abraham Fraser, who was the pianist for

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. He attended Mira Costa High School. He focused on theory and composition at

El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.film scoring classes taught by Donald Ray at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

. His education in music conducting began with

Heiichiro Ohyama is a Japanese conductor and violist. Biography He has a long-established reputation as a remarkable conductor and one of the nation’s most renowned violists. In addition to his post as Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Cham ...

, assistant conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic, and continued with Jan Robertson, head of the conducting department at UCLA. He worked with Jeffrey Schindler, Music Director for the UC Santa Barbara symphony orchestra.

Career

He began his career as a musical director and conductor for

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

in 1976, before moving on to similar roles with singer/actresses

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

and

Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York City to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in r ...

. His GRP Records debut album, ''

Freedom at Midnight ''Freedom at Midnight'' (1975) is a non-fiction book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre about the events around the Indian independence movement and partition. It details the last year of the British Raj, from 1947 to 1948, beginning with ...

'' (1987), made it to number 5 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

.David Benoit. - Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums -

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. - Retrieved: 2008-07-20 Benoit also says that it was his favorite album to produce, because it was when "everything came together," as he stated in an interview on SmoothViews.com. An earlier "live in the studio" (direct record, no mixing or overdubs) album on Spindletop Records, ''This Side Up'' (previously 1986), was re-released on the GRP label. ''

Waiting for Spring ''Waiting for Spring'' is an album by American pianist David Benoit released in 1989 and recorded for the GRP label. The album reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums chart. Track listing All tracks written by David Benoit except as no ...

'' (1989) made it to number 1 on ''Billboards Top Jazz Albums chart. '' Shadows'', from 1991, made it to number 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Out of respect for one of his main influences,

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

, he dedicated his 1992 album '' Letter to Evan'' to him. Many of his songs employ a string section, most notably on his ''American Landscape'' (1997) and ''Orchestral Stories'' (2005) albums. In 2000, after the death of ''

'' creator Charles M. Schulz, he released a memorial album entitled ''Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years''. Collaborators included the chorus group Take 6, guitarist Marc Antoine and trumpeter

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''. He was also nominated in ...

. He also did the music for "Peanuts" in the later specials, after

's death. The album made it to number 2 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. An earlier cover of Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy", recorded in 1985 for the aforementioned album ''This Side Up'', enjoyed notable radio airplay and helped to launch the

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the ...

genre. Benoit has

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

, conducted, and performed music for many popular pop and jazz artists, including Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons (he was involved with the band in its formative stages, and they often appeared on each other's albums),

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

, Michael Franks,

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

, Dave Koz, Kenny Rankin,

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

David Lanz David Howard Lanz (born June 28, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) is a Grammy-nominated pianist and composer. His album '' Cristofori's Dream'' topped the New Age music charts in 1988. Early years Lanz attributes his interest in the piano to experien ...

Cece Winans Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the duo BeBe & CeCe Winans; before launching an acclaimed solo career. Winans has been ...

, David Pack,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

and Brian McKnight. He paid homage to one of his chief influences,

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

, by playing, arranging, and performing on ''The Songs of West Side Story'', an all-star project produced by David Pack which achieved gold sales status. Benoit contributed to the Rippingtons's debut album, ''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment Entertainment * ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski * ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...

'', which was named the most influential contemporary jazz album of all time by ''Jazziz'' magazine. ''The Benoit/Freeman Project'' album was given 4 stars by ''

'', the highest rating Benoit has received from the service, and the album made it to number 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart from ''Billboard''.David Benoit. - Discography: Main Albums -

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. - Retrieved: 2008-07-20 Benoit's music can be heard during

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather foreca ...

's "Local on the 8s" segments. His version of "

Cast Your Fate to the Wind "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is an American jazz instrumental selection by Vince Guaraldi; later, a lyric was written by Carel Werber. It won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963. It was included on the album '' Jazz Impre ...

" by

is included on the album '' The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II'' (2008). In May 2011, Benoit began hosting a morning program at jazz radio station

KKJZ KKJZ (88.1 MHz FM, "K-Jazz 88.1") is a non-commercial public radio station in Southern California broadcasting from the Long Beach State campus. The station is one of several public radio stations in Southern California presenting jazz and blu ...

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporat ...

, California. Benoit has performed at the White House for three U.S. Presidents:

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, and George Bush Sr. Other dignitaries he performed for include

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first Africa ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...

, former Los Angeles mayors Tom Bradley and James Hahn, as well as Senator

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin has served as the Senate De ...

Awards and honors

* 1989: '' Every Step of the Way'', Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance * 1996: ''GRP All-Star Big Band'', Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance * 2000: "Dad's Room" from ''Professional Dreamer'', Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition

Discography

As leader

As sideman

* 1975 '' The Man Incognito'', Alphonse Mouzon * 1986 ''

'', The Rippingtons * 1988 '' The Real Me'',

* 1988 ''Lay It on the Line'', Sam Riney * 1988 ''In Full Swing'', Full Swing * 1990 ''

This Is Me This Is Me may refer to: Albums * ''This Is Me'' (Charlie McDonnell album), 2010 * ''This Is Me'' (Heather Peace album), 2010 * ''This Is Me'' (Jully Black album), or the title song, 2005 * ''This Is Me'' (Kierra Sheard album), or the titl ...

'',

Emily Remler Emily Remler (September 18, 1957 – May 4, 1990) was an American jazz guitarist, active from the late 1970s until her death in 1990. Early life and influences Born in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey,Staff"Emily Remler Dies On Australia Tour; Gu ...

* 1992 ''Carry On'', Patti Austin * 1992 ''Tropical Pleasures'', Kilauea * 1992 Live in L.A., The Rippingtons * 1997 ''The Body Remembers'',

Lorraine Feather Lorraine Feather (born Billie Jane Lee Lorraine Feather; September 10, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and songwriter. Early life A native of Manhattan, she was born to jazz writer Leonard Feather and his wife Jane, a former big band si ...

* 1999 ''The Dance'', Dave Koz * 2004 ''Choices'', Brian Bromberg * 2014 ''David Pack's Napa Crossroads'', David Pack * 2015 '' The Peanuts Movie'',

Christophe Beck Jean-Christophe Beck (born November 30, 1972) is a Canadian television and film score composer and conductor. He is a brother of pianist Chilly Gonzales. He is best known for his collaborations with Disney and its subsidiaries, which include co ...

References

* Some of this article comes from the Japanese-language article (accessed on April 8, 2006).

External links

Official Website

Complete discography

David Benoit @ Boosey & Hawkes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, David American jazz pianists American male pianists Smooth jazz pianists Jazz musicians from California 1953 births Living people Musicians from Bakersfield, California Musicians from Los Angeles GRP Records artists 20th-century American pianists The Rippingtons members 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians GRP All-Star Big Band members