Who is David Benoit, jazz pianist, born August 18, 1953

DAVID BENOIT’s career as a contemporary jazz pianist began in 1977 and includes 25 solo recordings over the past 29 years. Their 1985 radio hit, “Linus and Lucy,” helped launch the smooth jazz genre. His growing list of orchestral music projects includes conducting such prominent orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London and San Francisco Symphonies. He recently conducted a performance of his first piano concerto, “The Centaur and the Sphinx,” with distinguished pianist Frédéric Chiu and the Asian American Symphony Orchestra.

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His involvement as a guest educator with Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation took him to classrooms across the country, where he devoted many hours teaching music to children. He has also participated in the Grammy Foundation in Schools and was voted Music Mentor of the Year by the International Foundation for Education and the Performing Arts (IFEPA).

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Lately, Benoit has made a spectacular return to his smooth jazz roots, arriving on Full Circle with one of the most honest, liberating and heartfelt recordings of his 30-year career.

The pianist seamlessly blends old-school and modern sensibilities, working with a team of his favorite musicians and three of contemporary jazz’s most successful producers: Jeffrey Weber, Paul Brown and famed keyboardist Jeff Lorber. Weber lends his expertise to the gentle acoustic piano chamber music of ‘Katrina’s Little Bear’ (inspired by the story of a boy who lost everything except his teddy bear in a hurricane) and ‘Monster in the Attic’ (a ‘song story’ ‘inspired by Benoit’s five-year-old daughter).

Brown and Benoit’s first collaboration was the lightly paced ballad ‘First Day Of School,’ a mini ‘story song’ inspired by Benoit taking Jun to his first day of kindergarten. Full Circle’s first radio single is ‘Beat Street,’ a bright, bouncy slice of smooth retro funk that pairs perfectly with Benoit and Lorber’s pop, jazz, and R&B sensibilities.

Benoit dedicated his 1992 album “Letter to Evan” to pianist Bill Evans, whom he cited as a major influence.

After the death of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz in 2000, David Benoit released a memorial album called ‘Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years’ and continues to perform classic piano themes from the cartoon.

Le “David Benoit Quartet” play “Linus And Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi live in New York December 20, 2008.

Personnel:

David Benoit, piano
Andy Suzuki, alto sax
David Hughes, bass
Jamey Tate, drums
Brad Dutz, percussion