David Benoit

David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. 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 as an inspiration, Benoit has participated both as performer and music director for the later animated adaptations of the Peanuts 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, 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. He attended Mira Costa High School. He focused on theory and composition at El Camino College, studying orchestration with Donald Nelligan, and later took film scoring classes taught by Donald Ray at UCLA. His education in music conducting began with Heiichiro Ohyama, 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 in 1976, before moving on to similar roles with singer/actresses Ann-Margret and Connie Stevens.

His GRP Records debut album, Freedom at Midnight (1987), made it to number 5 on Billboard'''s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. 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 (1989) made it to number 1 on Billboards Top Jazz Albums chart.

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 Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, he released a memorial album titled Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years!. Collaborators included the chorus group Take 6, guitarist Marc Antoine and trumpeter Chris Botti. He also scored several "Peanuts" animated television specials, emulating the style of Vince Guaraldi. The album made it to number 2 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.

The Benoit/Freeman Project album was given 4 stars by AllMusic, 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.

Benoit's music can be heard during The Weather Channel's "Local on the 8s" segments. His version of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Vince Guaraldi 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 in Long Beach, California.

Benoit has performed at the White House for three U.S. Presidents: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush Sr. Other dignitaries he performed for include Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, former Los Angeles mayors Tom Bradley and James Hahn, as well as Senator Dick Durbin.

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 2001: "Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years!", Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-classical

Discography Albums As leader/co-leader Year Title Label Notes 1977 Heavier Than Yesterday AVI; Bluemoon 1980 Can You Imagine AVI; Bluemoon 1982 Stages AVI; Bluemoon 1983 Digits AVI; Bluemoon 1983 Christmastime AVI; Bluemoon 1984 Waves of Raves AVI; Bluemoon Compilation of AVI material 1985 This Side Up Spindletop; En Pointe 1986 Summer (AKA Some Other Sunset and If I Could Reach Rainbows) Electric Bird; Intersound; Sin-Drome Re-recordings of early material 1987 Freedom at Midnight GRP 1988 Every Step of the Way GRP 1989 Urban Daydreams GRP 1989 Waiting for Spring GRP 1990 Inner Motion GRP 1991 Shadows GRP 1992 Letter to Evan GRP 1994 Lost And Found Rhino Compilation of AVI material 1994 Shaken Not Stirred GRP 1994 GRP with Russ Freeman 1995 Varèse Sarabande soundtrack 1996 Remembering Christmas GRP 1997 American Landscape GRP 1999 Professional Dreamer GRP 2000 Great Composers of Jazz Vertical Jazz/Fine Tune with Brian Bromberg and Gregg Bissonette 2000 Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years! GRP 2002 Fuzzy Logic GRP 2003 Right Here, Right Now GRP/Verve 2004 Concord/Peak with Russ Freeman 2005 Orchestral Stories Concord/Peak 2005 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas Concord/Peak 2006 Full Circle Concord/Peak 2006 Standards Kind of Blue Reissue of Great Composers of Jazz 2008 Heroes Concord/Peak 2008 Jazz for Peanuts Concord/Peak 2010 Earthglow Concord/Heads Up 2012 Conversation Concord/Heads Up 2015 2 in Love Concord with Jane Monheit 2015 Believe (David Benoit Trio) Concord with Jane Monheit and the All American Boys Chorus 2017 Steinway & Sons 2017 So Nice Shanachie with Marc Antoine 2019 David Benoit and Friends Shanachie 2020 It's a David Benoit Christmas! Steinway & Sons 2021 Old Friends Cafe Pacific with Mark Winkler 2022 Shanachie 2024 Timeless SoNo Recording Group 2025 Steinway After Dark Steinway & Sons

As a member The Rippingtons' Moonlighting (Passport Jazz · GRP, 1986) Live in L.A. (GRP, 1992)

As sideman 1976 Alphonse Mouzon, The Man Incognito (Blue Note) 1987 Full Swing, In Full Swing (Cypress) 1988 Patti Austin, The Real Me (Qwest) 1988 Sam Riney, Lay It on the Line (River Estates) 1990 Emily Remler, This Is Me (Justice) 1991 Patti Austin, Carry On (GRP) 1992 Kilauea, Tropical Pleasures (Brainchild) 1997 Lorraine Feather, The Body Remembers (Bean Bag Entertainment) 1999 Dave Koz, The Dance (Capitol) 2004 Brian Bromberg, Choices (A440 Music Group) 2013 David Pack, David Pack's Napa Crossroads (Concord) 2015 Christophe Beck, The Peanuts Movie'' (Epic)

Charted albums Year Album Peak chart positions LabelUS200 USTopSales USJazz USCon.Jazz USR&B/HH USTradJazz USTopCur USInd USHoli 1986 This Side Up — — — — — 4 — — — Spindletop/En Pointe 1987 Freedom at Midnight — — — 5 — — — — — GRP 1988 Every Step of the Way 129 — — 4 — — 129 — — 1989 Urban Daydreams 101 — — 4 — — 101 — — Waiting for Spring 187 — — — — 1 187 — — 1990 Inner Motion 161 — — 3 — — 161 — — 1991 Shadows — — — 2 — — — — — 1993 Letter to Evan — — 50 — — 3 — — — 1994 The Benoit/Freeman Project 118 118 2 2 73 — 118 — — Shaken Not Stirred — — 19 14 — — — — — 1995 The Best of David Benoit 1987–1995 — — 25 19 — — — — — 1996 Remembering Christmas — — 27 15 — — — — — 1997 American Landscape — — 9 7 — — — — — 1999 Professional Dreamer — — 11 8 — — — — — 2000 Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years! — — 5 — — 2 — — — 2002 Fuzzy Logic — — 9 6 — — — — — 2003 Right Here, Right Now — — 18 10 — — — — — 2004 The Benoit/Freeman Project 2 — — 11 7 — — — 48 — Peak 2005 Orchestral Stories — — 48 — — — — — — 2006 Full Circle — — 17 7 — — — — — 2008 Heroes — — 17 9 — — — — — Jazz for Peanuts — — 25 — — 14 — — — 2010 Earthglow — — 8 4 — — — — — 2012 Conversation — — 9 2 — — — — — Heads Up 2015 2 in Love — — 6 — — 5 — — — Concord Believe — — 23 — — 15 — — — 2017 The Steinway Sessions — — — 13 — — — — — Steinway So Nice! — — 4 2 — — — — — Shanachie 20th Anniversary Christmas — — 3 1 — — 64 — 6 Concord 2019 David Benoit and Friends — — 3 2 — — — — — Shanachie 2022 Christmas Ballads — — — 7 — — — — — Just Koz"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Charted singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album AdultCont. Smooth JazzAirplay 1988 "The Key to You" 40 Every Step of the Way 2005 "Pick Up the Pieces" — 24 Kenny G – At Last...The Duets Album 2006 "Beat Street" — 5 Full Circle 2007 "Water to Drink (Água de Beber)" — 28 2008 "Human Nature" — 18 Heroes 2010 "Will's Chill" — 6 Earthglow 2011 "Botswana Bossa Nova" — 1 2012 "Feelin' It" — 1 Conversation "You're Amazing" — 4 2015 "Too in Love" — 7 2 in Love 2017 "Caminando" — 1 So Nice 2018 "French Cafe" — 26 2019 "" — 3 David Benoit and Friends 2020 "Feel It Still" — 11 2022 "A Midnight Rendezvous" — 13 A Midnight Rendezvous 2024 "Savannah Dream (Sophie's Song)" — 3 Timeless 2026 "Boarding Pass" — 1 TBA"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.