David Benoit

Over the last quarter century, composer and pianist David Benoit (b. 1953) has been a passionate musical innovator committed to the exploration of many different art forms on the American landscape.

A five time Grammy nominee for his extraordinary and seminal contributions to contemporary jazz, Benoit has also embarked on a multi-faceted journey into the classical music world. This has led to guest pianist and conductor spots with numerous top symphonies and philharmonics, four performances at Carnegie Hall (including one with Maestro Leonard Bernstein), a performance on the steps of the Capitol Building with the National Symphony for the annual PBS July 4th event, and the creation of Kobe, a symphonic tone poem about a little girl growing up in postwar Japan.

This piece received its world debut with the Philippine Philharmonic in 2001 and will be performed in 2003 with Kent Nagano conducting the Berkeley Symphony. Benoit also recently completed his first year as Music Director of the Asia America Symphony. His first piano concerto, The Centaur and the Sphinx, will be completed next summer.

The remarkably versatile Benoit has lent his conducting talents and legendary piano performance skills to a wide variety of settings. As a conductor, he has performed the music of Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Camille Saint Saens, Mozart, Francis Poulenc and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. He has given piano performances for Claude Bolling’s Suite For Flute and Jazz Piano, Suite for Cello and Piano, and is scheduled to perform a suite for guitar and piano with Angel Romero at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s annual fundraising concert. He has performed The Peanuts Piano Concerto with several orchestras as part of his tribute to Charles Schulz and the music of Vince Guaraldi, in conjunction with his 2000 GRP tribute recording Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years. He is also slated to perform as a guest soloist with Lalo Schifrin and his orchestra.

Combining his virtuosity on the piano with his conducting, Benoit has led concerts with numerous world class orchestras and symphonies: The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The San Francisco Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, The Dresden Philharmonic, The Philippine Philharmonic, The Toledo Symphony, The New World Orchestra, The San Antonio Symphony, The San Jose Symphony, The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, The UC Santa Barbara Orchestra and The National Symphony Orchestra.

His involvement as a guest educator with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation has taken him to classrooms throughout the country, where he has devoted many hours to teaching children about music; in 2001, he won the foundation’s coveted “excellence in music education” award. He has also been involved with the Grammy in the Schools Foundation and was voted Music Mentor of the Year by the International Foundation of Education and Performing Arts (IFEPA). Benoit is currently Music Director and Founder for the Asia America Youth Honor Orchestra, a collection of young musicians ranging from 11 to 18 years of age.

Combining his love of many different styles of music with his immense growth as a top orchestrator, Benoit has been a popular film and television composer. His most notable film scores are The Stars Fell on Henrietta, produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Robert Duvall; and The Christmas Tree, produced by Sally Field, voted Best Score of 1996 by Film Score Magazine. His long association with Charles Schulz and the famed Peanuts realm led to over ten years of composing music for Peanuts TV specials on CBS. In addition, he has written the themes for the long running soap opera All My Children (ABC), Sisters (NBC) and scored the movies of the week Final Descent (with the late Robert Urich) and Cadillac Jack (starring Clint Black). In addition to his film and television work, Benoit is nearing completion of his first Broadway musical, Something’s Got to Give, in collaboration with lyricist Mark Winkler, about the life and times of Marilyn Monroe.

His career as a contemporary jazz pianist began in 1977 and includes 23 solo recordings over the past 25 years. Many of these, including his 1987 GRP Records debut Freedom At Midnight and its Grammy nominated 1988 follow-up Every Step Of The Way, are considered influential classics in the genre, which came to be known as Smooth Jazz. Among his other Grammy nominations are those for Best Instrumental Composition (for “Dad’s Room,” from 1999’s Professional Dreamer) and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance (for the GRP All-Star Big Band). Combining two of the musical loves of his life, he recorded 1996’s American Landscape with The London Symphony Orchestra. He was voted Keyboardist of the Year for 2000 and 2001 by the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards, and is currently in the Top Ten on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart with Fuzzy Logic, which spawned the recent #1 hit instrumental single “Snap!”

Benoit has arranged, conducted and performed music for many popular pop and jazz artists over the years, including Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons (he was involved with the band in its formative stages), Kenny Loggins, Patti Austin, Dave Koz, Kenny Rankin, Faith Hill, David Lanz, Cece Winans, David Pack, David Sanborn, The Walt Disney Organization and Brian McKnight. He also paid homage to one of his chief influences, Leonard Bernstein, 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.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Benoit grew up in The South Bay of Los Angeles. He studied piano at age 13 with Marya Cressy Wright and continued his training with Abraham Fraser, who was the pianist for Arturo Toscaninni. 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 is currently studying conducting with Jeffrey Schindler, Music Director for the UC Santa Barbara symphony orchestra.

He began his career as a Musical Director and conductor for diva Lainie Kazan in 1976 before moving on to similar roles with singer/actresses Ann Margaret and Connie Stevens.

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, the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, current Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Senator Dick Durbin.

He and his wife Kei are the parents of an adopted daughter, June Koko, and reside in Palos Verdes, California.
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Mark Winkler: Late Bloomin' Jazzman

Read "Late Bloomin' Jazzman" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
June 24, 2022

Veteran singer, platinum-selling lyricist and songwriter Mark Winkler delivers his twentieth album as leader, Late Bloomin' Jazzman, beginning with a George Gershwin standard, ending with a Gershwin tribute and, in between, presenting romantic ballads, a bit of swing and a touch of bossa. An educator at UCLA who teaches the art of songwriting, Winkler brings this remarkable talent to the fore on this album, providing his own lyrics to seven of the twelve songs which he suddenly realized “talk about ...

Album Review

Mark Winkler: Late Bloomin' Jazzman

Read "Late Bloomin' Jazzman" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
May 31, 2022

Anyone who can hold their own on a stage on in a studio with Cheryl Bentyne cannot be all bad, right? Even if one's taste runs more to Harry Connick, Jr than to Mark Murphy, it is difficult not to get seriously into Mark Winkler. Oh, he can sing, for sure, but even if he could not carry a tune, he is a lyricist for the ages. Not all ages, mind you. But for those of a certain age, sensibility, ...

Album Review

Mark Winkler: Old Friends

Read "Old Friends" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
April 14, 2021

The appeal of singer and lyricist Mark Winkler is not that he has an outstanding vocal instrument. Rather, it is uniquely unique; easily identifiable. Winkler has what Broadway composers once called a “lyricist's voice." It is a voice of a song writer that is honest and genuine and that is where Winkler gets to the listener. A serious artist, he never sounds as if he takes himself too seriously (much like Dean Martin). And, therein lies his charm. Winkler's voice ...

Bailey's Bundles

Bailey’s Bundle: Holiday Edition

by C. Michael Bailey
November 14, 2020

This edition of my Christma holiday release reviews began this January with two recordings that I missed. There are always worthy holiday recordings released every year and 2020 has been no exception. The Archaic Corner Gothic Voices Nowell synge we bothe al and som: A Feast of Christmas Music in Medieval England Linn Records 2019 In 1981, the vocal ensemble Gothic Voices released their debut recording A Feather on the Breath ...

Album Review

David Benoit: Conversation

Read "Conversation" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
June 18, 2012

If a touch of grey makes a man look distinguished, his full head of hair gone grey makes David Benoit positively aristocratic. The knock on Benoit is he makes music that is pleasant yet not memorable and, at times, is dismissed as being lightweight. It's time to reassess that somewhat harsh appraisal as time has been kind to Benoit, as his playing grows stronger and his ideas more interesting.Benoit makes it look effortless, but Conversation works hard at ...

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Album Review

David Benoit: Earthglow

Read "Earthglow" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
May 30, 2010

Having emerged at a time when many smooth jazz artists seemed to be in competition to sound alike, David Benoit has always been able to distinguish himself. The pianist has earned five Grammy nominations, and has successfully moved from orchestral to jazz to pop, sometimes mixing all three with other sounds. Those other sounds include Latin and Brazilian, which are woven into the tapestry of Earthglow. Accompanying Benoit is a varied supporting cast that includes trumpeter Rick Braun, ...

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Album Review

David Benoit: Jazz for Peanuts

Read "Jazz for Peanuts" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
December 10, 2008

The symbiotic relationship between pianist David Benoit and Peanuts has been a blessing for fans of both the animated series and jazz. It began in the mid-1980s with Benoit's popular cover of Vince Guaraldi's “Linus and Lucy," the ever-present theme in the Charlie Brown cartoons. Since then, the pianist has produced several tributes to the music of Peanuts, and for 10 years he's composed original music for the specials on CBS television.Jazz for Peanuts - A Retrospective of ...

Recording

Vocalist/Lyricist Mark Winkler Teams With Pianist David Benoit For 'Old Friends'

Source: Mouthpiece Music
February 12, 2021

Singer, lyricist Mark Winkler and pianist, composer David Benoit have teamed up to record an album that pays homage to their 37 years of friendship. Old Friends is a collection of some of the artists’ favorites songs by some of their favorite composers, as well as three original tunes, newly rendered in an affable collaboration by two musicians at the top of their form. Winkler and Benoit are seasoned artists in the music business. Winkler is a popular performer, lyricist, ...
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Performance / Tour

Roland Hosts V-Piano Grand World Premiere At Lincoln Center For The Performing Arts

Source: Tara Callahan
March 15, 2011

An Evening with David Benoit, Brian Culbertson, Yana Reznik, and Special Guests Roland Corporation U.S., a world leader in electronic musical instruments, will join J&R Music and Computer World in hosting the V-Piano Grand World Premiere, a gala event to be held on Thursday, March 31st, at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30pm. This event will be the first time the New York City arts community will be introduced to V-Piano Grand, a ...
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Performance / Tour

Rockport Music Presents Jazz Pianist David Benoit Performing a Charlie Brown Christmas on December 14

Source: MassJazz: Jazz in Massachusetts
December 14, 2010

Innovative jazz pianist David Benoit and his trio are performing the music to A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts on Tuesday, December 14, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $25.00 to $46.00 and can be purchased online or by calling 978 546-7391. A pioneer of the smooth jazz genre, Benoit has long been passionate about the music of Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi and has made numerous recordings related to Peanuts. ...
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Performance / Tour

Asia America Symphony Association Announces 2010 Season

Source: Michael Ricci
January 20, 2010

The Asia America Symphony Association led by Music Director & Conductor, David Benoit announces its 2010 Concert Season, featuring a line-up of world renowned and celebrated artists. Heading up the concert series on Saturday, February 20 is the nation's most sought after cellist, Ben Hong presenting a diverse program of “Classical and Jazz" with the David Benoit Trio and musicians of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra followed by one of the major voices in today's chamber jazz scene, Er-hu and ...
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Performance / Tour

Beethoven Billy Bragg Ninth Concert, August 29th to Feature Dwight Trible, Asia America Youth Orchestra Under the Baton of David Benoit

Source: Teresa Conboy PR
August 4, 2009

The North American premiere of Billy Bragg's version of Ode to Joy, the choral finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony will take place Saturday, August 29th at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, 7:00 10:00 p.m. The Asia America Youth Orchestra will perform the piece under the baton and musical direction of David Benoit. At the concert Bragg will perform and lead the audience in a sing-along of the choral.

In keeping with The Ninths spirit of international connection the concert ...
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Performance / Tour

David Benoit: All That Jazz and More

Source: Michael Ricci
May 24, 2009

He combines his musical and personal interests as the music director of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra. It was not the kind of thing that happened to him very often -- at least not back then.

Three decades ago, David Benoit was a Los Angeles jazz pianist in his 20s, with two albums on a small label. He played birthdays, bar mitzvahs and small nightclubs as he struggled to make a living.

But when he was invited to the Philippines ...
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Recording

David Benoit - Heroes Released This Week on Peak Records

Source: On Target Media Group
May 30, 2008

The new release from contemporary jazz pianist and five-time Grammy nominee David Benoit, Heroes hit stores this week on Peak Records (Concord Music Group).

Heroes, is an 11-track tribute to David Benoit's life-long musical influences from a wide and unexpected variety of artists, including tracks such as Jazz piano legend Dave Grusin's “Mountain Dance" (streaming link below) and even The Doors' classic “Light My Fire".

“The process of choosing the songs, arranging them and recording the music on Heroes, gave ...
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133

Recording

GRP Records To Release David Benoit’s Fuzzy Logic

Source: All About Jazz

132

Music Industry

DAVID BENOIT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CAPITOL FOURTH

Source: All About Jazz

Pianist/composer brings musical celebration of Charles Schulz to Washington, DC.

GRP recording artist David Benoit will participate in A Capitol Fourth on Tuesday, July 4th, 2000. The annual event, which takes place on the West Lawn of the U. S. Capitol building, will be broadcast live on the local PBS affiliate in DC, and will be fed live to the national PBS network, the Armed Forces Radio and TV network, and National Public Radio.

Hosted by Barry Bostwick, A Capitol ...
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