David Benoit Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Educator, Radio Personality
GRAMMY®-nominated pianist/composer/ arranger David Benoit has reigned supreme as one the founding fathers of contemporary jazz for over four decades. He has worked with Patti Austin, Connie Stevens, Ann-Margaret, and Lainie Kazan as her musical director/conductor. He has also worked with an impressive potpourri of musicians including the Rippingtons, Emily Remler, the late Alphonse Mouzon, Dave Koz, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, CeCe Winans, Keiko Matsui, Hiroshima, and Brian McKnight.
Benoit has received three GRAMMY® nominations in the categories of Best Contemporary Jazz Performance for “Every Step of the Way” (1989), Best Large Ensemble Performance for GRP All-Star Big Band (1996), and Best Instrumental Composition for “Dad’s Room,” the latter from the album Professional Dreamer (2000) and in 2010, David Benoit received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards.
David’s career as a contemporary jazz pianist began in 1977 and includes 40 solo recordings over the past 40 years. Benoit has also 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 association with Charles Schulz and the famed Peanuts realm led to over 10 years composing music for the Peanuts TV special on CBS. David completed his first Broadway musical, Something’s Got To Give about the life and times of Marilyn Monroe. Benoit has served as conductor with a wide range of symphonies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, London Symphony, Nuremberg Symphony, Philippine Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, New World Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony “Pops” Orchestra and of course, the Asia America Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. David Benoit currently hosts a morning radio show on KKJZ 88.1 FM, CA, and continually tours & records, is composer in residence at Montalvo Arts, the Music Director a & Conductor for the Asia America Symphony Association.
