David Benoit Biography

David Benoit, (born May 9, 1953) is an American jazz fusion / contemporary jazz pianist, composer and producer, who is from Los Angeles, California. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.

Out of respect for one of his main influencers, Bill Evans, he dedicated his 1992 album, "Letter to Evan" to him.

Many of his songs employed a string section, most notably on his "American Landscape" and "Orchestral Stories" albums in 1997 and 2005, respectively. He has said that it is his dream to release a symphonic album.

In 2000, after the death of Peanuts 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 Mark Antoine and trumpeter Chris Botti.

He is a close friend of The Rippingtons' guitarist and lead Russ Freeman, and they often appeared on each other's albums. They also released collaborative efforts "The Benoit/Freeman Project" and "The Benoit/Freeman Project 2".

For more information on Benoit, go to www.benoit.com.