David Benoit, (May 9, 1953 - ) is a jazz fusion pianist, composer and producer, representative of the West Coast L.A. style of fusion. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Bitches Brew (1970) by Miles Davis is considered the most influential early fusion album Jazz fusion (sometimes referred to simply as fusion) is a musical genre that loosely encompasses the merging of jazz with other styles, particularly rock, funk, R&B, and world music. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

Out of respect for one of his idols, Bill Evans, he dedicated his 1992 album, "Letter to Evan" to him. William John Evans, (better known as Bill Evans) (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century; he remains one of the major influences on post-1950s jazz piano. ...

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. Charlie Brown is the principal character of the Peanuts comic strip. ... Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip. ... Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1985 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. ... Chris Botti (born October 12, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. ...

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". The Rippingtons are a modern Fusion jazz group that are often considered Smooth jazz. ... For the pianist see Russ Freeman (pianist) Russell Donald Freeman is a jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader born in Nashville, Tennessee on February 11, 1960. ...

Discography

Notes are original released years.

References

Much of this article comes from the equivalent Japanese-language article (accessed on April 8, 2006).

External Links

• Benoit.com
• Complete Discography (including sideworks)