The Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, and arranger David Benoit has reigned supreme as one of the founding fathers of contemporary jazz. Benoit was born in Bakersfield, CA, and grew up in Los Angeles. He was bitten by the jazz bug after watching a Charlie Brown special on TV and listening to the music of Vince Guaraldi in 1965.
“I was already a fan of the comic strip,” Benoit says, “but when I heard that jazz piano trio, that was the defining moment when I decided that I wanted to play like Vince Guaraldi.”

David has had multiple tracks at the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts, received three Grammy nominations in Best Contemporary Jazz Performances, Best Large Ensemble Performance, and Best Instrumental Composition. He went on to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards and score many movies.