David Benoit

Tracking the creation of his latest album, the composer circles back to the basics with his A-list peers

By Ken Capobianco

With an impressive four-decade resume spanning multiple musical genres, pianist, composer and conductor David Benoit could have gone in any direction with his 36th album as a leader, David Benoit and Friends. The jazz virtuoso ultimately decided to bring his career full circle and follow the approach and sound that marked his early records of the late 1970s and early ’80s.

The much-lauded smooth jazz star has made an intimate, highly melodic and musically diverse album with some of his longtime peers, including Dave Koz, Rick Braun and Peter White, along with a few younger musicians like vocalist Lindsey Webster and saxophonist Vincent Ingala. “There are so many genres I live in, so I knew this album could be a classical symphonic record, a straight-ahead jazz trio one, or a very slickly produced smooth jazz record, but I thought the best thing to do at this point in my career was to go back to basics, and where I started,” said Benoit via phone while savoring an early morning cup of coffee in his home in Palos Verdes, California, where he lives with his wife, Kei. “I went back to an old formula I used for years, which is hiring the best players, doing everything live in the studio and writing my songs and finding a few cover tunes that I love and would fit. Just an old-fashioned David Benoit record without slick production. We didn’t do anything classical or straight-ahead jazz. We did what I think I do best: melodic melodies and great songs.”

Benoit has made many friends over the course of his long, internationally successful career, so finding suitable collaborators for the 11-song effort, which includes a new interpretation of “96132” from his very first record, Heavier Than Yesterday, was not very difficult. He set a wide net and reeled in new blood to bring fresh sounds and visions. “We first had the songs that we laid down with bass, drums, piano and guitar, and then asked, ‘OK, who would be good for this track?’” the amiable and talkative musician explained. “Of course, I had my stalwart friends like Dave, Rick and Peter––those are my comrades. We grew up in this business together and toured together for so many years. They were so great when asked. They were like, ‘I’ll be there.’ “And then there were the artists I hadn’t worked with, like Vincent and Lindsey, who did a fantastic job.” He enlisted his manager, and longtime music industry veteran, Bud Harner, to produce. “I’ve known Bud for 35 years. He and I used to play in bands together when he was playing drums, so we have a long history. He understands smooth jazz and contemporary jazz very well,” Benoit said. “He knows me and all the different genres I’ve explored. It was great working together because he gently guided me in certain directions and suggested different covers. He steered the ship in a nice way without being intrusive and saying, ‘This is the way it’s got to be.’ He got the best out of me.” The warm album leans on Benoit’s strengths—a delightful ear for melodies and remarkably strong compositional skills––while exploring different musical styles, including blues, bossa nova, swing, funk and upbeat foot-to-the-floor smooth jazz. It also includes two inventive arrangements of Coldplay’s popular “Viva La Vida” and the Grammy-winning pop hit “Feel It Still” from Portugal. The Man. It opens with “Ballad of Jane Hawk,” a graceful homage to best-selling writer Dean Koontz, with Peter White on guitar. Benoit explained that he is a big fan of Koontz’s suspense thrillers, and wrote a fan letter to him. To the pianist’s surprise, the creator of the steel-nerved FBI agent, Jane Hawk, responded. “We started writing to each other,” Benoit said. “I found out he was a fan of mine. My wife and I got an invitation to spend time with him and his wife at his 40,000-square-foot home in Newport Beach. It’s on Pelican Hill—just beautiful—and we became quick friends. He sent me his books, and he always liked ‘Kei’s Song.’ He said he would include it in one of his books, and, sure enough, he did in one of the Jane Hawk novels. I felt like reciprocity would be to write a song about Jane Hawk, which I co-wrote with another old friend, Russ Freeman of The Rippingtons. I wanted him to play on it, but he was on tour with the Rips. I was happy to write together again, though.”

For his reinvention of “Feel It Still,” Benoit had to figure out a way to approach the song that would make sense for his oeuvre and fit in the album. “That was recommended by Bud. I’d never heard it, and then realized you can hear it everywhere,” the pianist laughed. “When he first sent it to me, I thought, ‘No, there’s nothing I can do with this.’ Then I listened again and thought, ‘You know, if I take it in the kind of Ramsey Lewis direction, it would work.’ Ramsey was “I never went to music school, and did it the old-fashioned way–I went on the road and learned the ropes.” Photo: Bobby Quillard one of my heroes. He was the original smooth jazz artist. That was happy, feel-good music with people participating and an R&B vibe to it. And the other major component of what I do, and why Ramsey is such a big influence, is you have to have a groove. You have to have that backbeat. That’s a foundation of smooth jazz because the groove is so important.” Benoit will bring the music from the album along with his deep songbook to the 30th Annual Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest in April. He has fond memories of the festival, and is looking forward to playing this year. “I really like John Ernesto,” said Benoit about the festival’s general manager. “He has done so much for the community. One of my favorite memories was conducting the pop symphony they have there. I conducted from the piano that time. It was so much fun. I do all my own orchestrations and conduct. Usually, they have an arranger and conductor, but I love doing all of it. “Last time I played Berks was with Marc Antoine, and we had a blast. Marc is very musical and melodic like I am. We share that same passion for intimacy and melody. The other special thing about the fest is the hang––all the cats are hanging out, and you have a big jam session. It’s tremendous fun to see the community.” While he may be best known as one of the pre-eminent jazz pianists, Benoit is also a world-class conductor who has worked with an array of symphonies, including The London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The seasoned

continued from page 21 veteran of film scoring has conducted the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Vision Youth Symphony for many years. The Southern California native, who spent his formative years in Hermosa Beach (Hermosa Beach Party Central), said his passion for conducting was developed early in his career. “I was an accompanist for vocalists way before I did my own thing. I got my conducting chops as a musical director for someone like Lainie Kazan, so I had to learn how to conduct an orchestra,” he maintained. “I never went to music school, and did it the old-fashioned way— I went on the road and learned the ropes. I was always interested in conducting, and when I started scoring films in Hollywood, I took it more seriously and studied conducting with the head of the UCLA conducting department. I always conducted my own scores, and fell into this situation with a local orchestra, the Asia America Orchestra. They wanted to build up the youth program, so I formed the Youth Orchestra over time. We had two orchestras going at once. We couldn’t fund the Asia America Orchestra anymore, and I kept the Youth Orchestra. This is the first year that I took a step back and asked the assistant conductor to run it.” Benoit was turned on to jazz at a very young age when he first heard the music of Vincent Guaraldi on a “Peanuts” music special, but he said he didn’t try to influence his daughter, June, to follow his career path when she was growing up. To his surprise, she showed an early interest in the violin. “My wife got very excited about that, and I was excited, too, because I know the violin is such a tough instrument and so classical. I figured if she learns the violin, I can learn with her. As a conductor, it’s great to learn bowings and how the violin works. I saw it as an opportunity for us both, so we pushed her and then, yes, there was that moment in junior high where she just opted out and said ‘no, this isn’t for me.’ We had to listen to her. “Not everyone is cut out to be a musician, but she wants to have a career in the music business. She loves music and maybe wants to be a music attorney or a supervisor. She’s at the University of the Pacific in Stockton studying the music business. My bottom line for her was always her happiness. She has to be the happiest, most well-adjusted kid, so I must have done something right.” As someone who has spent his entire career in the jazz scene, Benoit has a unique perspective of the evolution of the genre. As the host of a morning radio show on the contemporary jazz station KJAZZ 88.1 (KKJZ) in Long Beach, California, he’s also especially plugged into new music from emerging artists. “Jazz means so many different things now. The straight-ahead community with the Joey Alexanders seems to be all about prestige, Grammy Awards and prestigious jazz festivals. Dare I say it’s a little bit arrogant and snobbish,” he ruminated. “That’s what I feel, even though I shouldn’t come out and say it like this. “But that small community is not the music of the masses and hasn’t been for years. You have that elite community and the smooth jazz, which is party music. You have Brian Culbertson’s Jazz Getaway, and Rick Braun and Dave Koz have their cruises. Smooth jazz is about environment and having fun. “You have these two polar opposites. So, where’s the middle ground? Maybe Michael Franks. Someone who just comes out, sings his songs, and people love him. And then there’s still the icons of jazz––Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter––the ones who are in their own universe. I think it’s definitely a fascinating time for jazz fans.” For more information on Benoit, visit benoit.com.

Photo: Lor i Sto ll

ON TOUR

APRIL 5 30th Annual Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest

Miller Center for the Arts Reading, Pennsylvania www.berksjazzfest.com

MAY 11 Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival

Protur Biomar Gran Hotel & Spa Sa Coma, Mallorca, Spain www.mallorca.smoothjazzfestival.de 49-821-2292711

Sept. 10 and 12 Brian Culbertson’s Chicago Jazz Getaway Hotel Fairmont Chicago-Millennium Park Chicago, Illinois www.chicagojazzgetaway.com