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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

David Benoit Releases Peanuts Retrospective

Since breaking through to instrumental stardom in the mid-80s with his inimitable jazz-funk version of “Linus and Lucy,” David Benoit has regaled hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide with frequent tributes to Vince Guaraldi and the music of Peanuts.

His ongoing passion culminates with Jazz For Peanuts – A Retrospective of the Charlie Brown Television Themes, a celebration of Guaraldi’s impact on several generations of jazz musicians featuring six dynamic new tracks, three composed by Benoit and three by Guaraldi.

Complementing these fresh cuts are Guaraldi’s original classic recording of “Linus And Lucy” and themes by Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck and Dave Grusin (performed by Kenny G), that appeared on the This Is America, Charlie Brown series of TV specials that aired in the late 80s.

“My original concept was more than just the latest David Benoit Peanuts album, but a spirited retrospective of some of the top TV themes from throughout the strip’s history,” states Benoit. “I went through 25 videos of television specials to find what I felt were the most compelling.”

“It’s really about the legacy Vince left us all. He was a tremendous bebop player, but these Charlie Brown specials were not just another gig for him. He believed in these projects and loved and wrote music for children and children’s choirs extensively. He found a way to capture a childlike spirit in his music, and while none of us can match his brilliance, we’ve all done our parts to keep his spirit alive through music and recording projects like this.”

In conjunction with the release of Jazz For Peanuts – A Retrospective of the Charlie Brown Television Themes, the pianist is keeping another great tradition alive with his annual holiday tour A Charlie Brown Christmas with the David Benoit Quartet. In addition to his, Benoit will be performing with various children’s choirs and selected dates with local orchestras, including the Asia America Youth Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Redding Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The 13-date tour runs from runs from November 21st through December 23rd.

For more information on the album which was released on October 28th, you can visit concordmusicgroup.com. For more information on David Benoit you can visit benoit.com.

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