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| 4.161 Ft
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| 1. | Mountain Dance
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| 2. | Human Nature
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| 3. | Your Song
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| 4. | Light My Fire
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| 5. | Never Can Say Goodbye
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| 6. | She's Leaving Home
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| 7. | Song for My Father
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| 8. | You Look Good to Me
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| 9. | Waltz for Debbie
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| 10. | A Twisted Little Etude
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| 11. | Blue Rondo &
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Jazz
David Benoit - Arranger, Conductor, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer
Andy Suzuki - Guest Appearance, Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
Brad Dutz - Percussion
Cathy Biagini - Cello
David "Sparky" Hughes - Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
John Wang - Viola
Yun Tang - Concert Master, Violin
On Heroes, his latest Peak Records release, five-time Grammy nominated pianist/composer arranger and producer David Benoit celebrates 30-plus years as a recording artist by putting fresh, exuberant spins on classic songs by legendary pop, rock and jazz artists whose brilliance inspired his own.
While paying homage to jazz piano icons Dave Grusin, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver and Dave Brubeck, on Heroes he also lets those fans in on an exciting little secret--he's an unabashed lover of pop and rock music who was equally influenced by The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson and The Doors. Benoit's re-imaginings of ten instantly recognizable hits by this array of artists paint a vivid portrait of the artist's own unique multi-faceted artistry.
Focusing more on intimacy, on Heroes, Benoit rediscovers his roots with a self-produced collection that features his Steinway piano surrounded by the engaging ensemble work of his regular touring band: acoustic and electric bassist David Hughes, drummer Jamey Tate, percussionist Brad Dutz and special guest saxophonist Andy Suzuki. The only other instrumentation is a string quartet featuring members of the Asia American Symphony-which Benoit has conducted for the past seven years-on a lush and poignant, classical flavored take on "She's Leaving Home." The pianist has long credited The Beatles 1967 landmark Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-which included that track--as an album that changed his life.
"The process of choosing the songs, arranging them and recording the music on Heroes," Benoit says, "gave me a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to artists like these who engaged my musical sensibilities throughout the years. The tracks chart the course from my childhood growing up in L.A.'s South Bay through my first professional gigs and even into my career as a jazz artist. I've done so much work over the years as an arranger, composer and conductor that it was nice to get back to my real bread and butter and make a true piano record.
"These songs are really a part of me and such a joy to play," he adds. "Being in the studio working with longtime friends was a very comfortable situation. I've covered Brubeck and Evans before, and 'Blue Rondo A La Turk' is as much a staple of my live show now as 'Linus and Lucy' once was. Oscar and Horace touched most pianists from my generation, and I'm a huge fan of Dave Grusin and was signed to his GRP label for many years. Beyond that, some of my other choices may surprise people, and that's exciting to think about. Listening back to some of these gave us goose bumps, and I want listeners to share in that excitement and magic that we felt in the studio. One of my favorite Peanuts strips has Charlie Brown walking into Schroeder's living room as Schroeder is listening to the stereo in a huge overcoat. Charlie Brown asks, 'Schroeder, why do you have an overcoat on? His reply: "Because I get chills listening to Beethoven. That's the power of music."
Listening to Heroes is like taking a whimsical stroll through key consciousness shifting changing moments in Benoit's life. He considers Grusin's "Mountain Dance" one of contemporary jazz's finest compositions, and breaks from the traditional melody at one point for some lively improvisation with his core trio. Heroes' first single is "Human Nature," the hypnotic John Bettis-Steve Porcaro tune that was part of the historic Quincy Jones produced Thriller album and later covered by Miles Davis. Benoit's been an Elton John fan since his senior year in high school, and in recent years has come to appreciate John's talents as a pianist as well as an artist. On his recording of "Your Song," Benoit adds a jazz touch that captures the beautiful timelessness of the song's melody. As one of the first rock bands to incorporate rich keyboard textures into their music, The Doors captured the teenage Benoit immediately; he learned "Light My Fire" when he was 15, and his haunting and hypnotic arrangement does Ray Manzarek proud.
For "Never Can Say Goodbye," which he remembers playing on the Fender Rhodes at one of his first paid gigs when he was 17, Benoit creates a percussive Ramsey Lewis styled arrangement. After "She's Leaving Home," which gives listeners a glimpse into Benoit's other thriving career as a classical composer/conductor, he digs into the powerful traditional jazz influence of Horace Silver (on a coolly swinging, bass-driven take on "Song For My Father") and Oscar Peterson's "You Look Good To Me."
A lighthearted revisit of Bill Evans' "Waltz For Debby" keeps alive the tradition Benoit started when he recorded the song on 1985's This Side Up; he paid full homage to his hero on 1992's Letter To Evan. Before closing with a percussive piano/sax jam through Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk," Benoit spices Heroes with the album's one original composition, "A Twisted Little Etude," that draws directly from Brubeck's inimitable style.
Since launching his recording career in 1977, David Benoit's expansive career as a contemporary jazz pianist has included over 25 solo recordings. His 80s releases This Side Up, Freedom at Midnight and the Grammy nominated Every Step of the Way are considered influential genre classics. Among his other Grammy nominations are those for Best Instrumental Composition (for "Dad's Room," from 1999's Professional Dreamer) and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance (for the GRP All-Star Big Band).
Breaking through to instrumental stardom with his inimitable jazz-funk version of "Linus and Lucy," (from the 1989 CD Happy Anniversary Charlie Brown), Benoit has regaled hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide with frequent tributes to Vince Guaraldi and the music of Peanuts. This long association with Charles Schulz and the famed Peanuts realm led to over ten years of composing music for Peanuts TV specials on CBS and two chart topping CDs, Here's To You, Charlie Brown: Fifty Great Years" and most recently the all-star tribute 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas. Concurrent with his burgeoning career as a conductor, he recorded 1996's American Landscape with The London Symphony Orchestra and 2005's Orchestral Stories with members of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Orchestral Stories featured his first piano concerto "The Centaur and the Sphinx" and his acclaimed symphonic piece "Kobe," both of which he has performed in live settings across the country. Benoit came Full Circle on his 2006 release which spawned "Beat Street," his #1 Radio & Records single that stayed on the chart for an entire year.
His ever expanding slate of orchestral music endeavors include the conducting of such eminent orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphonies of London, Nuremberg, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Jose. In addition to his ongoing role as conductor of the Asia American symphony, in 2007 he created and performed for the Laguna Beach Arts Festival "Suite For Two Trios" with three female Korean classical musicians; while they played piano, cello and violin, Benoit's ensemble played electric jazz piano-driven material on the other side of the stage. Plans for 2008 include the debut of his new orchestral work "Dolores Del Carmen" with famed Spanish classical guitarist Sir Angel Romero and conducting Beethoven's sixth symphony at the Japan America Theatre. He will also be performing a two piano version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at the Norris Theatre in Palos Verdes, California with classical pianist John Nakamatsu.
Benoit's notable film scores include The Stars Fell on Henrietta, produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Robert Duvall; and The Christmas Tree, produced by Sally Field, voted Best Score of 1996 by Film Score Magazine... Benoit has also been a longtime guest educator with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, winning the organization's "excellence in music education" award in 2001.
"I've had the opportunity to engage in so many unique endeavors in a multitude of styles throughout my musical life," says Benoit, "and Heroes was a chance for me to step back for a moment and remember the artists who lit the fire, so to speak. Even after all these years, I'm still bursting with ideas for upcoming recordings, including everything from a solo piano and symphony works to a Broadway show tunes collection. As far as contemporary jazz goes, Heroes was a cool bridge to the future for me. Next up, I'm going to delve into the world of Nu-jazz, acid jazz and that whole Euro chill vibe. There's always so much out there to keep the creative energy flowing."
* Andi Howard - Executive Producer
* Chris Bellman - Mastering
* Clark Germain - Engineer, Mixing
* Darryl Tanikawa - Contractor
* Mark Wexler - Executive Producer
* Rob Montez - Assistant Engineer
* Ron Moss - Executive Producer
* Sonny Mediana - Design, Photography
* Valerie Ince - Label Coordination
* Yvonne Wish - Project Coordinator
Contemporary jazz pianist and composer David Benoit has chosen to forgo many of the tropes and methods of working he's employed for the past 30 years on Heroes. Simply put, this is a tribute record to a select group of musicians who have inspired him and shown him a way forward. Before getting to the music, it's worth noting that in his brief liner essay, Benoit spells out that this is by no means a complete list, and points to those he left off for justifiable reasons, which is a nice touch. The music he has chosen stays well within the parameters of contemporary jazz, but lends a deeper focus to Benoit's approach in general. How many recordings are there where you will see tunes by the Doors placed next to those by Clifton Davis, Horace Silver, Dave Brubeck, Dave Grusin, pianist Bill Evans, the Beatles, and the teams of John Bettis and Steve Porcaro, as well as Elton John and Bernie Taupin? Benoit offers a single sentence of explication as to why he chose certain cuts here, and all of them ring true -- especially once he plays them.
The band is stripped down a bit here. Benoit plays piano and synth, David Hughes plays acoustic and electric bass, Jamey Tate plays drums, and Brad Dutz lends an additional hand on percussion. Andy Suzuki contributes his alto and tenor saxophones in a couple of places and, for the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," members of the Asia America Symphony's string section help out. The basic trio/quartet size works wonderfully for most of these tunes, and Benoit isn't looking to displace his audience here. The recording opens with the pop-jazz area of Grusin's musical background with the wonderfully articulate "Mountain Dance," followed by the Bettis-Porcaro classic "Human Nature": tracks that exemplify the contemporary jazz genre. The former is played straight on an acoustic piano, and the latter is on piano and synth. They are effective, emotional, and deeply resonant readings of these tunes. From here he delves into the popular vernacular. Elton John's "Your Song" swings a bit but doesn't quite make the transition from pop to jazz. The arrangement feels a little stilted, but it's enjoyable. "Light My Fire" does make the transition, and in spades. The understated, nuanced attention Benoit pays to the melody; his left hand adding a shimmering Latin rhythm, underscored with authority by Dutz's hand percussion, adds depth and presence. It's also hip that Benoit quotes from other Doors' tunes in the solo. It's hard to mess up a tune like "Never Can Say Goodbye," and the lithe, elegant pianism Benoit displays retains the soul and the romance while allowing a graceful and shadowy harmonic palette that brings the softer notions in the lyric line out. Here again, hand drums add some weight to the bottom and keep a light funky edge.
"She's Leaving Home," is certainly lush, but it too suffers a bit from an overly taut arrangement. The last five tunes -- including one original -- are from the jazz book, beginning with the standard "Song for My Father." Benoit claims this was the first jazz tune he ever learned by ear. It's played funky and tight, and its groove is in the pocket. The crystalline piano is a bit jarring, but the execution and feel are flawless. The standard "You Looks So Good to Me" is included as a tribute to Oscar Peterson. It holds little of his fire, and feels like an elegy, but it's an interesting reading and swings once it gets going. The longest tune here is Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debbie." Benoit is well-suited to the knotty melodic elements in Evans' composing style, but doesn't make the same harmonic reaches. Instead, he chooses an almost classical approach in the intro to the tune, but somehow it works beautifully, so when it breaks into the main body, Benoit's got his groove and it pops. "A Twisted Little Etude" was self-penned as a tribute to Brubeck, though it uses the gnarly chord voicings and dense harmonics of the object as a way of saying "thanks." The final cut is, of course, "Blue Rondo à la Turk," by Brubeck. It's very fast, and Suzuki's edgy alto feels out of place -- not because he doesn't have the blues down, but because his sound is too raw to suit the arrangement properly -- especially when recalls Paul Desmond's dry, warm playing on the original. These are small complaints, however, and Benoit has made a record that is close to his heart and is a welcome addition to his catalog: it's a musically sophisticated offering that is a real pleasure to listen to.
---Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
David Benoit
Active Decades: '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: 1953 in Bakersfield, CA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Jazz-Pop, Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Smooth Jazz
One of the more popular performers in the idiom somewhat inaccurately called "contemporary jazz," David Benoit has mostly performed light melodic background music, what critic Alex Henderson has dubbed "new age with a beat." Benoit has done a few fine jazz projects (including a tribute to Bill Evans and a collaboration with Emily Remler) but most of his output for GRP has been aimed clearly at the charts. He studied composition and piano at El Camino College and, in 1975, played on the soundtrack of the film Nashville. After recording with Alphonse Mouzon and accompanying singer Gloria Lynne, he was signed to the AVI label when he was 24, recording sets that paved the way toward his later output. In 1986, Benoit signed as a solo artist for GRP, a relationship that would last until 2003. Albums like 1989's Waiting for Spring and 1999's Professional Dreamer showcase his smooth, lyrical style, while projects like his 2000 tribute to Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts scores, Here's to You, Charlie Brown!: 50 Great Years!, demonstrate where his own tastes lie. A decade after their first joint venture, Benoit and Russ Freeman collaborated on Benoit/Freeman Project 2, released by the Concord-associated label Peak in 2004. For 2005's Orchestral Works he was joined by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and members of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra. Since then he has released two studio albums including Full Circle released in 2006 and Standards, which appeared later that same year.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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