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| David Benoit’s Earthglow Scheduled For April 20 Release "Earthglow is a transcendent musical experience that breaks new ground in contemporary jazz." --Jonathan Widran, Jazziz, Wine and Jazz. Since launching his recording career in 1977, David Benoit, a pioneering force and contemporary jazz's most accomplished pianist/composer, has recorded over 25 solo albums, for which he has received five GRAMMY nominations. As the musical heir to original Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi, his prolific repertoire includes several prominent Charlie Brown related projects, and his expanding slate of orchestral music endeavors includes his ongoing role as conductor of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and leading eminent orchestras throughout the world. For his latest recording, Benoit headed to the mountains near Saratoga to become an artist in residence at Villa Montalvo. Finding peaceful solitude and discovering fresh inspiration, the veteran composer and pianist wrote "Botswana Bossa Nova" and "Will's Chill, " two unique pieces unlike any he had done before. These became the foundation for the overall global music concept behind his stirring and provocative new CD EARTHGLOW, his first set of original material in four years to be released on April 20, 2010 on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. On EARTHGLOW Benoit takes the bold step of writing good old fashioned liner notes to explain the way the eclectic 11-track collection developed. After mentioning that Will.i.am from pop group Black Eyed Peas was an influence on "Will's Chill, " the multi-talented performer says, "I was interested in experimenting with some of the new 'jazz-lounge-Euro-chill' music I was hearing at upscale boutique hotels and chic Japanese sake bars." Benoit was tapped by other muses during an engagement in Tokyo where he composed "Brownie's Gone" and the coolly percussive title track "Earthglow." When he returned to his home Palos Verdes, CA, Benoit wrote the gently rolling, gospel flavored "Easy Day" and the darker toned trio ballad "Downtime, " whose easy swinging waltz rhythm skips a beat every so often. The closing track "Freedom At Midnight (The Schroeder Variations)" is a unique mix of Benoit's classic 1987 radio hit and a stirring take on Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata, " as if Schroeder from Peanuts was playing it. Benoit credits Clark Germain, his longtime engineer and co-producer on EARTHGLOW, with reining in his off the beaten path impulses and blending them with the identifiable sound that mark his repertoire of over 30 recordings since the late '70s." And, while many instrumental artists slap easy, throwaway titles on their projects, with EARTHGLOW, Benoit put a lot of effort into finding the perfect title that would convey his musical and cultural intentions: "The task of finding a title to best represent the music contained herein was challenging at best. I went back and reviewed all the song titles and "Earthglow" jumped out at me. I believe it was the best word to illustrate the spirit of the project." write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |