David Benoit 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. ‘When I heard that jazz piano trio, that was the defining moment when I decided that I wanted to play like Vince Guaraldi’, says the pianist, composer and arranger. Aged thirteen, he began studying piano and later he also studied music theory, composition, orchestration and film scoring with several designated masters. Since then, he’s worked with an impressive potpourri of musicians including the Rippingtons, Dave Koz, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, CeCe Winans and Brian McKnight. David released his first album in 1977, followed by many other chart toppers. Apart from playing his own music, David has served as conductor with a wide range of symphonies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. And currently, David hosts a morning radio show on KKJZ 88.1 FM in California. Overall, he has received three Grammy nominations and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards in 2010.