Pianist/composer/producer David Benoit seems to be able to master any genre of music be it Jazz, Classical, Pop, Latin, World or musical scores for film and television. On his latest inspired offering titled Conversation, Benoit has a lot to say as he performs with an exciting cadre of musicians who hail from a broad spectrum of musical styles and backgrounds.
In addition to his stellar performances on “Napa Crossroads Overture” (which he co-wrote with David Pack) and “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” (from the movie of the same name), he shares his amazing versatility on 7 of his original compositions. Several guest artists including the Asia-America Youth Orchestra, electric guitarist Jeff Golub, acoustic guitarist Pat Kelley, guitarist David Pack, flutist Tim Weisberg, and classical pianist Robert Theis make valuable contributions to David’s musical repertoire and keep you interested.
Among the great highlights – and there are many – is Benoit’s beautiful “Kei’s Song Redux” after the song called “Kei’s Song.” He wrote the original not long after he and Kei were married and the update features some great solo guitar work from Pat Kelley as well as his own great pianism. This is an amazing track. “Q’s Motif” is based on a boogie woogie motif written by Quincy Jones. Here Benoit plays synthesizer and gives his fans another side of his musical personality. The title track closes the program.
This composition is the third and last movement in a suite titled Music for Two Trios and features a classical trio comprised of pianist Robert Theis, violinist Yun Tang, and cellist Cathy Biagini. This awesome work also features great soloing from Jeff Golub and David Benoit. Overall, Conversation is among David Benoit’s greatest performances.
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