After performing for online events exclusively through most of 2020 and all of this year, jazz pianist David Benoit is looking forward to playing in a concert hall with people in the seats.
So are fans of the smooth jazz genre, many of whom have traveled to Reading to catch his and other shows during the two-week Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, which concludes Sunday.
Benoit was supposed to perform at the Miller Center for the Arts back in March 2020 with singer Lindsey Webster as part of the 30th anniversary of the festival. But the Jazz Fest was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which only makes Benoit more excited to come back to Reading, where he’s performed a number of times in pairings.
Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Miller Center, he’ll once again wow the audience with his keyboard dexterity with the charismatic Webster delivering some soulful vocals.
First time live
It’ll be the first time Benoit and his trio have played live with Webster, who appeared along with other musicians on his 2019 album, “David Benoit and Friends.”
In a phone interview, Benoit said he missed the festival and all that it provides: a chance to connect with friends around the bar, make new friends and see a few shows himself.
“I’ve done a lot of online events,” Benoit said. “Still, it’s weird to perform something and not have any feedback afterwards. This is very special to me. I do miss it terribly, that communication with the audience.
“I’ll be really looking forward to coming to Reading again and playing with Lindsey Webster.”
Webster’s rich sound and four-octave range has drawn praise from music industry powerhouses such as Sting, Jay Collins and Michael Bolton.
Her “Fool Me Once” topped Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Songs, the first vocals-driven single at No. 1 since Sade’s “Soldier of Love” in 2010.
Jazz singer Lindsey Webster will provide vocals to pianist David Benoit’s melodies during Sunday’s performance in the Miller Center for the Arts in Reading.
Stage presence
Besides her obvious talent, Webster brings a genuine, accessible stage presence.
“I think she brings some freshness to the genre,” Benoit said. “She has an R&B background, but she’s also a really skilled jazz singer. Very versatile.”
As is Benoit.
Widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of contemporary jazz, he amazes audiences with the speed at which he moves up and and down the octaves without missing a note.
“He has a very diverse background,” said John Ernesto, Berks Jazz Fest general manager. “He moves through classical music, classical jazz, contemporary jazz. He’s a great player.”
Benoit has sold more than 2 million albums over three decades and been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He has 22 No. 1 smooth jazz radio hits and is beloved worldwide.
His last album, “David Benoit and Friends,” features Allentown native Rick Braun (trumpet) and several other Berks Jazz Fest mainstays, Dave Koz (alto sax) and Peter White (acoustic guitar), along with Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar) Tim Weisberg (flute) Vincent Ingala (soprano sax) and Webster.
You’ve probably heard Benoit’s music without realizing it. His playing can be heard during the Weather Channel’s “Local on the 8s” segments. His version of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” by the late jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi is included on the 2008 album “The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.”
Scored for “Peanuts”
Benoit has scored the music for the later animated adaptations of the “Peanuts” comic strip.
Guaraldi, who inspired a young Benoit, composed the music for the early television adaptations of the “Peanuts” comic strip, including its signature melody, “Linus and Lucy,” and the holiday standard, “Christmas Time Is Here.”
“I love the music of Charlie Brown,” Benoit said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing that music, but what really got that going was when I got hired to write the new music for the TV shows. That’s what really catapulted me into the world of Charlie Brown.”
Benoit said he’s also looking forward to the return of his “Charlie Brown Christmas” show, which features a children’s choir, which will be coming to Reading in December as a Berks Jazz Fest special event.
This year’s show will introduce a talented young girl, Courtney Fortune, who adds a “charming voice,” he said.
“It’s a show I also haven’t done in the last two years,” he said. “We always have a lot of fun with that show. It’s really a fine tribute to Vince.”
Ernesto said the Miller Center pairing of Benoit and Webster for an afternoon of contemporary jazz couldn’t set up this evening’s festival finale (“which should be a party”) any better.
“The Miller Center, with the 9-foot Steinway, is a perfect venue for it,” he said. “Acoustically, that’s a match made in heaven for David.”
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August 23, 2021 at 09:45PM
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Pianist David Benoit and friends will smooth the way to Berks Jazz Fest finale - Reading Eagle
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