David Benoit: Jazz for Peanuts

The symbiotic relationship between pianist David Benoit and Peanuts has been a blessing for fans of both the animated series and jazz. It began in the mid-1980s with Benoit's popular cover of Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy," the ever-present theme in the Charlie Brown cartoons. Since then, the pianist has produced several tributes to the music of Peanuts, and for 10 years he's composed original music for the specials on CBS television.

Jazz for Peanuts - A Retrospective of the Charlie Brown TV Series features Benoit and other artists who have contributed to the legacy. For the project, Benoit selected 10 of the most compelling pieces used in the series. Four songs are classic Guaraldi, including two that previously had not been made public. Benoit also does fresh renditions of three of his own compositions. The other songs are by Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck and Dave Grusin, the latter performed by Kenny G.

"You're in Love, Charlie Brown," from the TV special of the same name, features Benoit's basic trio, with John Robinson on drums and Dave Carpenter on bass, accompanied by Christian Scott on trumpet, Andy Suzuki on tenor sax and Pat Kelley on guitar. This delightful piece features sharp performances by all, with solos by Benoit, Scott and Suzuki. This is one of six songs remade for this album.

Dave Brubeck performs "Benjamin" from the TV mini-series This Is America, Charlie Brown: The NASA Space Station. He's accompanied by Bob Militello on flute, Chris Brubeck on electric bass and Randy Jones on drums. Militello is in top form in the lead. But whether the flute or the piano is out front, the bass and drums are thoroughly engaged.

Another remake, "Wild Kids" from This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Great Inventors, features Benoit's trio with Kelley and fellow pianist Taylor Eigsti. The dual pianos add an interesting and playful touch. And while they're dueling the bass, guitar and drums go wild in the background, making this arguably the best song in the set. After such a frantic pace, it ends with a subtle nod to "Linus and Lucy."

Kenny G performs Grusin's "Breadline Blues," from This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Smithsonian and the Presidency. It starts off slowly, with the G-Man on soprano sax, but takes off with a swinging, blues-jazz fervor.

With the new arrangements of several tracks and the inclusion of previously unreleased song, Jazz for Peanuts is an exciting mix of favorites from the series. Carpenter died early in 2008, so his appearances here mark some of his last performances. In proper tribute form, the song that started it all ends the set: Guaraldi's vintage recording of "Linus and Lucy."

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