Benoit’s relationship with Charlie Brown goes all the way back to childhood, too. A devoted reader of Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip, he was captivated by the jazz soundtrack when A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in 1965. Benoit recalled that hearing Guaraldi’s piano trio was “the defining moment when I decided that I wanted to play like Vince Guaraldi.” His own recording of “Linus and Lucy” on the 1985 album This Side Up helped introduce Guaraldi’s music to a new generation of contemporary jazz listeners. It also opened the door to a lasting relationship with Schulz and Lee Mendelson, the longtime producer of the Peanuts television specials. Benoit subsequently composed music for numerous Peanuts television productions between 1989 and 2006 and contributed to the 2015 film The Peanuts Movie. Imagine growing up loving Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi’s music, then getting the opportunity to become part of that musical legacy yourself!

Christmas music has been a recurring theme throughout Benoit’s recording career. His first holiday album, Christmastime, appeared in 1983, followed by Remembering Christmas in 1996, 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas in 2005, Believe with vocalist Jane Monheit in 2015, and It’s a David Benoit Christmas! in 2020. Interestingly, Benoit’s early recording of “Christmas Time Is Here” helped bring him to Mendelson’s attention in the first place. Looking back on that connection, Benoit has said, “that song is very important to me.”

The new 14-track recording, originally commissioned by the Mendelson family, gives Benoit an opportunity to showcase another side of his considerable musical talents. Rather than concentrating on his piano performances, he steps onto the conductor’s podium to bring new orchestral dimensions to familiar favorites including “Christmas Is Coming,” “Skating,” “O Tannenbaum,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” and, of course, “Linus and Lucy.” The collection also ventures beyond Christmas with music from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, along with “Just Like Me,” a Benoit original co-written with Mendelson. Following a successful kidney transplant in 2023, Benoit has returned to music with renewed energy, making this recording an especially meaningful chapter in his career. Yet despite his decades of contributions to the Peanuts musical legacy, Benoit remains quick to give credit where it belongs: “Of course, the real focus is on Vince Guaraldi. He’s the one.” I couldn’t agree more. What Guaraldi created for a little animated Christmas special in 1965 became something far greater than anyone could have imagined. And thanks to musicians like David Benoit, that music continues to find new audiences and new life.

The post David Benoit’s Vince Guaraldi Holiday Symphony (2026) appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

From the ContemporaryJazz.com Archives

On October 10, 2000, The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman released Life in the Tropics, another chapter in the group’s remarkable career. To celebrate the album’s 26th anniversary, we’re revisiting the original promotional press release distributed to ContemporaryJazz.com at the time of its release.

The following is reproduced as originally distributed in 2000.

At the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards held in Dallas in January 2000, Russ Freeman joined Bob James and Herb Alpert as a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. A true icon of the genre, Freeman as leader, songwriter and producer of The Rippingtons has given smooth jazz some of its most classic melodies and an amazing catalog of #1 Contemporary Jazz chart hits. While the Rippingtons continue to be one of smooth jazz’s most commercially successful bands, Freeman continues pushing the stylistic envelope to new and dynamic limits each time out–allowing his audience to partake in and share his passions along the way. 1997’s Black Diamond reflected his newfound love of skiing, while 1999’s Topaz was a heartfelt tribute to the majesty and spirit of The American Southwest. The Rippingtons have always devoted a tune here and there to Latin music, and Freeman’s recent move from Colorado to Boca Raton, Florida–40 minutes from Miami–found him rediscovering his intense passion for that genre’s exciting horn sections and unlimited percussive possibilities. More than just another great Ripps recording, Life in the Tropics – the first Peak Records release under a new distribution deal with Concord Records – is a festive celebration of that irrepressible Latin vibe. Not surprisingly, it’s also the band’s most spontaneous sounding studio date ever.

“Over this past year, our new rhythm section of (longtime bassist) Kim Stone, (drummer) Dave Hooper and (percussionist) Ramon Yslas has grown so tight that I felt confident coming into the studio without a set agenda, presenting my tunes to them and listening as they tried new ideas in developing the tunes,” says Freeman. “Avenida Del Mar” began as only a sketch and it was exciting to oversee the process as we built it up. I used to have specific ideas for each player, but this time I let them wing it a little. The key is to get performances from the band that reflect how well everyone is working together. A lot of these tunes were recorded completely live in the studio.” 

Freeman says he fell in love with Latin music on an early Rippingtons tour to the Caribbean years ago, and he is excited to finally have the opportunity to devote an entire album to its intoxicating energies. “Over the years, we’ve mixed more and more Latin sounds into our live shows, and we’ve noticed an amazing reaction by our audience,” he says. “Ramon is from Mexico and he lends an authentic cadence to the music. Living near Miami has exposed me to a lot more Latin music than I’d heard before, but I didn’t plan the album around that concept. I let things develop more naturally.” 

While Freeman’s vision and productions have always created the core sound of the Rippingtons, over the years he has had the great fortune to ensemble with some of smooth jazz’s elite – David Benoit, Gregg Karukas, Dave Koz, Brandon Fields, Mark Portmann, Paul Taylor and Kenny G. It’s always an adventure to see who will stop in, and this time Freeman, his rhythm section and touring keyboardist Dave Kochanski are joined by Koz, Taylor, Eric Marienthal, Peter White, pianist Bill Heller and keyboard great Bob James. Popular R&B vocalist Howard Hewett lends his soulful eloquence to the seductive and passionate ballad “I Found Heaven”. 

Life in the Tropics begins with the lively, loping funk of “Club Paradiso”, a tune that blends a thick, throbbing ambience with the snappy sax-guitar interaction of Marienthal and Freeman. Freeman and Peter White harmonize their classical guitars brilliantly on the joyous, balmy “Caribbean Breeze” while Freeman digs deep into his rich electric guitar vocabulary for his crackling lines on the punchy “Cruisin’ Down Ocean Drive”; the song also features a sparkling, jazzy conversation between Marienthal’s soprano and Heller’s salsa-fied piano. The dreamy, gently grooving flavors of “Be Cool” seem tailor-made for Dave Koz’s laid back soulful style. No Latin influenced project would be complete without some feisty horn splashes, and the Jerry Hey-Gary Grant-Bill Reichenbach brass section creates the perfect accents behind the exciting and exotic grooving of “Rhythm of Your Life,” with lead vocals sung by Lourdes Villa. The sensuous mid-tempo ballad “Love Child” is unique in that it features the alternating saxes of Marienthal (tenor) and Taylor (alto), creating a powerful emotional dialogue and harmony line. The Hewett vocal “I Found Heaven” is sandwiched between two blistering electric guitar jams that find Freeman soaring to Santana-like heights. “Avenida Del Mar” combines the explosive fire of his distorted electric rock guitar melody, the bouncy playfulness of Heller’s piano and the party of horns; “South Beach Mambo” captures the classic vibe of Santana’s “Smooth” with its zesty blend of Freeman’s tight electric, Stone’s rolling bass grooves and a happy vocal chorus. The title cut features Marienthal’s sax and Bob James’ poignant synth harmonies along with Freeman’s muted electric guitar, grooving gently over a trip-hoppy ambience. The closer, “Island Aphrodisiac” is a breezy acoustic guitar ballad enhanced by Freeman’s Andy Narell-like synth steel pans and a drifting trumpet solo by Ramon Flores.

Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons have not only set musical standards in smooth jazz, but their creative and commercial success perfectly parallels the growth of the genre over the past fifteen years. Freeman and his revolving cast of musicians have helped define and redefine the genre during that time. A native of Nashville who came to Los Angeles at 18 to study music at Cal Arts and later UCLA, Freeman had just released his solo debut Nocturnal Playground (1985) when he envisioned Moonlighting as a one time project for all his L.A. studio pals to play on. Jazziz Magazine would later declare this 1986 masterpiece as the most influential contemporary jazz recording of all time. Twelve years later, their Peak/Windham Hill debut Black Diamond hit #1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart its first week, unseating none other than Kenny G – who, just pre-stardom, played sax on that first project. Freeman kept the core band of Steve Reid, Brandon Fields and Tony Morales together for 1988’s equally popular Kilimanjaro. Soon the band became a big live attraction which lived up to its whimsical namesake–as in “That band rips!” That live experience was chronicled on 1993’s Live in L.A., and a new live recording is expected in the spring of 2001.

The Rippingtons signed with GRP in 1989 and enjoyed an extraordinary and prolific run throughout most of the 90s with their albums Tourist in Paradise (1989), Welcome To the St James Club (1990), Curves Ahead (1991), Weekend in Monaco (1992), Sahara (1994), and the fanciful ode to the emergence of cyberspace, Brave New World (1996). These latter two marked the first releases on Freeman’s own imprint label, Peak Records. Helmed by Freeman and his longtime manager Andi Howard, the label is now its own entity, and has recently signed Eric Marienthal, Denver smooth jazz supergroup Dotsero (Freeman produced their label debut, West of Westchester), and vocalist Miki Howard. Additional Peak Records artists include Paul Taylor and singer Phil Perry, both of whom have chart-topping records on Peak through other distribution prior to Peak’s new association with Concord.

During his GRP days, Freeman recorded two very popular outside projects, 1993’s The Benoit/Freeman Project (which reunited him with original Ripps pianist David Benoit) and 1995’s popular seasonal offering, Holiday. He also produced albums for saxman Nelson Rangell, singer Carl Anderson and Japanese fusion band T Square. When Peak Records moved to Windham Hill Jazz in 1997, The Rippingtons had two of their biggest hits with Black Diamond and Topaz. During this time, Freeman also recorded the successful duet album From the Redwoods to the Rockies with guitarist Craig Chaquico. 

It’s interesting to survey the places Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons have taken smooth jazz listeners over the past few years… cyberspace, the slopes of Colorado, the pueblos of New Mexico and now South Beach and Miami for an unforgettable vacation that will inspire dreams of Life in the Tropics. “I strive to keep growing and searching for new ideas to inspire me,” says Freeman. “I never want to repeat myself, but rather than come up with some master plan, it’s easier to not steer the boat for a while and let things just happen. As long as I’m willing to try new things and have a little fun along the way, the music will still sound fresh.”

The post Rippingtons – Life in the Tropics (2000) appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

The title immediately brings to mind one of Metheny’s most memorable collaborations, “This Is Not America,”recorded with David Bowie for the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman. More than 40 years later, Metheny may be revisiting that musical territory, and the timing is particularly interesting as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

According to the Record Store Day release information, Is This America? includes a reworking of music associated with Metheny’s Bowie collaboration, along with “We Shall Overcome,” the historic civil rights anthem, and a new composition titled “Peace Universal.” Taken together, the selections suggest a project with something to say about America, its history, and its future.

There’s another interesting connection. Back in June, Metheny surprised fans with the digital single “America the Beautiful / The People United Will Never Be Defeated,” accompanied by a thought-provoking visualizer. The recording combined one of America’s best-known patriotic hymns with a Chilean protest anthem that became an international symbol of democracy and resistance. We wrote about that release when it arrived on June 26. Whether the recording will appear on Is This America? hasn’t been confirmed, but the thematic connection is hard to miss.

For collectors, there’s good news: Is This America? will be available on both vinyl and CD, rather than the vinyl-only format often associated with Record Store Day exclusives. The release is being issued through Uniquity Music and Green Hill Productions and will be available exclusively at participating independent record stores.

A complete track listing and recording personnel have not yet been announced. Still, the prospect of Metheny revisiting music from his past while reflecting on America today makes this one of the more intriguing jazz releases on the fall calendar.

Pat Metheny’s Is This America? arrives November 27, 2026, for Record Store Day Black Friday. Visit Record Store Day to find a participating independent record store near you.

The post Pat Metheny Announces Is This America? EP appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.