David Benoit’s Vince Guaraldi Holiday Symphony (2026)

I’ve always felt that A Charlie Brown Christmas was probably the first time many of us were exposed to jazz. We watched the television special as children, caught up in Charlie Brown’s search for the true meaning of Christmas, never realizing that we were also being introduced to something special through the music of Vince Guaraldi. Those wonderful piano melodies became part of our childhood memories and, more than 60 years later, remain as much a part of Christmas as decorating the tree. Few contemporary jazz musicians understand that connection better than David Benoit. The pianist, composer, and conductor has released David Benoit Conducts A Vince Guaraldi Holiday Symphony, a new recording celebrating the timeless music of Peanuts. Released digitally October 30, 2026, on Candid Records, with CD and vinyl editions arriving November 20, the album features the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performing Benoit’s orchestral arrangements of Guaraldi’s beloved compositions.

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.