Jazz pianist attuned to music, architecture

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Jazz pianist David Benoit is a fan of Waikiki and even has a track, "Swingin' Waikiki," on his most recent CD. He designed and recently moved into his "Hawai'i house" in Sherman Oats, Calif. Benoit will join the Honolulu Symphony for a pair of pops concerts this weekend. David Benoit with the Honolulu Symphony Pops 8 p.m. today and Saturday Blaisdell Concert Hall $20, $30, $40, $50, $65 792-2000, (877) 750-4400 Also featuring: Matt Catingub, pops conductor; Michael Paulo, alto saxophonist; Sonya Mendez, guest vocalist

"It's one of my hobbies," said Benoit, 50, about designing homes. "Over the years I've always wanted to be an architect, so I spent six years designing what I call my Hawai'i house in Sherman Oaks (Calif.). It's finally finished, and we moved in last August."

Architecture and music composition go hand in hand, said Benoit, in a phone interview last week. "Both are very creative — that's the common thing. Writing music and drawing designs for a house require solving problems. I call architecture 'frozen music.' "

He now is in town for a pair of Honolulu Symphony Pops concerts tonight and Saturday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

No stranger to the Islands, Benoit adores the tropical clime. That's why he designed a home with an indoor-outdoor flair that lets breezes waft through.

"I had an architect do the formal drawings, to put it all together, but I wanted a place that felt like Hawai'i. It's very casual, with slate stone floors, and organic with pinewood. We have two pianos at home with a large living area suitable for concerts; our first will be on Saturday (last Saturday), with 100 guests."

The home overlooks the ocean; with a backyard pool, "we have water on both sides," Benoit said.

He loves Waikiki and finds joy walking up and down the Kalakaua Avenue corridor, soaking up the sun, checking out shops and restaurants.

Not surprisingly, he composed a tune called "Swingin' Waikiki" for his "Right Here, Right Now" CD, which puts an Island spin to his soft jazz.

"Matt Catingub (Honolulu Symphony Pops conductor) is doing a special arrangement," said Benoit. "To me, the song is about old Hawai'i. A lot of my friends think it's fashionable to go to Hawai'i but head for Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island," he said. "But to me, I like Waikiki Beach — it's full of energy, kinda frozen in time, kinda like going to New York and doing all of those touristy things. Waikiki is compact, a little old-fashioned. And that's what I like; reminds me a little bit of the Hawai'i you used to see in the Elvis Presley movies."

As a jazz marketplace, Honolulu is ideal for musicians who want to work in a vacation, he said. "I think it's still a growing thing; not as financially rewarding to come and play, but the market is expanding," said Benoit.

He periodically hooks up with an orchestra, like he's doing this weekend, though Benoit is attached to the smaller Asia America Symphony, which has a short season of three concerts annually.

Because he's an instrumentalist, Benoit said, the challenge for him as a musician is to "convey emotions through the instrument, in my case the piano. You pound (the keyboards) to express a feeling that a vocalist might convey, and I think as long as you show passion in your playing, you make believers out of your audiences. Without lyrics."

He recalls tinkering on piano at age 6 or 7, when the family kept one in his bedroom — why, he doesn't know. By 14, he was taking formal lessons; at 16, he was pretty much hooked on jazz.

"At 17, I became professional, picking up nightclub gigs to make a living. After high school, I've not had another job, and I've been able to make a living."

He turned 50 on Aug. 18 and he said it was a milestone. "By 50, I wanted to move into the house I designed, so it was finished by Aug. 7. On my birthday, unbeknownst to me, I had a surprise party organized by my wife. The paint was not even dry on the wall; some lights didn't work; we didn't have water. But it was all so spontaneous we all had a great time."

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.