‘The Peanuts Movie’: Jazz pianist David Benoit provides musical rhythm

When the makers of “The Peanuts Movie” were ready to record the famous theme song for the 3-D animated adaptation of the beloved Charles M. Schulz comic strip, they turned to a jazz pianist who has had ample experience performing the syncopated rhythms created by the late composer Vince Guaraldi.

David Benoit has performed solo piano for “Peanuts” television movies and specials for more than 20 years. “Basically, I’ve always been a ‘Peanuts’ fan,” the Southern California-based pianist said in a recent interview.

Watching the 1965 TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a formative experience for the budding musician: “I wanted to play like Vince Guaraldi. That’s probably why I wanted to be a jazz pianist.”

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Jazz musician and composer David Benoit is photographed at his Palos Verdes Estates home on May 14, 2009.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Benoit said he recorded almost all of the piano solos for “The Peanuts Movie,” which is in theaters, during a daylong session this past summer at 20th Century Fox’s Newman Scoring Stage. He also helped the movie’s composer, Christophe Beck, with cues, improvisations and other aspects of the soundtrack.

On Dec. 19, the pianist will perform a holiday tribute to Charlie Brown at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. The concert, with the All-American Boys Chorus from Costa Mesa and singer Jane Monheit, will feature popular “Peanuts” tunes and other music.

Despite his familiarity with the “Peanuts” universe, Benoit said that playing Guaraldi’s tunes -- especially the theme song, known as “Linus and Lucy” -- doesn’t necessarily come easy.

“It’s not like playing Liszt, but it’s tricky,” he explained. “It’s tricky because he improvised a lot of it. He played it differently every time. I come from the background of playing by ear -- maybe I related to the spontaneity he brought.”

He added: “Vince listened to a lot of Latin music, and I think that’s where he developed that syncopation between right and left hand. ... It sounds easy but when you try to play it right, it’s very tricky.”

Widely regarded as one of the most innovative jazz artists of the 20th century, Guaraldi was hired by “Peanuts” producer Lee Mendelson during the 1960s and ended up scoring numerous “Peanuts” TV specials as well as the 1969 animated feature “A Boy Named Charlie Brown.”

Guaraldi died in 1976 at the age of 47.

“The Peanuts Movie,” released by Fox, has grossed close to $100 million domestically since opening Nov. 6.

Benoit said that some people assume that his favorite “Peanuts” character is Schroeder, the young classical piano prodigy with a love for Beethoven.

But the pianist said he prefers Charlie Brown: “He got so depressed and failed at everything, a lot of kids grow up and deal with that. I wasn’t good at sports, I wasn’t good at school.”

Benoit said he missed the new movie’s premiere because he was traveling but finally caught up with the film this weekend.

In an email, he said he still connects emotionally with Charlie Brown after all these years: “He was always losing at everything but had a big, genuine heart which came through in the end. ... I don’t know of any contemporary characters that are anything like him. I related to Charlie Brown when I was a kid and I still do.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT