The heir to Vince Guaraldi brings to the audience the joy and fun of A Charlie Brown Christmas. For four decades, Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, and arranger David Benoit has reigned supreme as one the founding fathers of contemporary jazz. The California native was bitten by the jazz bug after watching a Peanuts special on television and listening to Guaraldi’s music in 1965. He would succeed Guaraldi in the Peanuts realm and spend more than 10 years composing music for Peanuts specials on CBS. Benoit has received three Grammy nominations in his career: one in 1989 for Best Jazz Fusion Performance for Every Step of the Way; one in 1992 for Best Large Ensemble Performance with the GRP All-Star Big Band; and one in 2000 for Best Instrumental Composition for “Dad’s Room,” from Professional Dreamer. In 2010, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Smooth Jazz Awards.