Benny Green (born April 4, 1963) is an American

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist who was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has been compared to

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of modern ...

and

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

in style and counts them as influences.

Biography

Green was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He grew up in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and studied classical piano from the age of seven. He was also interested in jazz from an early point, as his father was a jazz

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

player. Benny Green was "discovered" by Faye Carroll, and while still in his teens worked in a quintet led by Eddie Henderson. Green attended Berkeley High School, and participated in the school's jazz ensemble. In the later years of his high school career, he had a weekly trio gig at

Yoshi's Yoshi's (also known as Yoshi's Jazz Club and Yoshi's Oakland) is a nightclub located in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The venue originally opened in 1972 as a restaurant in Berkeley, later moving to Claremont Avenu ...

, which was his entrance to the world of professional jazz. After high school, he spent time in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, but became more successful on his return to New York. Green joined

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

's band in April, 1983, and since 1991 he has led his own trio. He has recorded for

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

, and Criss Cross. Green frequently teaches in workshops across the United States, such as

Jazz Camp West Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

in California, and Centrum/Jazz Port Townsend in Washington. He currently resides in the United States and tours globally with his trio. ''Then and Now'' is a studio album recorded and released in 2018 by

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label established by François Zalacain in 1982 initially to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed beginning a sequence of releases ...

Discography

As leader

Main sources:

As sideman

With

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

* '' Not Yet'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1988) * '' I Get a Kick Out of Bu'' (Soul Note, 1988) With Bob Belden * ''Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting'' (1989) * ''When the Doves Cry: The Music of Prince'' (1993) With

Don Braden Don Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.https://jazzbakery.org/events/saxophoniest-don-braden-quartet-presents-earth-wind-and-wonder saxophonist Don Braden Quartet presents Earth Wind and Wonder Career Braden w ...

* ''Quintet Time Is Now'' (1991) * ''Wish List'' (1991) With

Cecil Brooks III Cecil Brooks III (born 1959) is an American jazz drummer and record producer who has worked with Arthur Blythe, Russell Gunn, John Hicks, Andrew Hill, Etta Jones, Roseanna Vitro, Marvin Peterson, and Jimmy Ponder. A native of the Homewood n ...

*''

Hangin' with Smooth ''Hangin' with Smooth'' is an album by drummer Cecil Brooks III, recorded in 1990 and released on the Muse label. Reception ''The Star-Ledger'' praised the "mix of hard-bopped standards, smooth ballads and smart, catchy originals." The ''Boston ...

'' (Muse, 1990) * ''Our Mister Brooks'' (2000) With Ray Brown * ''Bass Face'' (1993) * ''

Don't Get Sassy ''Don't Get Sassy'' is an album by the American bassist Ray Brown, released in 1994. It is credited to the Ray Brown Trio. Production The album was recorded live in the studio, in April 1994. Benny Green played piano and Jeff Hamilton played dr ...

'' (1994) * ''Some of My Best Friends Are...The Piano Players'' (1994) * ''Some of My Best Friends Are...The Sax Players'' (1995) * ''Seven Steps to Heaven'' (1995) * ''Live at Scullers Jazz Club'' (1996) * '' SuperBass'' (1997) * ''Triple Play (compilation)'' (1998) * ''Walk On'' (2003) With Arnett Cobb * ''Tenor Tribute, Vol. 1'' (1988) * ''Tenor Tribute, Vol. 2'' (1988) With

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

* '' Topsy - Standard Book'' (1989) * '' Live at Fat Tuesday's'' (1991) * ''God Bless the Child'' (1998) With

Etta Jones Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene A ...

*''

Reverse the Charges ''Reverse the Charges'' is an album by vocalist Etta Jones which was recorded in 1991 and 1992 and released on the Muse label.At Last "At Last" is a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film '' Sun Valley Serenade'' (1941). Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US ''Billboard'' po ...

'' (Muse, 1995) * ''

My Gentleman Friend ''My Gentleman Friend'' is a 1961 album by Blossom Dearie. Track listing #"Lady, Be Good (musical), Little Jazz Bird" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:43 #"Gentleman Friend" (Arnold Horwitt, Arnold B. Horwitt, Richard Lewine) – 3:49 #"It ...

'' (Muse, 1994

996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Em ...

With

Ralph Moore Ralph Moore (born 24 December 1956) is an English jazz saxophonist. Early life Moore was born in Brixton, London, England. His mother was the dancer Josie Woods, and his father was in the US military. He spent his childhood in Brixton, and afte ...

*'' Round Trip'' (Reservoir, 1985 987 *''

Images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

'' (Landmark, 1989) * '' Furthermore'' (Landmark, 1990) * ''Who It is You Are'' (1993) With

Houston Person Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He received the ...

*''

The Lion and His Pride ''The Lion and His Pride'' is an album by saxophonist Houston Person that was released by Muse in 1994. Track listing # " Dig" (Miles Davis) – 9:32 # " I Remember Clifford" (Benny Golson) – 7:33 # " Dear Heart" (Henry Mancini, Ray Evans, ...

'' (Muse, 1991

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

*''

Christmas with Houston Person and Friends ''Christmas with Houston Person and Friends'' (also released as ''Santa Baby'') is an album of Christmas music by saxophonist Houston Person that was released by Muse in 1994. Reception In his review on AllMusic, Scott Yanow stated "Tenor-sa ...

'' (Muse, 1994) * ''A Little Houston on the Side'' (1999) With Jimmy Ponder * ''Soul Eyes'' (1991) * ''Steel City Soul'' (1998) With

Jim Snidero James J. Snidero (born May 29, 1958 in Redwood City, California, United States) is an American jazz saxophonist. Performance career Snidero grew up in the Washington DC area (Camp Springs, MD), then attended the U of North Texas and performed in ...

* ''Mixed Bag'' (1987) * ''Blue Afternoon'' (1989) * ''While You Were Here'' (1991) With

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

* ''Ill Be Seeing You'' (1992) * ''What a Little Moonlight Can Do'' (1994) With

Jack Walrath Jack Arthur Walrath (born May 5, 1946) is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others. Biography Walrath was born in Stuart, Florida. ...

*''

Out of the Tradition ''Out of the Tradition'' is an album by trumpeter Jack Walrath which was recorded in 1990 and released on the Muse label in 1992.992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

* ''I Am the Walrath'' (2000) With others *

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Works ...

''Shadows'' (1991) * Block 16 ''Morning Sun'' Remixed (2002) *

'' Look What I Got!'' (1988) *

Anat Cohen Anat Cohen ( he, ענת כהן, born 1975) is a New York City-based jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and bandleader from Tel Aviv, Israel. Biography Cohen began playing clarinet and saxophone. In 1996, she studied at the Berklee College of Mus ...

''Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard'' (2010) * Mark Elf ''Minor Scramble'' (1996) *

Larry Gales Lawrence Bernard Gales (March 25, 1936 – September 12, 1995) was an American jazz double-bassist. Life Gales began playing bass at age 11, and attended the Manhattan School of Music in the late 1950s. In that decade and the beginning of th ...

''Message from Monk'' (1990) *

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

''Hub Songs: The Music of Freddie...'' (1997) *

Jay Hoggard Jay Hoggard (born September 24, 1954) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography Jay Hoggard was raised in a religious family. He was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother taught him how to play piano at ...

''Little Tiger'' (1990) * Fred Horn ''Steady Freddy Collective Cuts'' (1995) * Jazz Futures ''Live in Concert'' (1991) *

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

''Burnin in the Woodhouse'' (1995) * Ron Jackson ''Guitar Thing'' (1991) *

Randy Johnston Randy Johnston may refer to: * Randy Johnston (musician) (born 1956), American jazz guitarist * Randy Johnston (model) (1988–2008), American model * Randy Johnston (ice hockey) (born 1958), Canadian ice hockey player See also * Randy Johnson (di ...

, '' Walk On'' (Muse, 1992) *

Vince Jones Vincent Hugh Jones (born 24 March 1954) is an Australian jazz singer, songwriter, and trumpet, flugelhorn and flumpet player. His music includes both original material and new contemporary versions of jazz standards. His themes are often lov ...

''One Day Spent'' (1991) *

Kristin Korb Kristin Korb is an American jazz double bassist and vocalist. Biography Korb studied at Eastern Montana College and the University of California, San Diego. She also studied with Ray Brown, with whom she made her recording debut, released in ...

''Introducing Kristin Korb With the...'' (1996) *

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...

'' All for You'' (1995) * Michael Logan ''Night Out'' (1990) * Brian Lynch ''In Process'' (1991) *

Mingus Dynasty ''Mingus Dynasty'' is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on Columbia Records in May 1960. It is a companion album to his 1959 record, ''Mingus Ah Um'', and was inducted in the List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipie ...

''Next Generation Performs Charles...'' (1991) * Mark Murphy ''Dim the Lights'' (2004) * Amani A. W. Murray ''Amani A. W. Murray'' (1990) *

Randy Napoleon Randy Napoleon (born 30 May 1978) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger who tours nationally and internationally. He has also toured with the Freddy Cole Quartet, Benny Green (pianist), the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra led by ...

'' Between Friends'' (2006) *

'' Oscar Peterson & Benny Green'' (1998) *

Flip Phillips Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conce ...

''Swing Is the Thing!'' (2000) *

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCa ...

Dear Mr. Cole ''Dear Mr. Cole'' is a Nat King Cole tribute album by jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli. Pizzarelli is accompanied by pianist Benny Green, and bassist Christian McBride on all but one song. Track listing # "Style Is Coming Back in Style" ( Jerry L ...

'' (1994) * Lisa Pollard ''I See Your Face Before Me'' (1993) *

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

''One on One'' (2000) *

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...

''Right There'' (1991) * Belinda Underwood ''Greenspace'' (2008) *

Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...

''Inventor'' (1989)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Benny American jazz pianists American male pianists 1963 births Living people Musicians from New York City City of Toronto's Glenn Gould Protégé Prize winners Criss Cross Jazz artists Blue Note Records artists Telarc Records artists The Jazz Messengers members Musicians from Berkeley, California Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male jazz musicians Sunnyside Records artists Jazz musicians from California