James Sidney Greene, Jr. (born February 24, 1975) is an American

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 ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

ian, recording artist, record producer, and music professor. He started his music career in 1997, and has since released eight

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s. His eighth studio album, '' Beautiful Life'', was his breakthrough release upon the ''Billboard'' magazine charts. It also received his first

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations.

Early life

The son of James Sr., a saxophonist, and Renee Simmons, Greene was born on February 24, 1975 in Hartford, Connecticut. He has three siblings; two sisters, Nayre and Amanda, and a brother, Dorian. The first instrument purchased for him was an

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

, when he was just six years old, where by the age of eight he was getting tutored in how to play the instrument, while by middle school

became his obsession. He graduated with honors from Bloomfield High School, in 1993, where he went on to graduate from

The Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

in 1997, summa cum laude, when he commenced his professional recording career.

Music career

His music recording career started in 1997. The first

, ''Brand New World'', was released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, on January 11, 2000. His second studio album, ''Introducing Jimmy Greene'', was released by

Criss Cross Records Criss Cross Jazz is a Dutch record company and label specializing in jazz. Criss Cross was established in 1980 by Gerry Teekens, a drummer and German professor.

, on February 8, 2000. The third studio album, ''Forever'', was released on February 17, 2004, by Criss Cross Records. He released, ''True Life Stories'', with Criss Cross Records, on May 16, 2006. His fifth studio album, ''Gifts and Givers'', was released on September 18, 2007, from Criss Cross Records. The sixth studio album, ''The Overcomer's Suite'', was released by Nu Jazz Records, on July 22, 2008. He released, ''Mission Statement'', the seventh studio album, on April 7, 2009, with

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 ...

. His eighth studio album, '' Beautiful Life'', was released on November 25, 2014, from

Mack Avenue Records Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and Chairperson, chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company ...

. This album was his breakthrough released upon the ''Billboard'' magazine charts, where it placed on the

Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

, Gospel Albums,

Jazz Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

and

Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

, while it peaked at No. 36 on the Christian Albums chart, at No. 6 on the Gospel Albums chart, at No. 5 on the Jazz Albums chart, and No. 6 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. This album garnered him a

-nomination at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Himself alongside performer,

Javier Colon Javier Colon (stylized as Colón; born April 29, 1978) is an American acoustic singer-songwriter. He has referred to his style of music as being "acoustic soul." He was a member of EmcQ and The Derek Trucks Band, and worked with many musicians ...

, for their performance of the song, " When I Come Home", were nominated for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 58th Grammy Awards, while Greene is the only arranger credited on the album.

Personal life

Greene is a music professor at

Western Connecticut State University Western Connecticut State University (WCSU and WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System. WCSU consists of four schools: the Anc ...

, and he resides in nearby

Sandy Hook, Connecticut Sandy Hook is a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut. It was founded in 1711. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. Sandy Hook borders the village of Botsford, the Newtown borough, and the towns of Monroe ...

; he also taught at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. He is married to

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Nelba Márquez. His daughter, Ana Grace Márquez-Greene, was six years old when she was murdered in the

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...

, and the album ''Beautiful Life'' was made in tribute and dedication to his daughter. He is part of the music ministry at his local church, Glory Chapel International Cathedral.

Discography

With

Mario Pavone Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was an American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted mensch." Early life Pavone was born i ...

*''

Ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

'' (Playscape, 2008) With Avishai Cohen *''As Is...Live at the Blue Note''

Grammy Award nominations

(

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

–

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

) * Best Arrangement, Instruments And Vocals: "When I Come Home" – Jimmy Greene, arranger (Jimmy Greene with

) * Best Jazz Instrumental Album: '' Beautiful Life'' – Jimmy Greene

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Jimmy African-American jazz musicians American jazz alto saxophonists American male saxophonists 1975 births Living people Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut Songwriters from Connecticut African-American Christians 20th-century American musicians University of Hartford Hartt School alumni Western Connecticut State University faculty University of Manitoba faculty Grammy Awards 20th-century saxophonists 21st-century American saxophonists Songwriters from New York (state) People from Sandy Hook, Connecticut RCA Records artists Criss Cross Jazz artists SteepleChase Records artists American male jazz musicians The New Jazz Composers Octet members Mack Avenue Records artists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Bloomfield High School (Connecticut) alumni African-American songwriters