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Eddie Green

Legendary and highly-respected Philadelphia pianist / keyboardist Eddie Green was a sideman on dozens of projects, and finally released two CDs as a leader, the long out-of-print debut "This One's For You" and his posthumously-released coda Shades of Green.

After informal tutoring with Bud and Richie Powell and studying harmony, theory, composition and arranging at Combs College of Music, Eddie Green performed with the likes of Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Donald Byrd, Hank Crawford, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Gary Bartz, George Coleman, Junior Cook and many others. He was on records that went "gold:" Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" and Lou Rawls' "When You've Heard Lou, You've Heard It All." His distinctive touch graced albums by guitar virtuoso Pat Martino, Sonny Criss and Jean Carn; in addition to his musicianship, his talents as as a composer were spotlighted on recordings by his own groundbreaking '70s fusion group Catalyst, the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir, Rochelle Ferrelle and Suzanne Cloud.

Green appeared internationally at the Mt. Fuji (Japan), North Sea (Holland), Montreaux (Switzerland) and Nice (France) Jazz Festivals. Locally in Philadelphia, he was awarded honors by the Trane Stop Resource Institute, the City of Philadelphia and the Mill Creek Jazz and Cultural Society for both the 1993 and 1994 "Reader's Choice" Best Jazz Piano. Eddie Green never omitted the listener from his Jazz equation.

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Extended Analysis

Eddie Green: Shades of Green

Read "Eddie Green: Shades of Green" reviewed by Paul Olson


Eddie GreenShades of Green Dreambox Media 2004 A perfect farewell... Shades of Green is the final album from Philadelphia pianist Eddie Green, who died in July of 2004. Green was a great songwriter and was very highly esteemed by vocalists for his piano accompaniment, but his greatest love was playing in a jazz trio setting. Here, his longstanding trio of bassist Tyrone Brown and Jim Miller is joined ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Freddie Green's Mr. Rhythm

Backgrounder: Freddie Green's Mr. Rhythm

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Freddie Green, Count Basie's long-time rhythm guitarist, recorded just one album as a leader—Mr. Rhythm, for RCA in December 1955. Green's tenure with Basie date back to March 1937.  On Mr. Rhythm, Green assembled an all-star group that was arranged like a pocket version of Basie's band, complete with Nat Pierce on piano: Joe Newman (tp), Henry Coker (tb), Al Cohn (ts-3,cl,bass-cl-1,arr), Nat Pierce (p), Freddie Green (g), Milt Hinton (b), Jo Jones (d), Osie Johnson (d-2) replaces Jones, and ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Freddie Green

Jazz Musician of the Day: Freddie Green

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Freddie Green's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Freddie Green

Freddie Green - guitar (1911 - 1987) Freddie Green was the guitarist in what is generally considered to be the best rhythm section in the history of big band jazz, and dubbed the All-American Rhythm Section, which featured Count Basie... more

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169

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Freddie Green

Jazz Musician of the Day: Freddie Green

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Freddie Green's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Freddie Green

Freddie Green - guitar (1911 - 1987) Freddie Green was the guitarist in what is generally considered to be the best rhythm section in the history of big band jazz, and dubbed the All-American Rhythm Section, which featured Count Basie... more

Website | Videos | Articles

Follow Freddie Green @ AAJ

Put AAJ's Musician ...

"Green's quartet swings in the fast-paced post-Bop tradition. The veteran keyboardist trades the spotlight with vibraphonist/percussionist Sutin in establishing the beachhead from which they launch their assault. Most of the selections were composed by Green, who is aptly supported by drummer Miller and bassists either Brown or Johnson...

On four tunes, the quartet is supplemented with the Tyrone Brown String Ensemble. The violas, violin, and cello plus Brown's bass add a sense of lushness to the music without sacrificing any of the rhythmic adventurousness or delightful improvisations inherent in the quartet's work. The ensemble's melody statement on Eddie Harris's 'Freedom Jazz Dance' permeates 'Jazz Free' to become the right ingredient for reflecting on the merits of the time-honored piece. The mood and rhythms change on 'Passi Flora,' where a Flamenco beat controls the tune's direction. The Blues, however, remain the lifeblood of the quartet. It pops up in numerous scenarios including the bouncy 'All of a Sutin.' Vocalist Clemmons-Washington joins the band on the closing 'Peace' to implant an uplifting message of hope. Green is a seasoned musician who has honed his playing and composing skills to a fine edge. Both attributes shine through on this enjoyable reminder of the music's gracious era."

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Eddie Green: Shades...

Dreambox Media
2004

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Shades of Green

Dreambox Media
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Shades of Green

From: Shades of Green
By Eddie Green

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