Born: February 26, 1958 Primary Instrument: Bass
Hilliard Greene has been studying music for more than 30 years and has been playing professionally over twenty. His emphasis is in classical, jazz, rock, blues, R&B, Tango as well as the music of other continents and US regions. Currently he is concentrating on solo performance.
Greene studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Northern Iowa. He has been teaching private students and classes for over 25 years. He is currently a full- time faculty member at the Bass Collective in New York City. He continues to teach privately in doing workshops and master classes in upright and electric bass for both children and adults.
Greene performs widely in the New York City area in recitals, nightclubs, and recordings, and on television and radio programs. He has appeared in major cities throughout Europe, United States, Asia and South America.
Greene has performed and/or recorded with Jimmy Scott, currently serving as his Musical Director and with Cecil Taylor where he was Concert Master for his group “Phtongos”. He has also worked with Gloria Lynne, Jacky Terrasson, The Inkspots, Rashied Ali, Leroy Jenkins, Jimmy Ponder, Eddie Gladden, Nipsy Russell, Vanessa Rubin, Yoron Israel, Cindy Blackman, Electric Symphony, Charles Gayle, Jack Walrath, Don Pullen, Dave Douglas, Bobby Watson, Greg Osby, Kenny Barron, Joanne Brackeen, Carla Cook, Josh Roseman, John Hicks, Village Vanguard Orchestra, Oscar Brown Jr., Daniel Carter, Warren Smith, Howard Johnson, Lucian Ban, Alex Harding, T.K. Blue, John Esposito, Eddie Gale, Bobby Few, Sabir Mateen, Perry Robinson, Frank Lacy, Roy Campbell Jr., Perry Robinson, George Haslam, Barry Altschul, Steve Swell, Gebhard Ullman, Petras Vysniauskas, Vijay Iyer, Matana Roberts, Klaus Kugel, Billy Bang, Jason Moran and The Jazz Expressions. As a band leader produced three CD’s under with his own ensemble The Jazz Expressions and a solo bass CD entitled “Alone.”
Awards:
Outstanding Alumni @ University of Northern Iowa High School“Besides the exciting moving music, there is the amazement of the man’s technique. He is a real virtuoso. Hearing this album, we can all say we could just never have imagined the bass as a solo instrument that is wholly absorbing...” - James Forte, Wildflower Publishers
“For many decades the bass has ceased to be looked at as an accompaniment instrument entirely. At the same time, very few musicians dare to release solo bass recordings. Bassists like Dave Holland, Eberhard Weber, Barre Phillips and Miroslav Vitous have done that very successfully. Among those, we can add the name Hill Greene with his solo bass recording entitled “Alone”. … Even though the unique virtuosity of Hill Greene can capture the mind of the listener, what really sets him apart is his musicality, passion, and dedication to the art.” - Vangelis Aragiannis, Ipirotikos Agon ��” Athens, Greece
“Hill Greene created a resonating musicality, with full focus and emotional pathos... “The audience was still and enraptured, as Hill Greene is a musician to watch, as well as one to listen to.”… Hill Greene has a bright future as Solo Bassist, Composer, Accompanist, and Music Director.” — Roberta Zlokower, RobertaOnTheArts.com
translation by Fernando Hernandez-Moros
Greene, a bass concert player. Very good (4 stars)
Hilliard Greene is an expressive double-bass player with a solid technique…Greene made of his show at Notorious a concert of refreshing features, with fiery solos developed in an explosive way at times, … His double-bass has the sonority like a guitar and continuity in his lines that seem to be pianistically inspired…A Strong presence… … His language has in a way, a classical vocabulary that is at the same time deeply tied to the blues. There is in his music a strong conscience of the black tradition… Cesar Pardines - La Nacion; Buenos Aries, Argentina
“...Hilliard Greene...can sound like a flamenco guitar one moment and a wailing horn the next” -Misha Berson, Seattle Times
…found a copy of your solo CD. I've been listening to it a great deal. It's exceptional, easily one of the best crafted solo bass CDs I've heard. Lou Kannenstine ��” Boxholder Records
“...(Greene’s) work on the upright bass was diverse and committed. On the funk grooves, generally associated with the electric bass guitar, he was convincingly adept, wielding the larger instrument with ease. His solos, whether arco or pizzicato, used the full potential of the instrument, including choral effects and contrivances.” -Richard Mayer, Green Mountain Jazz Messenger
“Intense. Powerful. Versatile. Not for the faint-hearted. ...Hill Greene showed us how it’s done” -Bass World, Journal for the International Society of Bassists
“With a technical mastery of his instrument that is nothing short of astonishing he churned through a varied and creative set full of fire, brilliance and subtlety that above all never stopped swinging. -Bobby Shropshire, Beach Nights Entertainment Magazine ��” Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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Primary Instrument:
Bass
Location:
New York, NY
Willing to teach:
Beginners
Credentials/Background:
Teaching Experience/Private Lessons, Classes, and Workshops
Faculty Member - Bass Collective, New York City: 1997 - present
Rutgers Univ., Newark NJ: 1995
EMU Music School; La Plata, Argentina – annual guest professor
Private Teacher - Boston; New York City; Cedar Falls, IA; Clifton, Nutly, &
Irvington, NJ; La Plata & Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lecturer and Master Class - Univ. of Northern Iowa, Univ. of Texas Austin, Bass
Collective - NYC; Canopus Drum Shop - Tokyo, Japan
Public School and University - Bucharest and Timisoara, Romania
EMU Music School; La Plata, Argentina
Formal Education
University of Northern Iowa 1976 - 1979
Berklee College of Music 1979 - 1980
private lessons composition with James Forte 1982 -1986
private bass teachers
Pablo Aslan, Clay Bergen ,Whit Browne, Steve Citta, John Clayton, Jr., Jay Elfenbein, Diana Gannet, Sam Gill, Eldon Obrect, Robert Olson, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Rufus Reid, Ron Rohovit, Ken Slavett, Candice Weibner, James Welch, Miroslav Vitous
