Benny Green
Born in New York in 1963, Benny Green grew up in Berkeley, California, and began classical piano studies at the age of seven. Influenced by his father, a tenor saxophonist, his attention soon turned into Jazz: I began trying to improvise on the piano, imitating the records I'd been hearing from my father's collection, which included a lot of Monk and Bird… it was a gradual process of teaching myself. Benny played in school bands before hooking up with Jazz singer Fay Carroll: That was good training for me in terms of accompaniment and learning about the blues, and she also gave me a chance to play trio, opening for her every night.
As a teenager he worked with Eddie Henderson, and got some big band experience with a 12-piece group led by Chuck Israels. After his graduation, Benny freelanced around the bay area for a year, and then moved to New York in the spring of 1982. Back in the Big Apple, he met veteran pianist Walter Bishop Jr.: I began studying with him and he helped point me in the direction of developing my own sound, and he also encouraged me to check out and study the whole scope of Jazz piano history, so I could get a sense of how I was to fit in.
After a short stint with Bobby Watson, Green worked with Betty Carter between 1983 and 1987. In 1987, he joined Art Blakey's band. He remained a Jazz Messenger through late 1989, at which point he began working with Freddie Hubbard's quintet.
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Album Review
- Than And Now by Maurizio Zerbo
- Live in Santa Cruz by Luigi Sforza
- Happiness! by Dan Bilawsky
- Live In Santa Cruz by Mark Corroto
- Source by Larry Taylor
- Source by C. Michael Bailey
Profile
Album Review
- Jazz at The Bistro by Mike Perciaccante
- The Place To Be by William Grim
- Green's Blues by Bill Donaldson
April 04, 2021
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
April 04, 2020
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
April 04, 2019
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
November 06, 2018
April 04, 2018
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
February 21, 2018
Jazz this week: Benny Green Trio, "Superheroes of Blackness," Robert...
April 04, 2017
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
April 04, 2016
Jazz Musician of the Day: Benny Green
April 30, 2015
Jazz this Week: Benny Green, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Julian Lage &...
April 04, 2015
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
New York City
Credentials/Background
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