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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGREEN, Benny(b 4 April '63, NY) Piano, composer. Established himself as sideman with Art Blakey and Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw; along with many recordings as a sideperson, he made his first two albums on Criss Cross during the Blakey period: Prelude was a quintet with other Messengers, In This Direction a trio with Buster Williams and Lewis Nash. His own Blue Note albums are very much in that label's tradition of controlled energy and accessible virtuosity: Lineage '90 had Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis; then he formed his own trio with Carl Allen on drums and the superb young bassist Christian McBride for Greens '91, Testifyin'! '92 (live at the Village Vanguard) and That's Right! '93. The Place To Be '94, with McBride and drummer Kenny Washington, also had horns on three tracks co-arranged by Bob Belton, fitting into the Blue Note tradition established by Blakey and Horace Silver. Green said in a Cadence interview, 'I definitely believe that music is something that should make the listener feel good,' a sentiment endorsed by McBride's debut as a leader: Gettin' To It '94 on Verve not only has an all-star front line but McBride conversing with Milt Hinton and Ray Brown on 'Splanky', holding his own with two of the greatest basses in the business. Kaleidoscope '96 on Blue Note, a quartet with guitarist Russell Malone, added Antonio Hart or Stanley Turrentine on some tracks. |