Benny Green Solo at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz

About

Benny Green’s flair for tasteful swinging, both elegant and earthy, burns bright with flawless technique and imaginative, one-of-a-kind improvisational lines. His keyboard genius has bolstered the vocal artistry of Betty Carter, served in the ranks of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and succeeded the great Gene Harris in the Ray Brown Trio. Soon after joining Brown’s trio in 1993, Green joined them for the recording of Bass Face: Live at Kuumbwa. Two of Green’s subsequent recordings as a bandleader, Live in Santa Cruz!, and Happiness! Live at Kuumbwa were also recorded live in our stage. Despite exploring other styles of jazz, Green remains a respected hard bop devotee. Jazz writer Richard Scheinin describes Green as “…one of jazz’s most joyful players.”