Sun, Aug 2, 4:30 PM
Sponsored by Bonnie Rattner Experience an intimate afternoon with acclaimed jazz pianist Benny Green in a special solo performance that offers a deeply personal listening experience. Green is celebrated for his straight‑ahead style, swinging joy, lyrical finesse, and luminous melodic clarity. His distinctive sound was forged in the 1980s through formative work with three jazz giants—vocalist Betty Carter, drummer Art Blakey, and bassist Ray Brown. During this pivotal era, Green toured extensively with Carter, appeared on her Grammy Award–winning recordings, and recorded multiple albums with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, further solidifying his authoritative swing and harmonic depth. He later became a key member of the Ray Brown Trio, his longest and most influential sideman role. As a bandleader, Green has recorded extensively for Blue Note, Telarc, and Sunnyside, earning the admiration of Oscar Peterson, who named him his protégé and collaborated with him on Oscar and Benny . After more than three decades leading his own trio, Green’s solo work feels especially unguarded and expressive, revealing the full depth and individuality of his voice at the piano. This performance offers an up-close encounter with one of the great voices of modern jazz piano. Video 1 Video 2