Benny Green (pianist)

Benny Green (born April 4, 1963 in New York City) is a hard bop jazz pianist who was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

He has been compared to Bud Powell in style and counts him as an influence. As a boy he grew up in Berkeley, California, and studied classical piano from the age of seven. He also had an interest in jazz from an early point as his father was a jazz tenor saxophone player. Benny Green was "discovered" by Faye Carroll and later while still in his teens worked in a quintet led by Eddie Henderson. Green attended Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) in Berkeley, CA, participating in the school's renowned Jazz Ensemble. In the later years of his high school career, he landed a weekly trio gig at Yoshi's, which marked his entrance to the world of professional jazz. After high school he spent time in San Francisco, but professional success came on his return to New York. He joined Betty Carter's band in April, 1983 and since 1991 he has led his own trio. He has worked most with Blue Note Records, Telarc International Corporation, and started with the Dutch label Criss Cross Jazz.

He frequently teaches in workshops across the United States, such as Jazz Camp West in California, and Centrum/Jazz Port Townsend in Washington. He currently resides in Berkeley California where he practices piano, composes music and watches films in his spare time.