Benny Green

Born in New York in 1963, Benny Green started playing classical piano when he was just seven years old. When his father, saxophonist Bert Green, introduced him to jazz, he found influences in Lester Willis Young and Count Basie. Getting a regular gig at a jazz club while still at school stood him in good stead as he embraced the world of jazz.

He joined singer Betty Carter's band in 1983, gaining much experience playing with a group. He formed the Benny Green Trio and performed under the name with a variety of different musicians taking the other two spots. After being chosen by Oscar Peterson as the winner of the City of Toronto's Glen Gould International Protégé Prize in Music in 1993, a collaboration ensued resulting in the 1998 release 'Oscar & Benny'. He has since performed with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard and Diana Krall with his latest record with his trio released in 2018 under the title 'Then and Now'.