An Evening With The Benny Green Jazz Trio

When I learned that bebop pianist Benny Green regarded Thelonious Sphere Monk "as his first and most significant hero" and that his (Green's) "...main focus is to just swing and have fun, and share those feelings with the audience" (Bio AMS Artists). I was naturally drawn to see him perform when he appeared for one evening at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California on Wednesday, 15th February, 2012. He had with him what now seems to be his favorite trio players; Peter Washington on bass, and drummer Kenny Washington. 

Green is not of imposing physical stature; actually at first glance he resembles an unassuming, recent college graduate, returning to his alma mater to lend his brilliance by guiding hordes of the Android, smart phone generation, masquerading as serious college students, through the rigors of physics, or chemistry, or mathematics; all of which they failed to grasp in high school. He even connects with his audience through a disarming boyish charm, and pays almost gushing attention, and respect to his band mates.

 But when he sits down on that piano stool; it's Clark Kent again entering the phone booth...and suddenly the world of jazz, bebop in particular, is safe; Green turns  into a piano Superman, and when his fingers flash across the ivories, the real magic, and 'out of this world' hard-bop propulsion erupt. He suddenly becomes of imposing musical stature!  The apprenticeship with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; the influence from his father's collection of 'Bird' and 'Monk'; the stints with "...the only one jazz singer" (Carmen McCrea), Betty Carter, and alto saxophonist Bobby Watson; the dues paid with the Ray Brown Trio, plus recent work with bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, all converge into "a history of jazz at his fingertips."(Bio. AMS Artists). If Sinatra had played the piano, he would have swung like Benny Green.

Green's attack features speed, precision and clever accuracy. He is an animated pianist, throwing his entire body into his performance. At times, he twists, turns, and lifts himself off the piano stool, putting every ounce of his being into the electricity and emotion of the moment. These uninhibited actions maybe considered a natural form of expression, in the same context as say, the signature "growling" sounds made by pianists, Bud Powell, Errol Garner, Oscar Peterson, and B3 organist Jimmy Smith. It is an integral function of their theatre, and has the effect of adding palpable intensity to the performance.

 


Bassist Peter Washington

Though born in New York City; it is Berkeley, California that lays claim to him, as one of its most talented sons, since that's where he grew up. As a result, he attracts a large contingent of Northern California fans, who packed the house on this Wednesday evening (not an easy thing to do), to see and hear him.  Green got the evening started with concrete certainty; immediately pulling out a swinger named "Certainty" that evidenced the exclusive rhythmic compatibility between Peter Washington's bass and Green's piano. Washington's bass provides unifying intonation to Green's natural swing, with an elastic bounce and deep mahogany tone, effortlessly integrating the essence of the melody into his solos. In this regard, his technique seems to resemble that of master bassist Oscar Pettiford.

Green's template for the evening's entertainment soon developed into a flowing stream of tributes to several of the jazz musicians that he admires, and from whom he draws inspiration; starting with a lively Kenny Drew composition, followed by a tune inspired by Drew and alto saxophonist Jackie McClean, couched in elegant nonchalance to display the distinct stylings of bebop pianist Sonny Clark, and some of the classic dissonance of Thelonious Monk.

The centerpiece of the program arguably emerged during three new compositions written by a "very relaxed" (his words) Green during a recent, first, visit to Thailand. Two of the pieces "Golden Flamingo" and "La Portuguesa" were inspired and dedicated to "beautiful women" (again Green's words). These tunes allowed expression of Green's more sensitive, introspective side and also gave him the opportunity to add appealing poignancy and a touch of gospel to his repertoire utilizing the block chord style of pianist William "Red" Garland. Kenny Washington's brush work, interspersed with a lush Latin beat, was compelling as he nimbly embedded the musical time stamps that gave life to the feelings and emotions that must have overtaken Green in this "relaxed" Thai space. The third tune of this set "Flying Saucer," lived up to its name; mysterious and out of this world; especially with regard to Green's fleetness of fingers across the keyboard and the intricacies built to its Tatumesque execution; again drummer Peter Washington rose to the occasion with a thunderous prolonged solo.



Drummer Kenny Washington

Turning to his friend, guitarist Russell Malone for inspiration, Green rustled up something from one of his earlier trio recordings called "One For Malone," with more outstanding bass work from Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington's drums beating urgent 'Philly' Joe Jones type rhythmic tattoos, replete with those 'knife-edge, on the button,' rim shots that Miles Davis dug so much. Washington is a drummer with 'big ears' that he used keenly on a new Green composition, "Magic Pains "deftly manipulating the tempo and mood between fixed bebop, and sultry Latin; then when Green turned his attention to "one of his favorite" pianists, the remarkable, easy swinging Sonny Clark, this time with a stinging swinger; the perfect vehicle for  Washington's drumming to support Green's sizzling, rhythmic, piano cyclone and dazzling fluidity with chilling percussive accuracy and energy, easily branding this selection as the most rhythmically robust of the show.

The Benny Green Trio masters a musical repertoire that graces all emotions, moods, and tempos with uncanny assuaging effect, moving between each with a fluid, seamless, change of atmosphere, that is never noticeable enough to be distracting, but instead is calculatingly natural; as when they traversed from the aggressively swinging Sonny Clark tribute to a 'three o'clock in the morning' lament, with an emotional character and chord structure similar to Monk's  classic"'Round Midnight"; magically making  gradient changes in the room's emotional temperature and atmosphere felt by anyone not completely under the spell of Peter Washington's down-reaching bass, swelling each languorous moment with longing and settling tenderness.

By any standard, this was an exceptionally entertaining and indulgent program. The trio played in total 13 selections demonstrating their artistic richness, versatility, and broad genre-centric appeal. It almost appeared that, absent obvious physical limitations, this group could have played another 13 tunes; but before they left the bandstand, they embarked on one more tribute to another musician and influence of Green; the renowned trombonist Julian Priester, with a tune called "Priestess," that featured an antic, rhythmic, conversation between Green's piano and Peter Washington's drums. It was like an exchange of  strident 'tough love' proclamations between two eminent leaders at a musical world summit.

The evening ended on a note of hard-bop, deep blues, soul, gospel and funk when Green turned to the bebop canon of the pianist/composer nonpareil, Horace Silver to reprise Silver's first hit, "Doodlin'." He played it just an Silver played it on his landmark 1950 album "Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers," with Kenny Dorham - trumpet; Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone; Doug Watkins - bass; Art Blakey - drums; and Horace Silver - piano. For a musician with "a history of jazz at his fingertips," this was an appropriate way to close out the engagement: A visit to the lair of one of the architects of bebop; with a clear forward focus to the future.

I have no complaints about this evening with the Benny Green Trio, it was stellar...but I wished for my own selfish satisfaction, that he had included pianist Wynton Kelly in one of his tributes. Ah well, you can't have everything!