DANNY
GREEN
PIANIST, COMPOSER
official website -
myspace page

San Diego has launched some
amazing jazz artists and Danny Green, a native of Southern California, is
swiftly following in their footsteps. At twenty seven years old he has managed
to carve out a place for himself in the lineup of young jazz artists who seem to
have a pulse on keeping the tradition of jazz piano alive while stepping boldly
into the future through the use of cultural sounds and world music rhythms.
Danny Green is equally versed in Classical, Jazz and Latin styles beginning his
musical studies listening to his father play violin with his quartet and
studying piano at the age of five. He shifted his attention towards Jazz and
Latin music while in High School and has never turned back being first inspired
by Ruben Gonzalez.
Danny received a B.A. in piano performance at UCSD, where he graduated with
honors and won the Jimmy Cheatham Jazz Award. He has studied with Rick Helzer,
(Professor of Jazz Studies at San Diego State University), Kamau Kenyatta,
Anthony Davis, Otmaro Ruiz, Marcos Silva, Jovino Santos-Neto, and classical
studies with John Mark Harris and Luciane Cardassi. Danny also credits the CA
Brazil Camp for developing his understanding of authentic Brazilian style and
substance having participated in their program since 2006. Since that time, he
has been playing with some top musicians including Peter Sprague, Gilbert
Castellanos, Quino McWhinney, Nena Anderson, Rob Thorsen, Bill Andrews, Christel
Veraart, Kevin Cooper, Mark Lamson, Chico Pinheiro, and Edu Ribeiro. In 2006 he
produced and released a CD with the group, Caballero-Verde Quintet, entitled
“Past Due” which received some international attention.
Danny doesn’t waste any time revealing himself on his solo debut CD, “With You
In Mind” featuring Danny Green (piano, Rhode, melodica), Justin Grinnell (bass),
Dylan Savage (drums), Alan Phillips (percussion) and Tripp Sprague (soprano
saxophone). One of the next generations of pianists that offer the kind of depth
and passion for music that will quench a jazz lover’s thirst, Danny serves it up
with intense flavor and sometimes an unexpected kick. Danny was stimulated to
start working on “With You In Mind” in November 2007 after collaborating with
his other group Caballero-Verde Quintet on the heels of their CD, “Past Due” (which
featured trumpet, bass, drums, percussion and a very young Danny Green). After
that experience Danny felt confident to stretch out with his own piano trio
revealing his love for Brazilian and Latin rhythms that are an integral part of
his sound. In August 2006, Danny attended CA Brazil Camp for the first time and
it was a huge turning point in developing his style. “Working with great artists
there like Marcos Silva and Jovino Santos-Neto, I began to get a sense of how to
make Brazilian music work in a trio setting, and I was exposed to so many
different styles of Brazilian music. I came home from this workshop with new
motivation and began arranging tunes off of recordings for my trio. This process,
more than anything, helped me get deeper into the various styles and influenced
many of the compositions on the CD. As soon as I felt comfortable in a specific
style like baiao for instance, I would set out to write a piece in that style.”
In “With You In Mind” he combines both Brazilian and Latin influences cradled in
mainstream jazz and classical nuances. Aside from "Suite For The Americas (track
10)," all of the pieces on this album are original compositions that he wrote
between Nov 2005 and March 2008. As a composer, he always strives to do
something unique with his music. Even though some of his pieces lean towards
conventional harmony, he manages to include some surprises that he hopes will
enhance the music. “I like my pieces to tell a story by having different
sections, familiar tags, and sometimes different solo sections for each
instrument”.
As a result of Danny’s musical influences his sound comes across to listeners as
a pianistic mixture of Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, Danilo Perez, and Ravel with
original compositions emerging from the sincerity of his soul. Danny understands
the essential nature of jazz and shares his joy with other musicians while
continuing his quest for greater musical accomplishments. “I think more than
anything, the musicians that I play with motivate me to play. I feel fortunate
to work with such great musicians and I always find myself inspired to play when
I'm with them and the constant desire to improve. One of the things I love about
music is that you can always keep aiming higher, and the effort is always worth
it.” Danny Green is definitely a pianist with something to say leading him to a
successful musical future.

DANNY GREEN - WITH YOU IN MIND
(CD-2008)
A flavorful and fresh mix of
Brazilian and Latin Jazz with original composition and great musicianship


more
tracks can be heard on Vinilemania's Radio Channels

DANNY GREEN CABALLERO VERDE
QUINTET - PAST DUE (CD-2005)
"Past Due is a great instrumental
album played by a tight band that every fan of Latin Jazz should own." Original
compositions and arrangements by Danny Green, burning solos, and unmatchable
energy...




