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Benny Green Trio at the Bird

BY LARS BJÖRN

The Benny Green trio appeared at the Bird of Paradise in Ann Arbor the first weekend of December, and I had the pleasure of attending opening night, December first. Green's present trio consists of guitarist Randy Napoleon, who attended Ann Arbor Community High and the University of Michigan, and bassist Brandon Owen, a 20-year old from Los Angeles. The group was on a brief Midwestern tour after playing a few engagements in their home in the Big Apple.

The group has a repertoire and style reminiscent of the Nat Cole trio, but without the vocals and with a little more bebop. The latter should not be surprising, since we are now close to the sixtieth anniversary of the birth of bebop, and stylistic revivals are the tenor of the today. Green is, of course, not the only one harking back to the music of Cole (but his contemporary Diana Krall holds the additional advantages of singing and of striking looks).

Green's stage appearance has changed considerably since I saw him with Ray Brown. He now sports long hair and chews gum. I will leave it to People magazine to speculate on his motivations for these changes.

One of Green's strongest musical influences is Oscar Peterson, coming closer than many to Peterson's combination of technical prowess and swing. Parker's "Dewey Square" was a good example of this side of Green's playing. On the opener, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," and on "Five O'Clock Whistle," the influence of Cole's piano style was more apparent. Green's choice not to amplify the bass and the piano placed the trio squarely in the swing era.

It was very gratifying to see Randy Napoleon perform with someone of Green's technical caliber. He kept up on the fast numbers and pulled off a number of relaxed and melodic solos — for example on "The Sunny Side of the Street" and "Dedicated to You." Brandon Owens also did well, both as an accompanist and a soloist.

Above (from left): Randy Napoleon, Brandon Owen, Benny Green

photograph by Lars Björn


I N - T H I S - I S S U E :
1. BIRD OF PARADISE ORCHESTRA---2. PARKWOOD RECORDS
3. RECORD REVIEWS---4. BENNY GREEN TRIO
5. SWINGING WITH THE SPIRITS
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