Benny Green Trio at the Bird
he
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---HOME
