Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Jimmy Greene has emerged as a positive young presence in the creative music world. His solo recordings, The Overcomers' Suite (NuJazz), Gifts and Givers (Criss Cross), True Life Stories (Criss Cross), Forever (Criss Cross), Brand New World (RCA Victor) and Introducing Jimmy Greene (Criss Cross) have been met with much critical acclaim. In fact, Tony Hall of Jazzwise Magazine calls Greene “ . . .without doubt one of the most striking young tenors of recent years.”
Greene’s most recent release, Gifts and Givers, captures him in a variety of settings, and is the first recording of Greene's that features another saxophonist, manifest in the person of gifted tenorist Marcus Strickland. Joining them are the dynamic duo of Eric Harland and Reuben Rogers (both members of Jimmy's quartet), and the sizeable talents of pianist Danny Grissett and guitarist Mike Moreno. Gifts and Givers offers a fresh take on the "twin-tenor" tradition, and features Greene's original compositions and arrangements of songs written by several jazz greats. Reviewer Joel Roberts dubs Gifts and Givers " and impressive outing," and states that "it's probably time to cast aside labels like "up-and-coming" and "rising star" when describing Jimmy Greene. As Gifts and Givers makes clear, the Connecticut-born saxophonist has definitely arrived."
As a composer, Greene has received several recent honors. He won the prestigious 2005 ASCAP / IAJE Commission in honor of Ornette Coleman. The resulting composition was premiered by Jimmy’s quartet at the 2006 IAJE Conference in New York. In addition, Greene was named a 2004 Winner of Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Presentation grant for jazz composition, and awarded a 2005 Artist Fellowship in Music Composition by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Over 30 of Greene’s original compositions and arrangements have been recorded on the RCA Victor and Criss Cross labels.
The Jimmy Greene Quartet performs regularly at New York jazz venues like the Village Vanguard, Smoke, Jazz Standard, Birdland, and the Jazz Gallery, as well as festivals and club venues throughout the United States. In one such appearance, Jim Macnie of the Village Voice said, “[Greene] is good for a couple of body chills every time you see him. He’s got a big barrelhouse sound, and a way of negotiating changes that make academic moves seem natural.” The quartet's international touring schedule has included highly acclaimed performances in Russia, Brazil, and Uruguay.
In addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader, Greene appears on 55 albums as a sideman, and has performed and/or recorded in the bands of Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Harry Connick, Jr., Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Steve Turre, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. As a member of Harrell’s quintet, Greene appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2002. As a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band, Greene is a featured soloist on 2 DVDs, “Harry for the Holidays,” and “Only You.” He was featured as a soloist on Connick’s 2003 holiday special aired on NBC, in addition to NBC’s Today Show, and BBC’s Parkinson Show.
Jimmy was named First Runner-Up in the prestigious 1996 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, and was named on of the “25 Young Rising Stars in Jazz” by DownBeat Magazine in 1999. Greene graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Hartt School in 1997, and studied with Jackie McLean, Dave Santoro, Kris Jensen, Steve Davis, Ken Radnofsky and Dave Liebman. He currently teaches at Purchase College - SUNY, the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and the Hartt School, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees. Greene performs in the music ministry of his church, Glory Chapel International Cathedral.
