While many parents have to force their kids to practice piano, Danny Green’s folks couldn’t pry his fingers from the keyboard. However the Southern California native discontinued lessons at age 12 and taught himself by ear. After a couple of years woodshedding songs by Nirvana, he came under the spell of Afro-Cuban music. That led him to Brazilian music, then jazz, which he studied formally at University of California San Diego. The pianist has since won acclaim for his recordings, earning space in the Top 20 on the Jazz Week Charts and accolades such as San Diego Music Award’s Best Jazz Album for his 2008 release With You In Mind. Green and his trio mates, bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm, followed that success with their latest recording After the Calm (OA2). The set of 10 Green compositions covers a spectrum of moods and styles, including the lively, stride-influenced “Two Ways About It” and the spirited Brazilian-rhythmic foray “Choro Pra Corrente.” The opening cut and our selection, “End of the Block,” is equally extroverted. Green and his cohorts take a brisk walk through the neighborhood and seem to be enjoying the scenery.
This article appeared in the Spring 2015 Jazziz magazine.
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