Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Jimmy Greene has been hailed as “…one of the most striking young tenors of recent years” by Jazzwise Magazine. A native of Hartford, CT, Greene exhibited at an early age an affinity for music. Getting his musical start under the direction of Jackie McLean, Greene was able to garner his own sense of musical identity and get a firm foundation of the jazz tradition. Greene attended the Hartt School where he graduated in 1997 and moved to New York City to further advance his musical career.
While in New York he played with legendary jazz musicians and groups such as Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Barron, Harry Connick, Jr., Ralph Peterson, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and many others. As a leader Jimmy Greene has recorded five albums to date, the most recent being Gifts and Givers, (Criss Cross) in 2007.
He has been praised for his accomplishments by reviewers and grant organizations alike. Down Beat Magazine recognized Greene as one of “25 Young Rising Stars in Jazz” (June 2006). Greene has been commissioned to compose pieces by the Chamber Music America, the prestigious ASCAP/IAJE Commission in honor of Ornette Coleman and in 2005 he was awarded the Artists Fellowship in Music Composition by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. Jimmy has been a teaching artist at the Litchfield Jazz Camp since 1997. Members of the Jimmy Greene Quartet include Jimmy Greene, saxophone, Xavier Davis on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums.
