Benny Green: Renovation

There are pianists who play solo because they have something to prove, and then there are pianists like Benny Green, who have nothing to prove and regard the absence of a rhythm section as an invitation. On Renovation, his first live solo recording, Green seems to be enjoying himself.  Most of these 13 performances were recorded before an audience at Dizzy's Club in New York City and have the immediacy of an artist thinking out loud, taking a musical idea wherever his fingers and imagination lead.

Green has spent a lifetime learning what makes jazz move. His associations with Ray Brown, Art Blakey and Oscar Peterson, among many others, have left their mark. But he has never been content to carry someone else's tradition forward. What comes through on this outing is a pianist with a well-developed sense of swing, a percussive touch, and the instinct to make even the most complex harmonic excursions sound natural.

"For Duke Pearson" is the first of two tracks recorded at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, CA, and is named after the late hard-bop pianist. It is a perfect way to begin. Green shapes the melody with affection before letting his right hand wander into improvisation Pearson himself might have appreciated. "Constitutional" is the opening track from Dizzy's Club. This tune is a little more muscular, with Green's left hand laying down the rhythmic foundation and the right hand snapping out phrases with unerring precision.

Cedar Walton was a post-bop master pianist with an unmistakable personal stamp, and he is given his due on "Cedar Would." The number begins with Green building complex structures into luminous beauty. He then segues into a series of single-note runs and big chords that showcase his technique and exploratory temperament.

At the heart of this recital, Green approaches familiar jazz and popular material with the same blend of respect and curiosity as his own compositions. On Bobby Timmons's "This Here," he comes out swinging, with the blues feeling firmly intact and robust piano acrobatics. Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly" gives him ample harmonic room to manoeuvre, and he takes advantage of it without losing the melody. The Hoagy Carmichael-Frank Loesser lovely ballad "Two Sleepy People" receives a gentle but unhurried reading, evident in Green's great touch and self-assured delivery. "Blues For Junior," written by Ray Brown, ticks along with an easygoing, bluesy grace that suits the wistfulness the tune implies. The pianist-singer Matt Denis along with lyricist Tom Adair, wrote "The Night We Called It a Day," which is handled with restraint that establishes the mood and structure of the number and lets Green's fingers do the talking.

From the beginning of the album, one can hear the pianist taking stock, opening things up, and discovering something new in his surroundings. With an audience listening closely, every note matters, and Green has plenty to say.

For the closer, "Ernie's Uncle," Green returns to the Piedmont Piano Company, bringing a relaxed self-assurance to the proceedings. His playing sparkles with warmth and swing. One reason this recording is so appealing is that Green does not sound as though he is demonstrating what a solo pianist can do. He is simply playing.