Benny Green is a unique phenomenon. His original compositions and piano playing has had a big influence on me, and he is a constant source of inspiration for many musicians and audiences around the world as a true “Jazz Messenger”.

Benny Green draws his inspiration from very distinct and seemingly distant personalities in Jazz: he has studied and played with the great master Oscar Peterson, and is able to play in his exhilaratingly fast and virtuosic style, but has also played and studied under Art Blakey, whose group cultivated a very different and idiomatic style, rooted in blues with a strong African character. In his vast repertoire of live and recorded music, Benny Green has seamlessly blended these two schools, and those versed in Jazz history and tradition can enjoy listening and recognizing different elements coming together with excellent taste and superb musicianship. Benny Green is very candid and often shares his personal story and perspective, and it seems that he truly takes it as his personal responsibility to carry on this great musical tradition and share it with as many people as he can, which is especially admirable and powerful to me.

Among his many composition that I like and have researched, this is a short and fun one that has caught my attention, called “The Sexy Mexy”. It was recorded in a different version, but this transcription is from the live version below at the ‘96 Bern Jazz festival. This transcription is great because it’s short and easy but has lots of cool chords and rhythm elements, and it’s very reminiscent of the great Horace Silver, the very first pianist “Jazz Messenger”. Enjoy!