(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 21, 2003

(Mahwah) – Two well-respected jazzmen, Benny Green on piano and Russell Malone on guitar – who recently released a live tribute album to the late jazz bassist Ray Brown – will appear Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. in Ramapo College’s Sharp Theater.

Their tribute album, Jazz at the Bistro, features 15 tracks including Thelonius Monk’s Ask Me Now,” and John Coltrane’s Moment’s Notice/Lazy Bird.” The CD features two original compositions, Green’s Quiet Girl,” and Malone’s “Hand-Told Stories.”

During summer 2001, Malone and Green performed as a duo for the first time at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. Malone recently toured with vocalist/pianist Diana Krall, who has released two Grammy-nominated albums. Benny Green has paid his dues in the bands of Art Blakey, Betty Carter and Freddie Hubbard.

Benny Green was born in New York in 1963, raised in Berkeley, Calif., and began studying classical piano at age seven. He was introduced to jazz by his father at age seven. He has recorded with Betty Carter and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, toured with Freddie Hubbard, and eventually became a member of Ray Brown’s trio in 1992. In 1993, Green was selected as the first recipient of Toronto’s Glenn Gould International Protégé Prize.

Other CDs issued by Green include Oscar and Benny, released in 1998 and featuring Oscar Peterson; Naturally, released in 2000 featuring Malone and bassist Christian McBride; and Green’s Blues, released in 2001, a collection of classics by jazz greats including Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.

A versatile guitarist, Russell Malone started playing music at the age of five. His first lessons came at church in his hometown of Albany, Georgia. Influenced by everything from swing, rhythm and blues, and gospel to rock, cabaret, and country music, Malone was recognized for his work with Jimmy Smith’s band in the 1980s. Throughout the ’90s, Malone was a solo artist as well as a vital session player for such high-profile artists as Krall, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr. and Ray Brown.

Malone’s CDs include a self-titled debut album released in 1992, followed by Black Butterfly in 1993, Wholly Cats in 1995, Sweet Georgia Peach in 1998, Look Who’s Here in 1999, and his latest, Heartstrings, in 2001.

Tickets are $21 for general admission, $18 for seniors, and $12 for students with a valid I.D. The Sharp Theater is located in the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts on the Ramapo College campus. For information or to order tickets, call (201) 684-7844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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