If you’re in the market for a mainstream jazz pianist, Benny Green has a hell of a CV. Since his emergence in the eighties, he’s logged time with Ray Brown, Betty Carter, Oscar Peterson, Freddie Hubbard, Arnett Cobb, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He’s also got a good three decades of work as a leader, primarily a trio. But, since the early ‘aughts, Green has also become one of the twenty-first century’s premier solo pianists. Recorded live, Renovation! bears this out with a set of delightful performances. With every block chord and rolling riff, Green sounds relaxed and confident, playing like he’s been soaking in both swing and the blues for his entire life. The hopping groove of “Seoul Station” finds him in a playful mode, while he shifts moodier for a tranquil cover of the Doris Day*/*Frank Sinatra chestnut “The Night We Called It a Day.” He also pays tribute to some formative influences, nodding to Cedar Walton on “Cedar Would,” his old employer Brown on the bassist’s “Blues For Junior,” and underrated pianist and composer Duke Pearson on, naturally, “For Duke Pearson.” Jaunty here, melancholy there, and always soulful, Green takes his audience to school on the art of old-fashioned jazz piano.
