Season 7 Episode 12 Benny Green PT 2

Well, I'm sure it has to be incredible feedback to you because you're playing on this album, Renovation, a really wonderful mix of original composition and that of others like Bobby Timmons and Hoagy Carmichael, Ray Brown.

You've got Matt Dennis and so on.

But what was interesting in listening to the album, one of the songs, and correct me if I'm wrong, that I thought... really drew the audience in and gave them a sense of pure joy was when you played the song Wiggin'.

At the end of that song, they were going crazy.

Well, I should explain that I went to each audience member and gave them a little monetary tip before the show.

Just kidding.

I kind

of thought, yeah.

Oh,

well, thank you.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

As I said, these songs aren't just theoretical forays.

They're really my babies, and I put my heart and soul into them.

And wonderful thing about composition, because I'm presently writing a book, and I really see parallels between the two.

is when you write music, you can really take your time in editing and just considering what the songs are saying, what the original motivation and inspiration for a particular song is, and being true to that in your note choices.

Benny Golson once asked me a provocative question.

He said, Benny, do you know what melodies are? I said, please tell me, Mr.

Golson.

He said, there are intervals.

He said, and with those intervals, with the distance between notes, Mr. Golson said, you can affect a person.

You can affect their thoughts.

You can affect their breathing.

You can even affect their heart rate.

So he said, you want to choose those intervals very carefully.

and so really that's what these songs are in a sense i have if it's a portrait of a certain musician or a certain kind of emotion or experience that i want to convey through a swinging melody i can take my time in the compositional process and really just choose the notes and harmonies that best paint that picture.