We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danny Green a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Danny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I first started taking piano lessons at the age of five. I quit around the age of twelve and began teaching myself by ear off of recordings. It wasn’t until college that I began formally studying music again. I became a music major in my third quarter as a freshman at UCSD. There, I studied both classical and jazz piano as well as music theory and a whole host of other music-related subjects. I was extremely fortunate to study privately with Kamau Kenyatta. Prior to studying with him, everything I knew about playing jazz was based on what I could learn from recordings. Kamau taught me so much about playing jazz, exposed me to some incredible artists, gave me all the encouragement I needed, and also was always there for any music business related questions. After college, I spend the next five years playing in the jazz scene. In that time, I began studying privately with Rick Helzer, and I also began attending a yearly summer program called Brazil Camp. There, I got to study with some of the greatest musicians from Brazil. In 2009, I enrolled in the Jazz Studies Master’s program at San Diego State University, and I completed the degree in 2011.

Outside of formal training, I learned so much from playing music with so many great players, both in the San Diego music scene and on the road. Just like most fields, there’s no substitution for experience in music, and to this day, I’m still learning all the time.

I loved music back in middle school and in high school, but I had a very staunch attitude about wanting to be completely self-taught I also had very narrow interests in music at the time. Had I been more open to instruction and had I listened to a wider variety of music (it was literally nothing but Nirvana in middle school), I think I would have learned a lot quicker. Other than my own narrow-mindedness at the time, I was fortunate not to have too many obstacles in becoming a professional musician. My parents were very supportive and I had access to some amazing resources.

There are so many skills that are essential to becoming a successful jazz musician. We need to gain technical facility on our instruments, learn a daunting amount of chords and scales, master jazz theory, memorize well over a hundred songs, learn how to improvise, play with a deep sense of groove, interact musically with other musicians, learn a variety of styles, and the list goes on. It can definitely sound overwhelming, but as long as you remain curious, open, and motivated, the learning process is a ton a fun and the rewards are all worth the work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a pianist, composer, and music educator. I mainly perform in the jazz genre, but I love to play classical piano at home as well as music by the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and other popular artists. I first started playing professionally around the age of 19 at retirement homes and coffee shops. Soon after, I started making connections in San Diego with other musicians and began playing a mix of restaurant gigs, concerts, and private events. I have been doing that ever since, but these days, I’ve added a lot more into what I do including touring, teaching, recording, and arranging music (writing sheet music) for other groups.

I have a trio called the Danny Green Trio, which has been together since 2010. The group features bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm. We have recorded four albums albums of all original music, two of which included string quartet joining the trio. We have toured all over the United States and in Canada, and our music has been played on jazz radio stations across the globe. I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished as a trio, and feel so fortunate for all the wonderful opportunities we’ve had to share our music.

A somewhat newer project of ours is a band called LP And The Vinyl. It’s the same musicians that are in the trio, in addition to a wonderful vocalist named Leonard Patton. We play a mix of pop songs reimagined with modern jazz elements, original songs, and jazz standards. It’s an incredibly fun group, and our wonderful booking agent, Marian Liebowitz, has been able to book us all over the United States. We released our first album in April 2020 (right when the world shut down). It’s called Heard And Seen.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is that I get to wake up everyday and do something I love. There’s always room to grow as a musician and there are endless avenues of inspiration out there, so there’s always a sense of self-discovery going on. Beyond just getting to do what I love though, it’s really cool to know that what I do has a positive impact in the world. I’ve had several people tell me that a particular song of mine helped them through a hard time, I’ve had other musicians tell me that my music has influenced their music, and I’ve received so much support and encouragement along the way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Over the years, I’ve gotten questions from audience members like, “Do you do music full time,” “What else do you do to make a living,” or comments like, “That must be really hard making a living as a musician.” I’ve heard these questions and comments posed to many other musicians as well, so I know I’m not alone. Sometimes the comments can seem a bit offensive or insensitive, but I think it’s mostly that people who don’t work in the arts and who don’t know many or any artists just don’t know what a life in the arts is like.

I think every musician has their own way of making their living through music. For me, what’s worked best has been being able to do as many things as possible. This means playing concerts and private events, both as a leader and as a side-man, teaching privately as well as in schools, writing sheet music for others, recording, and selling albums. Aside from all these paid activities, there’s a lot more work that goes on behind the scenes. This includes practicing, composing, marketing on social media, lining up work, contracting musicians for gigs, booking transportation and accommodations for tours, and the list goes on. It has been said quite often that being a musician is like running your own small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dannygreen.net
• Instagram: instagram.com/dannygreensd
• Facebook: facebook.com/dannygreenmusic
• Twitter: twitter.com/dannygreensd
• Youtube: youtube.com/dannygreensd

Image Credits
Chris Wojdak Robert Sanchez Sasha Israel Darci Fontenot