Contemporary Jazz Archives

My musical journey began by playing the trumpet in Elementary and Jr. High School. In the seventh grade I made the transition over to the Tuba. The fact was that everyone else played the trumpet too and there was a great need for someone to play the Tuba. That is where I started and fell in love with the foundation of the bass and how very important it was to the overall sound of music in general. I started playing the electric bass when I was 14 years old and my first instructor was Mr. Dan Bowens. I continued my musical journey at Suitland Sr. High School and at Prince Georges Community College. I am also one of the founding fathers of the popular 1980’s Go-Go band named Ayre Rayde. We played in and around the Washington, DC area for about 10 years. That is where I truly learned the essence of funk and the importance of locking in the groove with the drummer. I am also a managing partner and the bass guitarist for Phaze II. Phaze II is a six-piece contemporary jazz band that has been performing together in and around the Washington, DC area for close to 20 years. Phaze II was chosen the winners of the 2005 Capital Jazz Challenge Competition. This competition was held at the 13th Annual Capital Jazz Festival in Columbia, MD. We were the house band for the Catch a Rising Star Showcase at the Capital Jazz Festival where I served as the Music Director. I am also the bassist at Victory Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Arlington, VA and St. Matthews Baptist Church in Capitol Heights, MD. In 2008, I had the honor of playing for Pope Benedict in front of about 60,000 people at Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC. In 2010, I had the opportunity to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for three months and perform with Hajji & the Jump Street Band. I also served as MD for the legendary Regina Belle and in 2016 had the opportunity to travel to South Africa with Regina and legendary The Manhattans. These were three life changing experiences that I will never forget. I have also had the privilege of working with such great artist as; Regina Belle, Kenny Lattimore, El DeBarge, Frank McComb, The Softones, The Intruders, CeCe Peniston, MeL’isa Morgan, Paul Taylor, Club Nouveau, Matthew Whitaker, Conya Doss, Bob Baldwin, Tim Bowman, Tony Exum Jr., Dee Lucas, Keith Killgo, Ricky Wellman, Lori Jenaire, Marcus Anderson, BK Jackson, Althea Rene, Gail Jhonson, Oli Silk, Lynn Fiddmont, Kevin Whalum, Cindy Bradley, Jackiem Joyner, Lin Roundtree, Special Occasions, NexXzit, Youthful Spirits, The Men for Christ, and the late Sam Smith along with countless other artist. I would like to thank my loving parents Elbert & Mary Norton for all of your love and support. A very special thank you to my queen Ramona for being my number one fan! To the Parker family & my VTMBC family thanks for always being there for me! Most of all I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with the ability and having the privilege to make the beautiful sound of music

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William Green is an extraordinary musical artist that captures and expresses the sentiments of a generation. He is continuously expanding his horizons to make an impact on society by creating a union between music and life. Through his music, he has allowed different genres of contemporary jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and gospel to integrate into a new and unique form. In celebration of 40 years in the music industry and a ‘thank you’ to his fans and newcomers, the legendary jazz icon recently held a special 40th anniversary celebration at City Winery Atlanta and performed before a sold-out crowd.
A full-time musician, composer, songwriter and producer, Green is passionate about his piano, and he puts his heart and soul into his performances. He delivers funky, upbeat, soulful and contemporary jazz sounds, and exudes unforgettable stage appeal and showmanship. He possesses one of those rare, “instant classic” voices — forceful, yet gentle. Green’s music is beautiful, lyrically refreshing, vocally and melodically unique, timeless, rich and jazzy. His previous three albums, possessed an exceptionally well-composed body of original songs, written and produced by Green. “I pride myself on creating timeless music that can be shared with the world for a lifetime. It’s important to me to create timeless music because of recognizing the lack of musical integrity that now exists in the music industry,” says Green. He has written and produced for numerous artists.
Green has showcased his charismatic charm and keyboard mastery with audiences around the world (Japan, Europe, Africa), while performing nationally with acclaimed artists such as Boney James, Tom Brown, Earl Klugh, Roy Ayers, Mindi Abair, Peabo Bryson, Cameo, Valerie Simpson, Kenny Lattimore, Melba Moore, Jennifer Holiday, Jean Carne, the sons of Otis Redding (military tour), BB King All-Star Band and Curtis Mayfield. He also had the privilege of appearing with, Susan Tedeschi, as the opening act for the Rolling Stones, opened for Spyro Gyra and The Yellow Jackets. Green was selected as one of the performing artists at the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival. In addition, he was co-host of the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival Session. He has also performed at the Capital Jazz Festival in the nation’s capitol. Green has performed with his band, The Magic Dream Band, at

the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre, performed to a sold-out show at City Winery Atlanta (and was asked to come back the same night of his original show for a show two months later), Cafe 290, Satchmo’s Jazz Cafe, Sambucca Jazz, St. James Live, Arizona’s, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and numerous venues and private events in the Atlanta jazz circuit and on the East Coast.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, the extraordinaire pianist/singer/songwriter grew up with music all around him, and Green’s love affair with the piano was obvious at an early age. “As a child growing up, I listened to Gospel, Pop, Soul and Jazz music. My parents didn’t play music, but they allowed me to play music,” says Green. “Some of my influences include Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Joe Sample, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones.”

He added, “I played throughout high school and college. I learned by ear on my own. Then, I took piano lessons while in grammar school. Once I attended high school, I then learned music theory and composition. Once I entered college, I learned how to perform musically… William graduated from Chicago Vocational High, where he learned how to read, write and compose music. He later furthered his education at Morehouse College and Georgia State University majoring in Commercial Music.

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