FACES ’93 : Some Names to Be Reckoned With in the New Year : JAZZ

Ahhh, a new year and so many unknowns: Will Jay, Dave and Johnny be genetically spliced to produce the Ultimate Talk Show Host? Will the Yuppie-in-Chief name Stevie Nicks to run the NEA? Who will Sinead pick as her tag team partner against Madonna and the Pope? Will the activist group AWOE (Actresses With One Eyebrow) demand that one of them be chosen to play Frida Kahlo? Oh well, frivolity aside, one thing is certain: You’ll be hearing these names and seeing these faces in the next 365.

Benny Green

Steeped in classical and jazz traditions from childhood, this 29-year-old pianist played in the Bay area before moving to New York 10 years ago where he worked with singer Betty Carter and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers before launching his own trio. A technically brilliant and consistently creative soloist, he won wide acclaim in 1992 for his “Testifyin’ ” album. This year should see continued artistic and commercial growth for the instrumentalist-composer.