mick green
Mick was inspired to play the tenor sax by hearing the sax solos on Little Richard and other rock and roll records, but had to wait until he was 18 before he could afford to buy one. He was awakened to the possibilities of the saxophone in jazz by listening to Gerry Mulligan and Sonny Rollins records. Realising that there was more to it than 'pick it up and blow', he began lessons with Charles Chapman in Ealing, London in 1962. Discovering the music of Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman and Evan Parker led to an interest in free playing. He played in various bands in London and Brighton from 1965-1973.
In 1973 he moved to Torquay, Devon where he worked in various commercial bands playing in hotels and holiday camps in Devon and Sussex where he met Bob Martin. He moved to Totnes where he joined the Devon based pianist/composer Lewis Riley’s Workshop Band in 1980 and the Lewis Riley Quartet with Coach York in 1982.
From 1981 – 1984, to escape from the holiday camps, he studied at Dartington College of Arts where he gained a BA (Hons) degree in Composition (under Professor Frank Denyer), and Jazz Performance. He also studied shakuhachi with Yoshikazu Iwamoto. During this time he performed with Jim and Mary Fulkerson’s Dance Alliance and recorded with Lewis Riley, Sam Richards, and Corridor 38. He has played in various bands in Devon including the Three-way Street, Dr Wu!, Upsticks, the Totnes Jazz Collective Big Band, Good Time Jazz and various ensembles led by, and in a duo with pianist/composer Sam Richards. He also plays soprano and alto sax with various New Orleans style bands in the South Devon area.
Currently he performs and teaches in South Devon.
