Ted Greene

Despite a modest catalog of recordings, guitar authority Ted Greene earned his lasting reputation chiefly through instruction and theoretical insight. Aspiring jazz guitarists have long treated Chord Chemistry as an essential reference. Born in Los Angeles on September 26, 1946, he took up the instrument at eleven and already performed confidently in high school, frequently joining area R&B ensembles. He enrolled briefly in accounting courses at Cal State Northridge before leaving to concentrate entirely on music. Preferring to support singers rather than front a band, Greene avoided the spotlight and felt constrained by ensemble work. Although in demand for studio sessions, he earned most of his living through private lessons, ultimately publishing four respected volumes: Chord Chemistry, Modern Chord Progressions: Jazz and Classical Voicings for Guitar, and the two-part Jazz Guitar: Single Note Soloing. His only solo album, Solo Guitar, appeared in 1977. Fellow players across genres held him in high regard, yet the wider audience remained largely unaware of him, a situation reinforced by his reluctance to perform live. Described by those who knew him as extremely reserved and modest, he counted jazz guitarist John Pisano among his students while limiting his fee to twenty-five dollars an hour. Greene suffered a fatal heart attack in his Encino, California, apartment on July 25, 2005, at the age of fifty-eight.