Ken and Nancy Dryden have once again brought a jazz stalwart to the Roland Hayes stage at UTC.

Thursday night it was jazz pianist Benny Green, who played a variety of his own creations as well as some of his favorite composers.

And he told the story of how he set out as a youth to become a member of one of the leading jazz acts of the time, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He memorized their routines and went to as many of their shows as possible.

The soft-spoken musician said he joined Betty Carter's band in April of 1983, then finally got the chance to play with the Messengers when their longtime pianist retired. He told of auditioning along with a host of other talented pianists, including Harry Connick Jr.

Finally, he got the word from Blakey himself to get ready to travel. He was told, "That's as close as you will get to a contract" with Blakey.

Benny Green has had his own trio for many years. But Thursday night he was solo on the local stage, playing his large repertoire without any sheet music in sight.

Earlier on Thursday, he met with UTC music students.

Ken Dryden was the longtime development director for WUTC radio. He began producing the show Timeless Jazz from his personal jazz collection in 1987, utilizing his many rare, out of print recordings and occasional phone interviews with some of his favorite artists. He also has written frequent articles on jazz topics.

Proceeds from ticket sales to the concert went to the Drydens' favorite cause, WUTC.