Neranenah presents Atlanta concert celebrating seminal jazz promoter Norman Granz

The name Norman Granz isn’t familiar to most people, though he was among the most important figures in the history of jazz. Granz took jazz out of clubs and brought it to the concert hall stage. He was manager to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, founded Verve Records, and created “Jazz at the Philharmonic.” He also was passionate about his commitment to equality and active in the Civil Rights Movement. An elite trio of jazz musicians — Benny Green, John Clayton, and Jeff Hamilton — will pay tribute to Norman Granz on April 28 in the Rich Auditorium of the Woodruff Arts Center. Oscar Peterson’s daughter, Céline, will emcee the program, which is presented by Neranenah, formerly the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. The celebrated jazz pianist Benny Green joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to talk more about the event and his friendships with some of the biggest jazz legends.

What to expect at Thursday’s concert:

“John Clayton, who’s very much a musical son of Ray Brown, and Jeff Hamilton, who played alongside me and Ray Brown’s trio as well as having played in and recorded with Oscar Peterson himself, we’re going to be featuring primarily music and arrangements by Ray Brown … and some by Oscar Peterson,” said Green.