Herman Green performed two shows with RatDog over the weekend during the final dates of the group’s fall tour. The saxophone player, who has sat in with the band on a few occasions over the past few years, typically when RatDog routes through his home state of Tennessee, appeared with the band on Friday at the New Daisy Theater in Memphis (sitting in for, among other songs, a run that included ‘Bird Song,’ ‘Ashes and Glass,’ ‘Slipknot!,’ and ‘Franklin’s Tower’ and on Saturday at the House of Blues in New Orleans (for a number of tunes including ‘Dark Star).
Green is an artist who bridged the world of jazz and blues. For instance, in the 1950’s he moved from a stint in BB King’s group to a steady gig in the Blackhawk house band which resulted in collaborations with John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Modern Jazz Quartet. In addition from 1958-1967 he toured with Lionel Hampton. Green also participated in numerous sessions at Sun Records and Stax over the years. He recently appeared on Jimmy Vaughan’s Grammy winning Do You Get the Blues?.