In a world torn by strife, change and instability, broadcaster Larry Green is a constant and assuring presence in the lives of Torontonians who have never even met him.
Larry Green
They know Green by virtue of his status as one of Toronto’s most popular radio hosts.
Green, a seasoned pro, is the host of two shows on Jazz FM 91 – Afternoon Drive and Jazzology, which are respectively broadcast on weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and on Thursdays from 9 to 10 p.m.
Green’s silky smooth voice, soothing down-home manner and effortless expertise are much appreciated .
“Larry contributes to the station on so many levels,” said Ross Porter, the president and chief executive officer of Jazz FM. “As a veteran broadcaster, he is a valuable resource for all that works here. His knowledge of jazz is encyclopedic. Larry’s relaxed, easy-to-talk-to manner makes him a natural host.”
Not surprisingly, Green has enjoyed his eight-year gig at one of North America’s première jazz stations.
“I love what I do,” said Green, who was born and raised in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood. “I’m happy.”
Green’s infectious personality shines through, whether he introducing a Sonny Rollins recording, waxing reverentially on Oscar Peterson or throwing in a Yiddish word or two.
Beyond this, listeners are always struck by Green’s familiarity with the music he adores.
“Music has been a major part of my life,” said Green, who played the saxophone in a band and took lessons with two of Canada’s greatest musicians, Moe Kaufman and Morris Weinsweig.
Green, 69, the only child of Polish Jews, picked up an interest in music in general and in jazz in particular in Kensington Market.
“It was very multicultural, with different musical influences,” he said.
He did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Fred Greenstein, his father, barely made ends meet.
“He did various and sundry things,” Green recalled in an interview at one of his favourite restaurants in the Beaches, where he currently lives. “He had a tough life.”
Had fate not intervened, Green may have gone on to be a professional musician.
He was flying high as a saxophonist in a band that played at Ontario Jewish resorts when he was involved in a car accident in which he broke his jaw.
Sidelined as a musician, Green – a graduate of Talmud Torah and Oakwood Collegiate – took what jobs were available.
He worked in a supermarket and then landed a position in the mailroom of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
University never beckoned, since he could not afford the tuition fees and associated costs. “I couldn’t afford it. We were not a rich family.”
Green’s days as a mailboy did not last long. Del Mott, a CBC announcer, liked Green and took him under his wing.
“He thought I was made for more than a mailroom,” he said.
Mott arranged a job for Green at a Niagara Falls, Ont., radio station that billed itself as “the station at the edge of the nation.”
He stayed for two years, while living in a room with only a bed and a hot plate. He hosted a rhythm and blues show, and learned how to run specialized equipment.
“I also learned to be careful about what I said on air.”
After Niagara Falls, Green worked for stations in Oshawa, Guelph, Penticton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, honing his skills as a radio personality.
Lured by the bright lights of America, Green went to work for K-Jazz in San Francisco, still the pre-eminent jazz station in the United States.
Much to his regret, he had to leave far sooner than expected, sent packing back to Canada as an illegal worker.
For the next decade, Green earned his livelihood at CHUM FM in Toronto. He was a jack-of-all trades, doing the afternoon show and writing commercials and promotions.
“I learned how to write and that was a real skill to my benefit.”
Unable to advance into the ranks of management, Green quit, landing up as the marketing manager of a local record company.
Always on the look out for better opportunities, Green jumped ship when Warner Brothers hired him as its national promotion manager.
In this capacity, he was in charge of, among other things, promoting releases from Atlantic Records.
“They utilized my experience in radio,” said Green. “I was a perfect candidate for the job.”
Staying at Warner Brothers for 16 years, his longest-lasting job, Green made a name for himself in the industry.
Subsequently, he was an operations manager and program director for Telemedia, a Quebec-based company, and a booking agent for radio and television talent.
He also hosted a music show on Citytv and a kids’ program on CBC-TV, and taught at Humber College.
One day, out of the blue, he received a call from Jazz FM. Broadcaster Ted O’Reilly had just left and someone had to fill his shoes.
Green seemed like a good fit.
“I don’t script anything in advance,” he said. “I ad lib. And that’s what jazz is. There’s a lot to talk about. Sometimes, I have to pull myself back if I’m too wordy. Basically, I want to be an entertaining guy playing music.”
On occasion, he blurts out Yiddish words such as gatkes and bris. “I never plan it. It just comes out.”
Green neither selects the music nor the guests he interviews.
“Very rarely do radio hosts have control over these things,” he explained. “Sure, I sometimes feel constrained, but I’m a professional and can work with the system. That’s the honest answer. But I have the ability to make suggestions, and more often than not they accept them. It’s not a closed door. I have room to negotiate.”
Although he has been complimented for his mellifluous voice, Green is skeptical. “I don’t think I have a great, deep, classic radio voice. Most people think I sound like Regis Philbin.”
Green, who has been single since his divorce in the 1980s, wants to be known as a nice, regular guy to whom an audience can relate.
“That’s the kind of a relationship I want to have with my listeners,” he said.
Judging by his shows on Jazz FM, he has already accomplished this objective.