Burton Greene (born June 14, 1937 - died June 28, 2021 in Amsterdam, Nether… Read Full Bio ↴Burton Greene (born June 14, 1937 - died June 28, 2021 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) was a free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He has explored a variety of genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.
Greene rose to popularity during the 1960s on New York's free jazz scene, gigging with well-known musicians which included Alan Silva and Marion Brown, among a host of others. With Alan Silva he formed the Free Form Improvisation Ensemble in 1963.[1] He joined Bill Dixon's and Cecil Taylor's Jazz Composers Guild in 1964, and also played with a number of other artists, including Rashied Ali, Albert Ayler, Gato Barbieri, Byard Lancaster, Sam Rivers, Patty Waters, and others. During this time, he recorded two albums under his own name for ESP-Disk.
He moving to Asia and Europe in 1969.
Since then he was living in Amsterdam and played with such Dutch musicians as Maarten Altena and Willem Breuker. During the 1980s he began exploring the Klezmer tradition in groups such as Klezmokum (along with Perry Robinson) and The Klezzthetics.
In 1999, Green also worked and recorded with Lou Grassi and Wilber Morris and in 2003 he performed reunion concerts with Patty Waters in New York and the UK.
[edit]Select discography

Live at Grasland
Burton Greene Quartet
Re-Jew-Venation
Jew-azzic Park
Calistrophy
[edit]References

^ Kelsey, Chris. Burton Greene Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
[edit]External links

http://www.burtongreene.com
http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magazine/interviews/greene.html
http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/NaradaBurtonGreene.html

Breed
Burton Greene Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
Care if it's old

I don't mind

I don't mind
I don't mind
I don't mind
I don't mind
Mind, don't have a mind

Get away
Get away
Get away
Get away
Away, away from your home

I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
Afraid, afraid of a ghost

Even if you have
Even if you need
I don't mean to stare
We don't have to breed
We could plant a house
We could build a tree
I don't even care
We could have all three
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said

I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
Care if it's old

I don't mind
I don't mind
I don't mind
I don't mind
I don't mind
Mind, I don't have a mind

Get away
Get away
Get away
Get away
Away, away from your home

I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
I'm afraid
Afraid, afraid of a ghost

Even if you have
Even if you need
I don't mean to stare
We don't have to breed
We can plant a house
We can build a tree
I don't even care
We could have all three
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said

Even if you have
Even if you need
I don't mean to stare
We don't have to breed
We can plant a house
We can build a tree
I don't even care
We could have all three
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said
She said

She said
She said, good!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Burton Greene's song Breed are somewhat enigmatic, but they convey a sense of detachment and disinterest. The repetition of "I don't care" and "I don't mind" suggests a lack of emotional involvement, while the line "mind, don't have a mind" implies a sense of apathy or perhaps even nihilism. The chorus, which declares "We don't have to breed / We can plant a house / We can build a tree / I don't even care / We could have all three," seems to reject traditional notions of family and procreation in favor of a more individualistic, creative approach to life.

The verses also contain a sense of unease or fear, with the repeated line "I'm afraid of a ghost" suggesting the presence of something spectral or intangible that is threatening or unsettling. However, this fear does not seem to prevent the singer from pursuing their detached, self-focused perspective. Overall, the lyrics to Breed suggest a complex mix of apathy, creativity, and fear that combine to create a somewhat unsettling and enigmatic mood.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't care
My indifference towards the situation

Care if it's old
Age doesn't matter to me

I don't mind
My acceptance of the situation

Mind, don't have a mind
I have no preference or opinion

Get away
Distance myself

Away, away from your home
Leave your safe space

I'm afraid
My fear of the situation

Afraid, afraid of a ghost
My fear of the unknown

Even if you have
Regardless of what you possess

Even if you need
Regardless of what you lack

I don't mean to stare
I'm not trying to be intrusive