Greg was born in 1967 and grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. He began playing clarinet at the age of 12, started playing tenor saxophone at 13, and started working professionally around Chicago at 15. At the 1985 Illinois Music Educator’s Association conference in Peoria, he placed first Tenor Sax for jazz in the state of Illinois. He also started playing flute at 19.

Greg has performed with such legends as The Woody Herman Big Band, The Louie Bellson Big Band, Slide Hampton, Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, Lou Levy, Marian McPartland, Conte Candoli, Ira Sullivan, Clark Terry, Ralph Burns, and Don Menza.

Greg currently performs with the Judy Roberts Quartet (since 1993) with which he performed in Singapore for four months in 1995 and recorded the CD "Circle Of Friends." The Quartet played at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. in 1996 and recorded the CD "In The Moment" in 1999. They performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2000 and 2002 and currently perform frequently around Chicago at the Jazz Showcase and throughout the U.S.A.

Greg is also half of the duo "Two For Brazil," which began on June 10, 1998 when he and Paulinio Garcia were separately invited to play together at a Getz/Gilberto tribute at the Chicago Cultural Center. Though they'd never met, their musical chemistry was instantaneous and people assumed they were already an established duo. They soon became one, going from Chicago clubs to sold-out audiences in China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Japan. In 2001, they also performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival and, much closer to home, won "Best Jazz Entertainers 2001" at the Chicago Music Awards. Two For Brazil performed at the NorthSea Jazz Festival in 2001.

The name "Two for Brazil" has a double meaning: It signifies the group's two members — Paulinio Garcia on vocals and guitar and Greg Fishman on saxophone and flute — as well as their shared fondness for the music of Brazil. It's also a reference to the fact that most Brazilian songs are written in 2/4. Two for Brazil is an acoustic duo whose warm, intimate, direct approach recalls the legendary pairing of João Gilberto and Stan Getz, but they cover a wider range of material — not just the familiar hits by Jobim, but Brazilian songs from the 1920s up to the compositions of the current pantheon: Djavan, Ivan Lins,Edú Lobo, Gilberto Gil, Luiz Bonfá, Toninho Horta, Chico Buarque, and Milton Nascimento. They explore the many styles of samba, as well as the baiao, bossa, and Brazilian waltz. Two for Brazil also embraces the classic jazz repertoire, including Gillespie, Coltrane, Parker, and Monk, an innovative blend that has brought them increasing visibility and acclaim.

When not on tour, Fishman performs at jazz clubs in the Chicago area with a variety of great musicians.

Greg holds a Masters of Music Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois).

Greg also has several published works (all carried by Jamey Aebersold Jazz) including:

Jazz Etude Books:
• " Jazz Saxophone Etudes," published by Greg Fishman Jazz Studios, 2005
• " Jazz Saxophone Duets," published by Greg Fishman Jazz Studios, 2006
• " Jazz Trumpet Duets," published by Greg Fishman Jazz Studios, 2006

Transcription Books:
• " Stan Getz Bossa Novas," published by Hal Leonard, 1998
• " Stan Getz Standards," published by Hal Leonard, 1997
• " Tenor Saxophone Standards," published by Hal Leonard, 1996
• " Stan Getz Solos," published by Hal Leonard, 1993

Visit Greg at gregfishman.com

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