Ray Bryant
Although he could always play bop, Ray Bryant's playing combined together older elements (including blues, boogie-woogie, gospel, and even stride) into a distinctive, soulful, and swinging style; no one played "After Hours" quite like him. The younger brother of bassist Tommy Bryant and the uncle of Kevin and Robin Eubanks (his sister is their mother), Bryant started his career playing with Tiny Grimes in the late '40s. He became the house pianist at The Blue Note in Philadelphia in 1953, where he backed classic jazz greats (including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Lester Young) and made important contacts. He accompanied Carmen McRae (1956-1957), recorded with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival (taking a brilliant solo on an exciting version of "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me"), and played with Jo Jones' trio (1958). Bryant settled in New York in 1959; played with Sonny Rollins, Charlie Shavers, and Curtis Fuller; and soon had his own trio. He had a few funky commercial hits (including "Little Susie" and "Cubano Chant") that kept him working for decades. Bryant recorded often throughout his career (most notably for Epic, Prestige, Columbia, Sue, Cadet, Atlantic, Pablo, and Emarcy), and even his dates on electric piano in the '70s are generally rewarding. However, Bryant was heard at his best when playing the blues on unaccompanied acoustic piano. After a lengthy illness, Ray Bryant died in Queens, New York on June 2, 2011; he was 79 years old.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Somewhere in France
Jazz - Released by Big Deal Records on Sep 23, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Jazz Masters
Bebop - Released by Master Classics Records on Mar 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Meet Betty Carter And Ray Bryant
Jazz - Released by Columbia - Legacy on May 13, 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alone At Montreux (Live Version)
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on Jul 1, 1972
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Plays Blues and Ballads (Piano Solo)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Connaisseur on Jan 27, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Ray Bryant
Jazz - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on Dec 3, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Alone With The Blues
Jazz - Released by Original Jazz Classics on Dec 19, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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MCMLXX
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on Jan 1, 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alone At Montreux (Live)
Jazz - Released by Savoy on Jan 1, 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In the Back Room (Live)
Jazz - Released by Evening Star on Jan 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Inimitable (Live)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Connaisseur on Mar 17, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ray Bryant - Vintage Sounds
Jazz - Released by Retro Music Box on Oct 15, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ain't We Got Fun
Jazz - Released by nagel heyer records on Mar 21, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo