Ray Bryant

Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had taught herself to play the piano; his father also played the piano and sang. He had switched from classical music to jazz by his early teens and played the double bass at junior high school. He was then a solo pianist based in Syracuse, New York, for a year. Bryant recorded under drummer Art Blakey for several studio albums in 1957–58. Decades later, he commented: "The sessions I recorded with him helped put me on the map as a musician". Bryant was also part of drummer Jo Jones's trio in 1958. He recorded with "Hal Singer, Arnett Cobb, Benny Golson, Lem Winchester, and Oliver Nelson" in 1959. This version, sold as "Little Susie (Part 4)", reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart.

Hammond also paired Bryant with singer Aretha Franklin for the album Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo in 1960. Bryant was in Baltimore with Hammond when the Madison dance craze was developing and, at the producer's suggestion, adapted an earlier composition for the dance – it was renamed "Madison Time". Another Bryant single – "Sack o' Woe" – appeared on the R&B chart in 1961.

In 1963, Bryant switched to Sue Records and recorded the first of four albums for the label. In the following year, he played in New York in a trio led by saxophonist Buddy Tate.

Between 1976 and 1980, Bryant recorded five albums for Pablo Records.

In the 2000s, most of his performances were in Europe and Japan, and he reduced his schedule.

Bryant died on June 2, 2011, at the age of 79 in Queens, New York, after a long illness.

Family From 1975 to 1982, Bryant was married to pioneering Philadelphia news broadcaster Edie Huggins. The musicians Kevin Eubanks, Duane Eubanks, and Robin Eubanks are the sons of Bryant's sister, Vera.

Playing and composing style Bryant's style was initially influenced by pianists Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson, but blues and gospel elements soon grew stronger in his playing. He said that he liked to transfer elements of the Count Basie Orchestra to the piano. A writer commented that Bryant's "solo works are often like carefully crafted sonatas with dramatic changes in mood, tempo and dynamics".

"Bryant had a firm touch and an unshakable sense of time, notably in his left hand, which he often used to build a bedrock vamp. Even in a bebop setting, he favored the ringing tonalities of the gospel church." "In his solo playing, [...] he often played blues figures in the right hand against stride or boogie-woogie patterns in the left. On his recordings as an accompanist the influence of blues and boogie-woogie is less strong and he plays in a variety of styles."

Bryant was also a composer, with well-known themes such as "Cubano Chant", "The Madison Time", "Monkey Business", and "Little Susie" to his credit. He said that he did not consciously endeavor to compose music: "An idea will just come to me while I'm doing something else and if it sticks, I develop it into a tune." Ed Berger wrote in JazzTimes that Bryant's compositions "share many of the attractive melodic and rhythmic qualities that make his playing so widely accessible", and vary in style from Latin, blues-based, to more lyrical ballads, waltzes and calypsos.

Discography As leader

As sideman