RAY BRYANT
Genres: Bop, Soul Jazz, Pop, Art Song, Folk, Blues • United States

American jazz pianist and composer, born December 24, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died June 2, 2011 in New York City, New York. from discogs Blues and gospel driven jazz pianist whose soulful compositions found fame from the 1960s on. 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 read more...