Ray Bryant

American jazz pianist and composer. His brothers were the bassist [a430827] and [a7245211], a drummer and singer. His nephews are [a312668] and [a84213]. Born on December 24, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). Died on June 2, 2011 in New York City, New York (USA).

Bryant's career covered a wide range of genres from bop to blues, boogie woogie, gospel and R&B. It began in the late 1940's while playing with [a330703]. In 1951 he became house pianist at the Blue Note in Philadelphia, backing visiting musicians such as [a75617], [a23755], [a258433] and [a64694], remaining until 1953. He began to record as leader for [l1005] in 1955 (later for parent label [l1866] in 1960 when signed by [a252830]), [l19591] and [l101478]. In 1958 or 1959, he settled in New York. With [a299682] he also entered the R&B genre, backing [a38863] on her debut for Columbia and releasing the Bryant co-written R&B hit The Madison Time, later used in the Hairspray movies.

As a composer he is also known for writing the jazz standard Cubano Chant. In the 1960s, Bryant released several albums of soul-jazz on the [l36003] label. But his solo piano albums are among his best, containing interpretations of blues, gospel and standards, like 1956's Alone With The Blues and 1972's Alone At Montreux.