Results for "Ray Bryant"

Ray Bryant

When Ray Bryant rose to national prominence in the 1950s, he was noted for his ability to meet the sophisticated harmonic demands of modern jazz while retaining the muscle and swing of old forms and the spirit of the gospel music that surrounded him when he was a child. Any performance by Bryant is steeped in the blues, even when he's not playing a blues. Born in Philadelphia, Bryant (whose older brother Tommy was a bassist) gained experience playing early rhythm ’n’ blues and swing with guitarist Tiny Grimes in the late 1940s. As the house pianist at Philadelphia’s Blue Note, he had opportunities to play with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Miles Davis. Bryant began to gain attention during 1956-1957 when he worked with Carmen McRae and appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge

Meet Andy Bey

By CHRIS M. SLAWECKI

From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in February 2000. Listening for the first time to Andy Bey is like stepping into a quiet, still lake. Your foot first parts a surface that's smooth and tranquil, but you can't really tell from that surface how deeply your foot must ...

Barry Harris, Bob Brookmeyer and Chet Baker @ 90 – Bob James @ 80

By MARC COHN

December birthdays on G&M! Some big numbers for the living and those who caught the bus. Still with us are pianists Barry Harris at 90 and Bob James at 80. Among those who are with us in sound and memory are trumpeter Chet Baker and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer who would have turned 90. We also ...

Women in Jazz, Pt. 2: The Girls From Piney Woods

By KARL ACKERMANN

In Part 1 of Women in Jazz we looked at the historical position of women in early jazz. Despite their influence in shaping the art, their talent as composers, arrangers, instrumentalists, and band leaders, women have often been token additions; marginalized window dressing in a male-dominated world. One hundred years after Lil Hardin held ...

Belgrade Jazz Festival 2018

By MARTIN LONGLEY

Belgrade Jazz Festival Dom Omladine/Kombank Dvorana Belgrade, Serbia October 25-29, 2018 The 34th edition of the Belgrade Jazz Festival maintained its exciting strategy of diverse programming, from Kurt Elling to The Thing, Marc Ribot to Bobby Shew, Cortex down to The Necks. That's already an enticing blend of ...

Odean Pope Quartet at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

By VICTOR L. SCHERMER

Odean Pope Quartet “Friday Nights" Music Series Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, PA January 11, 2019 The great tenor saxophonist Odean Pope came up in Philadelphia and still calls it home. He obtained his sea legs together with pianist Ray Bryant, John Coltrane and other young ...

Culture Clubs: A History of the U.S. Jazz Clubs, Part III: Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles & Beyond

By KARL ACKERMANN

Beyond the Hubs While jny: New Orleans, jny: Chicago, jny: Kansas City and jny: New York City were the incubators of modern jazz, they were by no means the only locations with an appetite for live music. Jazz artists whose point of origin could not sustain multiple venues ventured to locations near and far ...

Kevin Eubanks: East West Time Line

By MARIO CALVITTI

Il nuovo album del chitarrista Kevin Eubanks, che segue Duets realizzato nel 2015 con il collega Stanley Jordan, si innesta direttamente nella grande tradizione della chitarra jazz, di cui da oltre trenta anni è uno dei maggiori interpreti. Da sempre poco interessato a sperimentazioni timbriche o strutturali, Eubanks ha preferito concentrare il suo approccio allo strumento ...

Kevin Eubanks: East West Time Line

By GEANNINE REID

Philadelphia-born guitarist, composer Kevin Eubanks has been building a creative catalog and playing style since his 18-year tenure as the guitarist and music director of TV's, The Tonight Show Band ended in 2010. Eubanks took New York by storm, starting out in straight ahead jazz clubs, followed by progressive albums for contemporary jazz giant GRP Records ...

Billy Krechmer: A Philadelphia Story

By RICHARD J SALVUCCI

There is a story told of the last night of an iconic jazz club in Philadelphia in 1966. The bandleader-owner, it was said, had been called away prior to closing. He was unable to return before the end of the last set. Walking back, he watched the crowd filing out. Some, I am told, had tears ...