Ray Bryant
b. 24 December 1931, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Coming from a musical family gave Bryant an advantage—his mother played piano and his sister sang in a gospel choir. He started on bass, but left it to his older brother Tom, in order to play piano. The Bryant Brothers became the house band for Philadelphia's Blue Note Club, where they played with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. It was these contacts that led to recordings with Davis, Sonny Rollins and Carmen McRae. He led a trio at New York's Village Vanguard in 1959. In 1960 he had a surprise hit with the infectious and memorable Little Susie, named for his daughter, and Cubano Chant and Slow Freight. Initially inspired by the style of Teddy Wilson, Bryant's gospel inflections give his playing a modern, rootsy edge. For a number of years much of his work was unavailable, fortunately in recent years, notably with the advent of the compact disc, Bryant's highly underrated work has been reissued. He continues to perform and record prolifically as both a soloist and leader of a trio. THROUGH THE YEARS was a superb recording, covering Bryant's entire career this newly recorded collection demonstrated, if anything, that Bryant's technique has improved with age.