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Unmistakably Ray:
The Piano Artistry
of Ray Bryant
By Ed Berger
There are many great jazz pianists
but only a few that can make a
piano their own. Ellington, Tatum, and
Monk, for example, had immediately
identifiable sounds. Ray Bryant has that
same presence, for after only a few
notes there is no mistaking the player.
And watching him play solo piano one
gets the feeling that he is truly part of
a continuum that goes back to
James P. Johnson and Fats Waller.
Bryant’s authority, momentum, and
unerring sense of swing can sweep an
audience along with him. On stage, he
is dignified and unflappable, communicating
through the sheer momentum
of his music. On the opening track of
one of his live solo recordings, part of
the audience begins clapping on “two”
and “four,” part on “one” and “three,”
and a third faction somewhere in
between. Bryant continues unfazed,
never missing a beat, eventually
bringing everyone in line.
“His music might sound easy to play
but it requires so much concentration,”
says bassist Rufus Reid, who has
recorded often with Bryant. “The
collective groove is all-important. He
gives you freedom, but within those
parameters. You can tell right away by his
body language if he’s getting what he
wants—he doesn’t have to say a thing.”
Indeed, one glance from Bryant is usually
all it takes to reign in an overly enthusiastic
drummer. As the late Freddie Waits, a
longtime associate, once said, “He really
straightened out my time. All young
drummers should have the chance to play
with Ray!” Drummer Winard Harper, who
works often with Bryant, adds, “Ray plays
such pretty melodies and everything is
danceable. When he gets into a deep groove
like on “Slow Freight” it’s like a train picking
up steam!”
Bryant is not an innovator but has combined
the key elements of several styles into
something wholly his own. Early in his
JerseyArticlesJazz
Ray Bryant at an Oct. 1, 2008 performance at the Dana Library, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ.
Photo by Ed Berger.
career he formed his basic approach and has
spent the last six decades honing and refining
it. The pianist has always transcended
artificial stylistic boundaries, enjoying
nearly universal acceptance even during the
traditional/modern skirmishes that were still
flaring up when he first arrived on the scene
in the mid-1950s. His broad appeal is not
surprising since Bryant’s style draws heavily
upon the music’s most basic sources—most
notably the blues and gospel—and combines
them with the harmonic sophistication
and rhythmic variety of later styles. He
uses the entire keyboard, his powerful left
hand alternating crashing chords with stride
and boogie-woogie figures while his right
spins delicate filigrees reminiscent of his
first idol, Art Tatum. And Bryant delivers it
all with impeccable musicianship and
relentless swing. He is so consistent that it
is easy to take him for granted.
Born in Philadelphia Bryant comes by his
varied influences honestly. “The first music
I heard was gospel,” he recalls. “My mother
was an ordained minister and a self-taught
pianist, so I spent a lot of time in church.
She gave me my first lessons.” Bryant’s father
also played piano and sang, and Ray’s older
brother Tommy, who died in 1982, was a
highly respected bassist and close musical
partner. Another brother, Len, is a singer
and drummer based in Philadelphia. (The
Bryant family’s musical heritage continues
with Ray’s nephews, Kevin, Robin, and
Dwayne Eubanks, who are the sons of Ray’s
sister Vera, herself a pianist and vocal
teacher.)
24 _________________________________ February 2009