Ray Bryant Ain't we Got Fun

The Charlie Shavers & Ray Bryant Quartet - Complete Recordings Vol.1-3 (1958-64) {3CD 2005 Lone Hill Jazz Remaster}
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© 2005 Lone Hill Jazz | LHJ 10182~84
Jazz / Bop / Trumpet / Piano

Pure and simple genius from trumpeter Charlie Shavers – a player with a sweet tone and a fluid groove – stepping out here with great accompaniment from pianist Ray Bryant! The CD brings together work from the albums Charlie Digs Paree and Charlie Digs Dixie – both originally recorded for MGM Records in the late 50s, and done in a clean, uncluttered style that really brought a strong focus to Shaver's solos, but also gave some excellent rhythmic support from Bryant – working here at the height of his early powers, in a mode that's clearly relaxed enough to get with the spirit of each different session.

Ray Bryant - Ray Bryant Trio (1956) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 3973}
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© 1956, 2014 Epic / Sony Music Japan | SICP 3973 | Mono
Jazz / Bop / Soul Jazz / Piano

Reissue with latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. The first full album from the great Ray Bryant – recorded shortly after his famous Epic Records session with Betty Carter! The album's got Ray grooving in a hard early soul jazz mode – working in a trio with either Kenny Clarke or Osie Johnson on drums, and Wyatt Reuther on bass – at a level that still shows some influence from other pianists, but already with that unique hard-left style that would make Bryant a big favorite in short years to come. Candido joins in on congas on 2 of the album's best tracks – a hard grooving take on "Night In Tunisia", plus Ray's classic "Cubano Chant", a dancing Latin groover that went onto become an oft-recorded Latin Jazz standard – and other titles include "Pawn Ticket", "Philadelphia Bound", and "Off Shore".

The Ray Bryant Trio - Little Susie (1960) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4028}
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© 1960, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4028
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. Hard-hitting trio work from Ray – one of his early albums for Columbia, and the record that gave him a surprisingly big hit! "Little Susie" is one of those early 60s soul jazz standards, the kind of catchy tune that got played all over the place on radio, and which forever put the artist at the top of the list for recording dates and live sets for a few years. Ray's riding high here – with a trio that features brother Tommy Bryant on bass, and either Eddie Locke or Gus Johnson on drums – and the album's got lots of other short tracks with a similar down-home soul jazz kind of approach. Titles include "Blues For Norrie", "Big Buddy", "Greensleeves", and "If I Can Just Make It".

Ray's choice of material again borrows from a wide musical palette and we are treated to fine performances of jazz originals, standard ballads, a folk tune and a recent Rock 'n Roll hit. The title tune, Lonesome Traveler, is a fitting follow-up to Gotta Travel On of the previous Cadet album.