The shuffling of the mortal coil for even the most obscure musicians will usually result in posthumous praise previously unknown. Part of it is in tribute by fans the other by apologists looking to endorse someone they had previously passed on listening to.
The death of Ray Bryant is unlikely to gain too much column space though his reputation as a fantastic jazz piano player is without question. His most established work would be the late 50′s/early 60′s recordings with Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie on Sonny Side Up and his own solo record Con Alma. Though a master at playing most jazz piano styles Ray is considered mainly for this bebop era.
Gil Scott Heron was many things and though his contrived final LP for XL had little substance it has at least turned on a new generation to sample his stellar work from the 70s and 80s. Winter In America, First Minute Of A New Day and Pieces Of A Man are equally brilliant records and alongside his often quoted words were beautiful grooves courtesy of Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band. Not only were Gil’s talents as a singer, writer and activist he was a mean Rhodes piano player. During the Midnight Band’s heyday Gil could be seen stalking the stage, delivering his words before stepping to the side to let his phenomenal band jam before getting back on the Rhodes. Later on when a Rhodes was not available he would take to the stage with the Yamaha DX7, a synthesizer with a notorious (if slightly tacky) Rhodes patch.
Though Ray would not retain a modern audience as well as Gil did they were both influential in their own way. Gil like many others is considered the Godfather of Rap [sic] for his political outspokenness and his style of singing and speaking over a beat. Apart from that his work on the keys has been sampled in hip hop and beyond. Subconsciously the first Gil Scott Heron joint I fell in love with was the live version of Home Is Where The Hatred is which I had first heard sampled by Kenny Dope on Moonshine. Similarly with Ray Bryant though his bebop material was his most famous the funk classic Up Above the Rock became a crate digging classic as immortalised by Kool G Rap on the 1992 track On The Run.
Ray and Gil were two different musicians from different eras playing different music however they were both rich products of blues and jazz. They like many others now play for that big blues, soul, jazz and funk band in heaven whose collective talent outweighs anything available on this earth.
Though both artists peak work would be considered by many as for the past and not now it is funny how some of their greatest music will be used again and again in the future.
Rest In Peace to Gil Scott Heron and Ray Bryant who both passed away in the last few weeks.
