Richard Wyands

Richard Wyands was one of the great heroes of modern jazz piano.  An unassuming man who did not seek much publicity, he was a vital force in our jazz community.  Wyands was a sparkling pianist of elegance and grace, with great swing and command.  He contributed his talents to many jazz groups throughout the years.

Richard Wyands was born in Oakland, California on July 2, 1928.  He exhibited prodigy-like talent as a child and took [mainly] classical music lessons.  When as an 11-year old he saw Count Basie perform at the World’s Fair on Treasure Island, he was hooked on jazz, and as a teenager he and his friends were influenced also by Duke Ellington’s appearances in San Francisco.  At age 16 he formed a group that Jo Jones arranged to perform in Officer’s Clubs for servicemen in the Pacific theater. After graduating college at San Francisco State, he became a notable jazz figure in the Bay Area in the 1950's and for many years was the house pianist at the leading San Francisco nightclub, the Blackhawk.

After lengthy tours of North America, first as Ella Fitzgerald’s accompanist, and then backing Carmen McRae, eventually Wyands moved to New York City in 1959.  He established significant credentials associating with Charles Mingus, and in Gigi Gryce’s working groups.  By the early 1960's, he served in effect as the standing recording pianist for Prestige Records, appearing on seminal albums with the likes of Roy Haynes (“Just Us”), Eric Dolphy, Oliver Nelson (“Straight Ahead”), and Etta Jones (“Don’t Go To Strangers”).

In the late 1960's and 1970's Wyands had a long and fruitful association with guitarist Kenny Burrell. Wyands also worked frequently at the West End Café in the jazz revival of the late 1970's, and, with George Kelly, played in the movie “Moscow On The Hudson”.

For many decades thereafter, Wyands was a leading figure on the New York scene in nightclubs and concerts.  He appeared on many stellar records with Harold Ashby, Houston Person, Jimmy Cobb, and Etta Jones’s later oeuvre, to name a few.  More significantly, he eventually was able to record a good number of piano trio records as a leader.

Richard Wyands died of natural causes on September 25, 2019 at the age of 91.

 

originally broadcast March 20, 2022

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